https://www.orbiterwiki.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Over+g&feedformat=atomOrbiterWiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T14:30:30ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.35.2https://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=2094Main Page/Old2005-09-25T14:02:07Z<p>Over g: removed inexistent "Orbiter manual"</p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
This wiki is concerned with material relating to '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]''', a space-flight simulator. On this wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff:<br />
<br />
==Pilot Section==<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* '''[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 New to Orbiter?]''' a good place to start.<br />
* [[FAQ]]<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_mechanics Celestial mechanics] (article on Wikipedia) - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
<br />
==Developer Section==<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, schematics, etc.<br />
<br />
==Contributor section==<br />
* '''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
* If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Interplanetary_tutorials&diff=2061Interplanetary tutorials2005-09-13T20:53:21Z<p>Over g: </p>
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<div>* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26176 Earth Orbit to Mars with Interplanetary MFD (by tigerteam)]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26215 Earth Orbit to Mercury with Interplanetary MFD (by tigerteam)]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26639 Easy tutorial to any planet or moon with Interplanetary MFD (by tigerteam)]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26522 Excellent unrealistic shuttle to the moon tutorial (by tigerteam and Columbia)]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26610 Excellent unrealistic shuttle to the moon (mars?) tutorial Part 2 (by tigerteam and Columbia)]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26646 SH-01 from The Moon to Mars Tutorial (by tigerteam)]<br />
<br />
See Also:<br />
[[Interplanetary MFD]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Sc-27_Star_Goose&diff=2059Sc-27 Star Goose2005-09-13T11:01:39Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Sc27_6.jpg|thumb|right|Sc-27]]<br />
<br />
{{Addon|<br />
1=[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26575 m6 Forum Thread]|<br />
2=[[User:over_g|over_g]]. <br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The Sc-27 Star Goose is a shuttle from the macross universe. This version is an interpretation for Orbiter.<br />
*Length: 34 m<br />
*Width: 17 m<br />
*Height: 12 m<br />
*Passenger: 30+<br />
*Crew: 2+<br />
<br />
==Current Team==<br />
* Model, Texture: [[over_g]]<br />
* Vessel Coding: [[Radu094]]<br />
<br />
==Status==<br />
* Mesh exteriour: 80%<br />
* Mesh interiour: 20%<br />
* Textures: 0%<br />
* Vessel Module (DLL): 0%<br />
<br />
==Links==<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26101 Radus flow slover software]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26575 Old development thread]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[[www.kent.net/robotech/vehicles/rdf/star_goose.shtml]]<br />
*[[www.artemisgames.com/robotech/AircraftAux/StarGoose.html]]<br />
*[[www.mahq.net/mecha/macross/sdfmacross/sc-27.htm]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addons]][[Category:Vessel addons]][[Category:Addons by over_g]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Sc-27_Star_Goose&diff=2058Sc-27 Star Goose2005-09-13T11:00:43Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Sc27_6.jpg|thumb|right|Sc-27]]<br />
<br />
{{Addon|<br />
1=[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26575 m6 Forum Thread]|<br />
2=[[User:over_g|over_g]]. <br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
The Sc-27 Star Goose is a shuttle from the macross universe. This version is an interpretation for Orbiter.<br />
*Length: 34 m<br />
*Width: 17 m<br />
*Height: 12 m<br />
*Passenger: 30+<br />
*Crew: 2+<br />
<br />
==Current Team==<br />
* Model, Texture: [[over_g]]<br />
* Vessel Coding: [[Radu094]]<br />
<br />
==Status==<br />
* Mesh exteriour: 80%<br />
* Mesh interiour: 20%<br />
* Textures: 0%<br />
* Vessel Module (DLL): 0%<br />
<br />
==Links==<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26101 Radus flow slover software]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26575 Old development thread]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[[www.kent.net/robotech/vehicles/rdf/star_goose.shtml]]<br />
*[[www.artemisgames.com/robotech/AircraftAux/StarGoose.html]]<br />
*[[www.mahq.net/mecha/macross/sdfmacross/sc-27.htm]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addons]][[Category:Vessel addons]][[Category:Addons by over_g]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=File:Sc27_6.jpg&diff=2057File:Sc27 6.jpg2005-09-13T10:59:05Z<p>Over g: Sc-27 Star Goose WIP rendering</p>
<hr />
<div>Sc-27 Star Goose WIP rendering</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Orbiter_tutorials&diff=2008Orbiter tutorials2005-08-28T07:27:19Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki's Tutorial Page</div><br />
<br />
* [[Orbit tutorials]] - basic guides to entering low earth orbit.<br />
* [[Transfer tutorials]] - a set of guides to get you from earth to the moon and back.<br />
* [[Interplanetary tutorials]] - how to get to the outer planets.<br />
* [[Reentry tutorials]] - how to get your vessel safely down to the ground<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
* [http://smithplanet.com/stuff/orbiter/orbitaloperations.htm Orbital Operations Manual by Jared "Smitty" Smith]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26176 Earth Orbit to Mars with IMFD (by tigerteam)]<br />
* [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=26215 Earth Orbit to Mercury with IMFD (by tigerteam)]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Lunar-LEO_transfer&diff=2007Lunar-LEO transfer2005-08-27T16:10:05Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Links==<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=22264 m6 Forum Thread]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=22885 another m6 Forum Thread]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Lunar-LEO_transfer&diff=2006Lunar-LEO transfer2005-08-27T16:09:53Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Links==<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=22264 m6 Forum Thread]]<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=22885 another m6 Forum Thread]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Transfer_tutorials&diff=2005Transfer tutorials2005-08-27T16:08:13Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>*[[Orbiter_tutorials/LEO-lunar]] Earth Orbit to Moon<br />
*[[Orbiter_tutorials/lunar-LEO]] Moon Orbit to Earth</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=FAQ&diff=2000FAQ2005-08-20T15:07:29Z<p>Over g: /* I'm trying to post a pic... */ formating</p>
<hr />
<div>==General==<br />
<br />
===Where can I post my suggestions/questions/corrections/bug reports?===<br />
<br />
There is a web-based ORBITER discussion forum hosted by M6.net where you can post general questions/suggestions or bug reports. Just click at the "Web Forum" button on the navigator bar. <br />
You can also join the ORBITER mailing list to exchange email with other users to get the latest hints and tricks. <br />
Before submitting a bug report make sure you have the latest version, and that the problem is not already addressed in this FAQ or the forum. <br />
As a last resort, you can email me directly, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer all Orbiter posts. <br />
<br />
===When will the next version be released, and what is going to be in it?===<br />
<br />
I don't announce release dates and feature lists. This is mainly because Orbiter is a hobby of mine, and I don't need the pressure of working against a deadline or fixed specification. I can't always predict how much time I can spend on Orbiter, so the interval between releases will vary. The features added in a new version are usually a mixture of my own ideas and user requests.<br />
Occasionally screen shots of the upcoming version will be posted on the Gallery page, just to keep the suspense up. <br />
<br />
===I have problems downloading Orbiter.===<br />
<br />
Remember you need only the "Base" and "Textures" packages to run Orbiter. Everything else is optional. Select a download mirror close to your location, and if necessary, try several (try to avoid the medphys server, because excessive demand on that server will get me into trouble ;) <br />
If you have a slow connection, you may try at a different time of day when net traffic is lower. A download manager may help as well. Please note that I am not able to provide a CD distribution service, although Orbiter occasionally features on magazine cover discs (so this may be your last option). <br />
<br />
===How can I create/import spacecraft into Orbiter?===<br />
<br />
If you want to create your own addons, you should download the Orbiter SDK (software development kit) package. This contains the libraries for compiling your own spacecraft code, sample code, a few utilities and documentation. <br />
As a minimum, you will need to create a mesh for your spacecraft model (look at the Related Sites page for links to mesh converters from popular 3-D model formats such as 3ds), and define its basic physical properties in a configuration (.cfg) file. For more sophisticated models you may need to write and compile a specialised vessel plugin dll. Alternatively, there are 3rd party wrapper dlls available which can be controlled via configuration scripts. <br />
Finally, you must design a scenario (.scn) which loads your new spacecraft to see it in action in Orbiter. It is probably easiest to modify an existing scenario file by replacing one of the vessel definitions. <br />
If you get stuck, you may want to ask for help (or propose a collaborative project) on the addon forum. <br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===A previous installation worked fine, but the latest version causes problems.===<br />
<br />
Sometimes this problem occurs if a new version is installed over an old one. It is strongly recommended to always install new versions from scratch into a new directory rather than overwriting an existing installation. Installing from scratch can also solve problems caused by addons which are no longer compatible with a new version. If you suspect a problem may be caused by an addon, re-install your addons one at a time and see whether you can identify the culprit. If you can, you may consider notifying the author of the addon. <br />
Multiple Orbiter installations can co-exist on the same computer, so it is a good idea to keep your old Orbiter version to fall back on, in case you can't get the latest version to work on your system.<br />
Another good practice to maintain is that of backing up your Orbiter folder before installing an addon. This might not be practicable on very large Orbiter installations which can run to many hundreds of megabytes, but for small/medium installation on fast modern hardware it doesnt take very long at all to do.<br />
<br />
===After installation, I don't see any scenarios listed, or I don't get any textures.===<br />
<br />
This problem usually occurs if you forget to restore the Orbiter directory tree when extracting the packages. When using WinZip or a similar utility to unpack the Orbiter packages, you need to activate the "Use folder names" option (or an equivalent option to that effect). After unpacking the Base and Textures packages, your Orbiter root directory should contain (amongst other things): <br />
<br />
The orbiter executable (Orbiter.exe) <br />
A number of subdirectories, including Meshes, Scenarios, Textures <br />
If all files ended up in a single directory, you made a mistake when unpacking. <br />
<br />
===I can see the scenario list, but the Start button is inactive and I can't launch any scenarios.===<br />
<br />
The scenario list contains directories (indicated by the folder icons next to them) and scenarios (indicated by the red delta-glider icons). The Orbiter Launch button remains inactive as long as a directory is selected in the list. You must select a scenario entry before you can launch orbiter. After a fresh installation there will be no scenarios in the top-level directory, so you need to step down into one of the subdirectories (by double-clicking on them) to access a scenario. <br />
<br />
===Orbiter takes a long time to load.===<br />
<br />
ORBITER loads a large number of texture maps (mainly planetary surfaces) during startup. Loading these maps will be very slow if your graphics card does not support texture compression, because textures must then be decompressed on the fly. To reduce the loading time (and the amount of memory required for textures): <br />
<br />
Disable high-resolution textures if you have any. High-resolution textures are located in the Textures2 subdirectory. The easiest way to disable them is to rename the directory. Orbiter will then use the lower-resolution textures in the Textures directory. <br />
Turn off visual effects in the "Visual effects" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. In particular the Cloud layers and Specular water reflections options are texture-intensive. <br />
B5. I get a low frame rate.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a hardware render device in the "Video" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog (for example "Direct3D HAL" or "Direct3D HAL T&L"). Avoid the much slower software devices, such as "RGB Emulation". <br />
<br />
Here are a couple of possible solutions: Quit other programs running in the background. Run Orbiter in fullscreen mode. Use a lower screen resolution and lower colour depth (16 bit). Reduce planetary texture resolutions and don't use the highres planetary textures. Reduce the number of background stars. Turn off object shadows. (Most of these options can be adjusted in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog.) <br />
<br />
===Orbiter fails to run.===<br />
<br />
Make sure you have DirectX7 or higher installed. <br />
Make sure DirectX is operating correctly by running the DxDiag test program ( Do this by clicking Start then Run , then typing in "dxdiag" at the prompt and then pressing Enter or click Ok. ) <br />
Make sure your system meets the requirements specified in the Download page. <br />
Make sure the parameters in your Orbiter.cfg file agree with your system specs. <br />
The Orbiter.log file might contain information about what is going wrong.<br />
<br />
===My joystick is not responding.===<br />
<br />
Make sure you have enabled the joystick in the "Joystick" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. <br />
The joystick is usually mapped to the reaction control system (RCS) or aerodynamic control surfaces of your spacecraft, so remember: <br />
<br />
In vacuum, aerodynamic control surfaces obviously have no effect - the spacecraft orientation can only be controlled with the RCS. <br />
Conversely, in a dense atmosphere, the RCS may be too weak for attitude control. Control surfaces will be more effective. <br />
When both RCS and control surfaces are disabled, the joystick has no effect. <br />
In linear RCS mode, the joystick will not rotate the spacecraft, but add to the linear velocity vector. <br />
If your joystick has a throttle control, you can use it to manipulate the main engines. If your throttle control is not responding, try selecting a different throttle axis from the Launchpad dialog. <br />
<br />
===No sound!===<br />
<br />
The basic Orbiter installation doesn't include sound, but there is a popular addon available which adds this functionality: DanSteph's [[OrbiterSound]] plugin, available from his homepage or from the Orbiter file repository at AVSIM.<br />
<br />
===Orbit deteriorates at 1000x and 10000x time acceleration.===<br />
<br />
Orbiter uses discrete time stepping for dynamics, essentially approximating smooth trajectories by piecewise linear segments. This is reasonably accurate for small time steps, but at extreme time acceleration a full orbit may be sampled by very few steps, at which point the method falls apart. As a rule of thumb: Don't use 1000x acceleration when your trajectory changes rapidly, e.g. in a low orbit. On the other hand, en-route to Mars 1000x acceleration should be safe. <br />
Orbiter now includes the option to "stabilise" orbits under certain circumstances. A stabilised orbit is assumed to be an unperturbed Keplerian orbit which can be solved analytically with a 2-body solution. This prevents orbital stations from falling out of the sky while you are on your way to Mars at 10000x time acceleration. A vessel orbit will not be stabilised if it engages its thrusters, if aerodynamic forces are acting on it, or if perturbations of the central body's gravitational field are larger than a user-defined threshold. <br />
Use the Launchpad dialog to activate orbit stabilisation. <br />
<br />
===Orbiter dies unexpectedly during startup ...===<br />
<br />
... and the Orbiter.log file shows something like<br />
<br />
ERROR: DDraw object is still referenced: 50<br />
ERROR: Destroy framework objects failed <br />
This orbiter log message is a generic indicator that something went wrong and orbiter tried a shutdown during which it couldn't remove all its previously created graphics objects. <br />
<br />
This could be caused by any number of problems, for example by low system memory, by a graphics driver problem, another process running in the background, a misbehaving addon, or by a bug in the Orbiter core. <br />
<br />
Try running a fresh orbiter installation (without any addons), use a low-resolution video resolution (say 800x600), try different video devices, turn off all the options in the "Visual parameters" tab, and don't use any high-resolution textures. <br />
<br />
If nothing helps, your last option may be posting a message on the forum with as much information about your system (hardware, OS, graphics drivers, DirectX version etc.) as possible. With any luck, somebody with a similar system may have a solution. <br />
<br />
==Running Orbiter==<br />
<br />
<br />
===I've installed Orbiter, how do I start?===<br />
<br />
Assuming you have configured the video and other options in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog, you are ready to take off. Pick a scenario from the list, and click the "ORBITER" button. <br />
In a nutshell, the most important controls are on the numerical pad of your keyboard: Ctrl+ for increasing main thrust, Ctrl- for decreasing main thrust or engaging retros, Ins and Del for increasing/decreasing hovers (if available), and cursor keys for attitude controls. You should read the Orbiter manual in the Doc folder for a full list of keyboard functions, as well as explanations of the instrumentation. <br />
<br />
===Why can't I get into orbit?===<br />
<br />
To reach orbit from a planetary surface, you need to do two things: attain sufficient altitude, and sufficient tangential velocity. The first point is easy, but unless you reach sufficient tangential velocity, you will simply fall back to Earth again in a ballistic trajectory. The required velocity depends on the orbit altitude and planet mass. For example, a low Earth orbit (LEO) requires a velocity of more than 7000 metres/second. <br />
Orbital launchers usually take off vertically to clear the dense part of the atmosphere quickly, before pitching down to add to the tangential velocity component. You should always launch into a prograde orbit (towards east) to utilise the planet rotation. Orbit insertion normally occurs in two stages: the initial burn leads to a ballistic trajectory, and a second (orbit insertion) burn at the highest point of the trajectory (apoapsis) to raise the periapsis (lowest point of the orbit). <br />
If you are new to Orbiter, you should try your first orbit insertions with one of the more powerful spacecraft, like the Delta-glider. The more realistic launchers, like the Space Shuttle, don't provide much margin for error. If you feel ready to take on the Shuttle, make sure you turn on the "limited fuel" option. With unlimited fuel, the Shuttle is too heavy to reach orbit! <br />
<br />
===I want to rendezvous with the ISS, but I can't even get close.===<br />
<br />
The first step for a successful rendezvous manoeuvre takes place before launch. You should launch into an orbit with as little inclination to the orbital plane of the target as possible. This means waiting until the orbital plane of the target passes through your launch site (use the Map MFD to monitor this). By launching at the right time and into the right direction, you can minimise the need for later corrections of the orbital plane (once in orbit, you can use the "Align orbital plane" MFD for eliminating any residual inclination). <br />
The next step is to catch up with your target, by modifying your orbit appropriately. Use the "Sync Orbit" MFD for this. <br />
<br />
===I can get close to the ISS, but haven't succeded docking.===<br />
<br />
Once you got close to your target (see C3), use the Docking HUD mode and the Docking MFD for final approach. The Docking HUD contains relative velocity indicators which help closing in on your target. You need to tune your navigation radios to the target's transmitter frequency to make use of the docking instrumentation. (You can find the target's transponder frequency (XPDR) in the vessel info sheet (Ctrl-I). Set one of your navigation radios (Shift-C) to that frequency, and slave the HUD and Docking MFD to the appropriate receiver). <br />
In the final approach stage, switch the nav receiver to one of the target's IDS (instrument docking system) frequencies, if available. This will activate approach path indicators in the HUD, and docking indicators in the MFD, to guide you to your final docking position. <br />
<br />
===How can I get from Earth to the Moon/Mars?===<br />
<br />
Orbiter now includes Duncan Sharpe's TransX MFD mode, which is a great tool for setting up interplanetary routes. You need to activate the TransX module in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog to use this. <br />
TransX is quite a complex navigation tool, so to understand the concept and options, make sure you read the TransX manual (in the Doc folder) carefully. <br />
<br />
===I want to see imperial units instead of metric.===<br />
<br />
All internal calculations performed by Orbiter are done in metric units (metre, second, kilogram, Joule, Pascal, etc.), for the simple reason that this is the only system I am familiar and comfortable with, and it is widely used by the scientific community. Likewise, all standard instrument readouts and data displays are in metric units (with very few exceptions, like the use of astronomical units (AU) for large distances). There is however nothing preventing an addon developer from implementing instruments which display their data in a different unit system, and it would be entirely possible to write imperial unit replacements for all standard MFDs. Just don't expect them to feature in the stock Orbiter distribution. If you want to see feet, fathoms, stones, barns or quarts, you will probably have to code them yourself.<br />
<br />
===I am looking for "ApD" in the Orbit MFD, but I have no idea where the "ApD" is.===<br />
<br />
The manual eventually tells you to "Cut Thrusters when your apoasis (higest point of the orbit) reaches 6.731M (the "ApD" entry in the left column of the orbit MFD). <br />
<br />
ApD = Apoapsis Distance<br />
ApR = Apoapsis Radius<br />
ApT = Apoapsis Time.<br />
<br />
ApD = ApR <br />
<br />
ApD and PeD have been renamed ApR and PeR - they are the same measurement however. (Distance between highest (ApR) and lowest (PeR) points of your current orbit and the center of the planet/moon you're orbiting.)<br />
<br />
If you only see ApA (Apoapsis Altitude) and PeA (Periapsis Altitude) in the MFD, press SHIFT + D to switch to the radius display mode.<br />
<br />
==M6.net Forum Questions==<br />
<br />
===I'm trying to post a pic...===<br />
<br />
You need an image host on the internet such as Photobucket or imageshack.com. Try Google or another search site and use keyword "image hosting". <br />
<br />
After you have a host and have uploaded your image,<br />
to get one to show up on the forum:<br />
<br />
1) Click the "insert image" icon in the message post window. Its the one with the little picture of mountains just to the right of the bold, itialic, and underlines icons. That will give you a pair of image tags. (img and /img both surrounded by brackets: [])<br />
<br />
2. Now split the tags apart and put your photo link in between:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>[img]link[/img]</nowiki><br />
<br />
3. For photobucket use the url link. (The one without the image tags inserted) Then insert that link between the img tags you called up earlier. So my link looks like this:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>[img]img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/dont155/Orbiter_137a.jpg [/img]</nowiki><br />
<br />
<br />
Simply: when writing your post you insert the direct image URL between the two <nowiki>[img][/img]</nowiki> tags. (Without the periods after img)<br />
<br />
Final Note - If your browser does not support the image insert icon in the post edit box, just manually type the <nowiki>[img]<nowiki> tags. It works just as well.<br />
<br />
</nowiki></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=radarMFD&diff=1998radarMFD2005-08-20T13:09:46Z<p>Over g: radarMFD moved to RadarMFD</p>
<hr />
<div>#redirect [[RadarMFD]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=RadarMFD&diff=1997RadarMFD2005-08-20T13:09:46Z<p>Over g: radarMFD moved to RadarMFD</p>
<hr />
<div>links:<br />
*http://webserv.nhl.nl/~akker306/RadarMFD2.zip<br />
*http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23342<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addons]][[Category:MFD addons]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=RadarMFD&diff=1996RadarMFD2005-08-20T13:09:12Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>links:<br />
*http://webserv.nhl.nl/~akker306/RadarMFD2.zip<br />
*http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23342<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addons]][[Category:MFD addons]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=RadarMFD&diff=1995RadarMFD2005-08-20T13:08:15Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>links:<br />
*http://webserv.nhl.nl/~akker306/RadarMFD2.zip<br />
*http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23342</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=RadarMFD&diff=1994RadarMFD2005-08-20T13:08:05Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>links:<br />
http://webserv.nhl.nl/~akker306/RadarMFD2.zip<br />
http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23342</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=RadarMFD&diff=1993RadarMFD2005-08-20T13:07:13Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>link:<br />
http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23342</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1983Main Page/Old2005-08-14T23:37:25Z<p>Over g: back in time</p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
This wiki is concerned with material relating to '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]''', a space-flight simulator. On this wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff:<br />
<br />
==Pilot Section==<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* '''[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 New to Orbiter?]''' a good place to start.<br />
* [[FAQ]]<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Developer Section==<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, schematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Want to contribute to Orbwiki?==<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=OrbiterWiki:Rules&diff=1946OrbiterWiki:Rules2005-08-05T07:49:23Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{PlateWithCaption| color = blue<br />
|caption = OrbiterWiki Rules<br />
|text = This page is intended for people who edit pages. If you don't (although we warmly welcome you to) then you may ignore this page.<br />
}}<br />
<!-- valid colors are: 'red', 'blue', 'ylw', 'grn' --><br />
<br />
Although this page is titled "rules", the following are only strong recommendations. Strict rules are, of course, impossible to enforce on a wiki, and besides, OrbiterWiki may need to go beyond these rules in various situations as agreed to by the community.<br />
<br />
# '''Please read and observe the [[OrbiterWiki:Guidelines|Guidelines]] (and consult them if you're unsure!)'''<br />
# '''Log in before you edit a page'''<br />
# '''Remember that you are not on Wikipedia - think twice before making some word a link'''<br />
<!--# '''Don't revert a whole edit if you disagree with just part of it''' - not sure if it's a good one :)--><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size:7pt;">This is all I can think of for now; feel free to add a rule if you think it's appropriate. I will eventually protect this page. [[User:RaMan|RaMan]] 26 July 2005 05:09 (MSD)</div><br />
<br />
<br />
Obvious netiquette rules (or, rather, reminders):<br />
# Respect other people's opinions even if you disagree.<br />
# No personal attacks. Please behave civilly.</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=FAQ&diff=1929FAQ2005-08-04T14:40:08Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>==General==<br />
<br />
===Where can I post my suggestions/questions/corrections/bug reports?===<br />
<br />
There is a web-based ORBITER discussion forum hosted by M6.net where you can post general questions/suggestions or bug reports. Just click at the "Web Forum" button on the navigator bar. <br />
You can also join the ORBITER mailing list to exchange email with other users to get the latest hints and tricks. <br />
Before submitting a bug report make sure you have the latest version, and that the problem is not already addressed in this FAQ or the forum. <br />
As a last resort, you can email me directly, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer all Orbiter posts. <br />
<br />
===When will the next version be released, and what is going to be in it?===<br />
<br />
I don't announce release dates and feature lists. This is mainly because Orbiter is a hobby of mine, and I don't need the pressure of working against a deadline or fixed specification. I can't always predict how much time I can spend on Orbiter, so the interval between releases will vary. The features added in a new version are usually a mixture of my own ideas and user requests.<br />
Occasionally screen shots of the upcoming version will be posted on the Gallery page, just to keep the suspense up. <br />
<br />
===I have problems downloading Orbiter.===<br />
<br />
Remember you need only the "Base" and "Textures" packages to run Orbiter. Everything else is optional. Select a download mirror close to your location, and if necessary, try several (try to avoid the medphys server, because excessive demand on that server will get me into trouble ;) <br />
If you have a slow connection, you may try at a different time of day when net traffic is lower. A download manager may help as well. Please note that I am not able to provide a CD distribution service, although Orbiter occasionally features on magazine cover discs (so this may be your last option). <br />
<br />
===How can I create/import spacecraft into Orbiter?===<br />
<br />
If you want to create your own addons, you should download the Orbiter SDK (software development kit) package. This contains the libraries for compiling your own spacecraft code, sample code, a few utilities and documentation. <br />
As a minimum, you will need to create a mesh for your spacecraft model (look at the Related Sites page for links to mesh converters from popular 3-D model formats such as 3ds), and define its basic physical properties in a configuration (.cfg) file. For more sophisticated models you may need to write and compile a specialised vessel plugin dll. Alternatively, there are 3rd party wrapper dlls available which can be controlled via configuration scripts. <br />
Finally, you must design a scenario (.scn) which loads your new spacecraft to see it in action in Orbiter. It is probably easiest to modify an existing scenario file by replacing one of the vessel definitions. <br />
If you get stuck, you may want to ask for help (or propose a collaborative project) on the addon forum. <br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===A previous installation worked fine, but the latest version causes problems.===<br />
<br />
Sometimes this problem occurs if a new version is installed over an old one. It is strongly recommended to always install new versions from scratch into a new directory rather than overwriting an existing installation. Installing from scratch can also solve problems caused by addons which are no longer compatible with a new version. If you suspect a problem may be caused by an addon, re-install your addons one at a time and see whether you can identify the culprit. If you can, you may consider notifying the author of the addon. <br />
Multiple Orbiter installations can co-exist on the same computer, so it is a good idea to keep your old Orbiter version to fall back on, in case you can't get the latest version to work on your system. <br />
<br />
===After installation, I don't see any scenarios listed, or I don't get any textures.===<br />
<br />
This problem usually occurs if you forget to restore the Orbiter directory tree when extracting the packages. When using WinZip or a similar utility to unpack the Orbiter packages, you need to activate the "Use folder names" option (or an equivalent option to that effect). After unpacking the Base and Textures packages, your Orbiter root directory should contain (amongst other things): <br />
<br />
The orbiter executable (Orbiter.exe) <br />
A number of subdirectories, including Meshes, Scenarios, Textures <br />
If all files ended up in a single directory, you made a mistake when unpacking. <br />
<br />
===I can see the scenario list, but the Start button is inactive and I can't launch any scenarios.===<br />
<br />
The scenario list contains directories (indicated by the folder icons next to them) and scenarios (indicated by the red delta-glider icons). The Orbiter Launch button remains inactive as long as a directory is selected in the list. You must select a scenario entry before you can launch orbiter. After a fresh installation there will be no scenarios in the top-level directory, so you need to step down into one of the subdirectories (by double-clicking on them) to access a scenario. <br />
<br />
===Orbiter takes a long time to load.===<br />
<br />
ORBITER loads a large number of texture maps (mainly planetary surfaces) during startup. Loading these maps will be very slow if your graphics card does not support texture compression, because textures must then be decompressed on the fly. To reduce the loading time (and the amount of memory required for textures): <br />
<br />
Disable high-resolution textures if you have any. High-resolution textures are located in the Textures2 subdirectory. The easiest way to disable them is to rename the directory. Orbiter will then use the lower-resolution textures in the Textures directory. <br />
Turn off visual effects in the "Visual effects" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. In particular the Cloud layers and Specular water reflections options are texture-intensive. <br />
B5. I get a low frame rate.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a hardware render device in the "Video" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog (for example "Direct3D HAL" or "Direct3D HAL T&L"). Avoid the much slower software devices, such as "RGB Emulation". <br />
<br />
Here are a couple of possible solutions: Quit other programs running in the background. Run Orbiter in fullscreen mode. Use a lower screen resolution and lower colour depth (16 bit). Reduce planetary texture resolutions and don't use the highres planetary textures. Reduce the number of background stars. Turn off object shadows. (Most of these options can be adjusted in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog.) <br />
<br />
===Orbiter fails to run.===<br />
<br />
Make sure you have DirectX7 or higher installed. <br />
Make sure your system meets the requirements specified in the Download page. <br />
Make sure the parameters in your Orbiter.cfg file agree with your system specs. <br />
The Orbiter.log file might contain information about what is going wrong. <br />
<br />
===My joystick is not responding.===<br />
<br />
Make sure you have enabled the joystick in the "Joystick" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. <br />
The joystick is usually mapped to the reaction control system (RCS) or aerodynamic control surfaces of your spacecraft, so remember: <br />
<br />
In vacuum, aerodynamic control surfaces obviously have no effect - the spacecraft orientation can only be controlled with the RCS. <br />
Conversely, in a dense atmosphere, the RCS may be too weak for attitude control. Control surfaces will be more effective. <br />
When both RCS and control surfaces are disabled, the joystick has no effect. <br />
In linear RCS mode, the joystick will not rotate the spacecraft, but add to the linear velocity vector. <br />
If your joystick has a throttle control, you can use it to manipulate the main engines. If your throttle control is not responding, try selecting a different throttle axis from the Launchpad dialog. <br />
<br />
===No sound!===<br />
<br />
The basic Orbiter installation doesn't support sound, but there is a popular addon available which add this functionality: DanSteph's OrbiterSound plugin, available from his homepage or from the Orbiter file repository at AVSIM. <br />
<br />
===Orbit deteriorates at 1000x and 10000x time acceleration.===<br />
<br />
Orbiter uses discrete time stepping for dynamics, essentially approximating smooth trajectories by piecewise linear segments. This is reasonably accurate for small time steps, but at extreme time acceleration a full orbit may be sampled by very few steps, at which point the method falls apart. As a rule of thumb: Don't use 1000x acceleration when your trajectory changes rapidly, e.g. in a low orbit. On the other hand, en-route to Mars 1000x acceleration should be safe. <br />
Orbiter now includes the option to "stabilise" orbits under certain circumstances. A stabilised orbit is assumed to be an unperturbed Keplerian orbit which can be solved analytically with a 2-body solution. This prevents orbital stations from falling out of the sky while you are on your way to Mars at 10000x time acceleration. A vessel orbit will not be stabilised if it engages its thrusters, if aerodynamic forces are acting on it, or if perturbations of the central body's gravitational field are larger than a user-defined threshold. <br />
Use the Launchpad dialog to activate orbit stabilisation. <br />
<br />
===Orbiter dies unexpectedly during startup ...===<br />
<br />
... and the Orbiter.log file shows something like<br />
<br />
ERROR: DDraw object is still referenced: 50<br />
ERROR: Destroy framework objects failed <br />
This orbiter log message is a generic indicator that something went wrong and orbiter tried a shutdown during which it couldn't remove all its previously created graphics objects. <br />
<br />
This could be caused by any number of problems, for example by low system memory, by a graphics driver problem, another process running in the background, a misbehaving addon, or by a bug in the Orbiter core. <br />
<br />
Try running a fresh orbiter installation (without any addons), use a low-resolution video resolution (say 800x600), try different video devices, turn off all the options in the "Visual parameters" tab, and don't use any high-resolution textures. <br />
<br />
If nothing helps, your last option may be posting a message on the forum with as much information about your system (hardware, OS, graphics drivers, DirectX version etc.) as possible. With any luck, somebody with a similar system may have a solution. <br />
<br />
==Running Orbiter==<br />
<br />
<br />
===I've installed Orbiter, how do I start?===<br />
<br />
Assuming you have configured the video and other options in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog, you are ready to take off. Pick a scenario from the list, and click the "ORBITER" button. <br />
In a nutshell, the most important controls are on the numerical pad of your keyboard: Ctrl+ for increasing main thrust, Ctrl- for decreasing main thrust or engaging retros, Ins and Del for increasing/decreasing hovers (if available), and cursor keys for attitude controls. You should read the Orbiter manual in the Doc folder for a full list of keyboard functions, as well as explanations of the instrumentation. <br />
<br />
===Why can't I get into orbit?===<br />
<br />
To reach orbit from a planetary surface, you need to do two things: attain sufficient altitude, and sufficient tangential velocity. The first point is easy, but unless you reach sufficient tangential velocity, you will simply fall back to Earth again in a ballistic trajectory. The required velocity depends on the orbit altitude and planet mass. For example, a low Earth orbit (LEO) requires a velocity of more than 7000 metres/second. <br />
Orbital launchers usually take off vertically to clear the dense part of the atmosphere quickly, before pitching down to add to the tangential velocity component. You should always launch into a prograde orbit (towards east) to utilise the planet rotation. Orbit insertion normally occurs in two stages: the initial burn leads to a ballistic trajectory, and a second (orbit insertion) burn at the highest point of the trajectory (apoapsis) to raise the periapsis (lowest point of the orbit). <br />
If you are new to Orbiter, you should try your first orbit insertions with one of the more powerful spacecraft, like the Delta-glider. The more realistic launchers, like the Space Shuttle, don't provide much margin for error. If you feel ready to take on the Shuttle, make sure you turn on the "limited fuel" option. With unlimited fuel, the Shuttle is too heavy to reach orbit! <br />
<br />
===I want to rendezvous with the ISS, but I can't even get close.===<br />
<br />
The first step for a successful rendezvous manoeuvre takes place before launch. You should launch into an orbit with as little inclination to the orbital plane of the target as possible. This means waiting until the orbital plane of the target passes through your launch site (use the Map MFD to monitor this). By launching at the right time and into the right direction, you can minimise the need for later corrections of the orbital plane (once in orbit, you can use the "Align orbital plane" MFD for eliminating any residual inclination). <br />
The next step is to catch up with your target, by modifying your orbit appropriately. Use the "Sync Orbit" MFD for this. <br />
<br />
===I can get close to the ISS, but haven't succeded docking.===<br />
<br />
Once you got close to your target (see C3), use the Docking HUD mode and the Docking MFD for final approach. The Docking HUD contains relative velocity indicators which help closing in on your target. You need to tune your navigation radios to the target's transmitter frequency to make use of the docking instrumentation. (You can find the target's transponder frequency (XPDR) in the vessel info sheet (Ctrl-I). Set one of your navigation radios (Shift-C) to that frequency, and slave the HUD and Docking MFD to the appropriate receiver). <br />
In the final approach stage, switch the nav receiver to one of the target's IDS (instrument docking system) frequencies, if available. This will activate approach path indicators in the HUD, and docking indicators in the MFD, to guide you to your final docking position. <br />
<br />
===How can I get from Earth to the Moon/Mars?===<br />
<br />
Orbiter now includes Duncan Sharpe's TransX MFD mode, which is a great tool for setting up interplanetary routes. You need to activate the TransX module in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog to use this. <br />
TransX is quite a complex navigation tool, so to understand the concept and options, make sure you read the TransX manual (in the Doc folder) carefully. <br />
<br />
===I want to see imperial units instead of metric.===<br />
<br />
All internal calculations performed by Orbiter are done in metric units (metre, second, kilogram, Joule, Pascal, etc.), for the simple reason that this is the only system I am familiar and comfortable with, and it is widely used by the scientific community. Likewise, all standard instrument readouts and data displays are in metric units (with very few exceptions, like the use of astronomical units (AU) for large distances). There is however nothing preventing an addon developer from implementing instruments which display their data in a different unit system, and it would be entirely possible to write imperial unit replacements for all standard MFDs. Just don't expect them to feature in the stock Orbiter distribution. If you want to see feet, fathoms, stones, barns or quarts, you will probably have to code them yourself.</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=FAQ&diff=1928FAQ2005-08-04T14:38:46Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>=FAQ=<br />
<br />
A. General <br />
A1. Where can I post my suggestions/questions/corrections/bug reports? <br />
A2. When will the next version be released, and what is going to be in it? <br />
A3. I have problems downloading Orbiter <br />
A4. How can I create/import spacecraft into Orbiter? <br />
<br />
B. Troubleshooting <br />
B1. A previous installation worked fine, but the latest version causes problems. <br />
B2. After installation, I don't see any scenarios listed, or I don't get any textures. <br />
B3. I can see the scenario list, but the Start button is inactive and I can't launch any scenarios. <br />
B4. Orbiter takes a long time to load. <br />
B5. I get a low frame rate. <br />
B6. Orbiter fails to run. <br />
B7. My joystick is not responding. <br />
B8. No sound! <br />
B9. Orbit deteriorates at 1000x and 10000x time acceleration. <br />
B10. Orbiter dies unexpectedly during startup ... <br />
<br />
C. Running Orbiter <br />
C1. I've installed Orbiter, how do I start? <br />
C2. Why can't I get into orbit? <br />
C3. I want to rendezvous with the ISS, but I can't even get close. <br />
C4. I can get close to the ISS, but haven't succeded docking. <br />
C5. How can I get from Earth to the Moon/Mars? <br />
C6. I want to see imperial units instead of metric. <br />
<br />
==A. General==<br />
<br />
===A1. Where can I post my suggestions/questions/corrections/bug reports?===<br />
<br />
There is a web-based ORBITER discussion forum hosted by M6.net where you can post general questions/suggestions or bug reports. Just click at the "Web Forum" button on the navigator bar. <br />
You can also join the ORBITER mailing list to exchange email with other users to get the latest hints and tricks. <br />
Before submitting a bug report make sure you have the latest version, and that the problem is not already addressed in this FAQ or the forum. <br />
As a last resort, you can email me directly, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer all Orbiter posts. <br />
<br />
===A2. When will the next version be released, and what is going to be in it?===<br />
<br />
I don't announce release dates and feature lists. This is mainly because Orbiter is a hobby of mine, and I don't need the pressure of working against a deadline or fixed specification. I can't always predict how much time I can spend on Orbiter, so the interval between releases will vary. The features added in a new version are usually a mixture of my own ideas and user requests.<br />
Occasionally screen shots of the upcoming version will be posted on the Gallery page, just to keep the suspense up. <br />
<br />
===A3. I have problems downloading Orbiter.===<br />
<br />
Remember you need only the "Base" and "Textures" packages to run Orbiter. Everything else is optional. Select a download mirror close to your location, and if necessary, try several (try to avoid the medphys server, because excessive demand on that server will get me into trouble ;) <br />
If you have a slow connection, you may try at a different time of day when net traffic is lower. A download manager may help as well. Please note that I am not able to provide a CD distribution service, although Orbiter occasionally features on magazine cover discs (so this may be your last option). <br />
<br />
===A4. How can I create/import spacecraft into Orbiter?===<br />
<br />
If you want to create your own addons, you should download the Orbiter SDK (software development kit) package. This contains the libraries for compiling your own spacecraft code, sample code, a few utilities and documentation. <br />
As a minimum, you will need to create a mesh for your spacecraft model (look at the Related Sites page for links to mesh converters from popular 3-D model formats such as 3ds), and define its basic physical properties in a configuration (.cfg) file. For more sophisticated models you may need to write and compile a specialised vessel plugin dll. Alternatively, there are 3rd party wrapper dlls available which can be controlled via configuration scripts. <br />
Finally, you must design a scenario (.scn) which loads your new spacecraft to see it in action in Orbiter. It is probably easiest to modify an existing scenario file by replacing one of the vessel definitions. <br />
If you get stuck, you may want to ask for help (or propose a collaborative project) on the addon forum. <br />
<br />
==B. Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===B1. A previous installation worked fine, but the latest version causes problems.===<br />
<br />
Sometimes this problem occurs if a new version is installed over an old one. It is strongly recommended to always install new versions from scratch into a new directory rather than overwriting an existing installation. Installing from scratch can also solve problems caused by addons which are no longer compatible with a new version. If you suspect a problem may be caused by an addon, re-install your addons one at a time and see whether you can identify the culprit. If you can, you may consider notifying the author of the addon. <br />
Multiple Orbiter installations can co-exist on the same computer, so it is a good idea to keep your old Orbiter version to fall back on, in case you can't get the latest version to work on your system. <br />
<br />
===B2. After installation, I don't see any scenarios listed, or I don't get any textures.===<br />
<br />
This problem usually occurs if you forget to restore the Orbiter directory tree when extracting the packages. When using WinZip or a similar utility to unpack the Orbiter packages, you need to activate the "Use folder names" option (or an equivalent option to that effect). After unpacking the Base and Textures packages, your Orbiter root directory should contain (amongst other things): <br />
<br />
The orbiter executable (Orbiter.exe) <br />
A number of subdirectories, including Meshes, Scenarios, Textures <br />
If all files ended up in a single directory, you made a mistake when unpacking. <br />
<br />
===B3. I can see the scenario list, but the Start button is inactive and I can't launch any scenarios.===<br />
<br />
The scenario list contains directories (indicated by the folder icons next to them) and scenarios (indicated by the red delta-glider icons). The Orbiter Launch button remains inactive as long as a directory is selected in the list. You must select a scenario entry before you can launch orbiter. After a fresh installation there will be no scenarios in the top-level directory, so you need to step down into one of the subdirectories (by double-clicking on them) to access a scenario. <br />
<br />
===B4. Orbiter takes a long time to load.===<br />
<br />
ORBITER loads a large number of texture maps (mainly planetary surfaces) during startup. Loading these maps will be very slow if your graphics card does not support texture compression, because textures must then be decompressed on the fly. To reduce the loading time (and the amount of memory required for textures): <br />
<br />
Disable high-resolution textures if you have any. High-resolution textures are located in the Textures2 subdirectory. The easiest way to disable them is to rename the directory. Orbiter will then use the lower-resolution textures in the Textures directory. <br />
Turn off visual effects in the "Visual effects" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. In particular the Cloud layers and Specular water reflections options are texture-intensive. <br />
B5. I get a low frame rate.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a hardware render device in the "Video" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog (for example "Direct3D HAL" or "Direct3D HAL T&L"). Avoid the much slower software devices, such as "RGB Emulation". <br />
<br />
Here are a couple of possible solutions: Quit other programs running in the background. Run Orbiter in fullscreen mode. Use a lower screen resolution and lower colour depth (16 bit). Reduce planetary texture resolutions and don't use the highres planetary textures. Reduce the number of background stars. Turn off object shadows. (Most of these options can be adjusted in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog.) <br />
<br />
===B6. Orbiter fails to run.===<br />
<br />
Make sure you have DirectX7 or higher installed. <br />
Make sure your system meets the requirements specified in the Download page. <br />
Make sure the parameters in your Orbiter.cfg file agree with your system specs. <br />
The Orbiter.log file might contain information about what is going wrong. <br />
<br />
===B7. My joystick is not responding.===<br />
<br />
Make sure you have enabled the joystick in the "Joystick" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. <br />
The joystick is usually mapped to the reaction control system (RCS) or aerodynamic control surfaces of your spacecraft, so remember: <br />
<br />
In vacuum, aerodynamic control surfaces obviously have no effect - the spacecraft orientation can only be controlled with the RCS. <br />
Conversely, in a dense atmosphere, the RCS may be too weak for attitude control. Control surfaces will be more effective. <br />
When both RCS and control surfaces are disabled, the joystick has no effect. <br />
In linear RCS mode, the joystick will not rotate the spacecraft, but add to the linear velocity vector. <br />
If your joystick has a throttle control, you can use it to manipulate the main engines. If your throttle control is not responding, try selecting a different throttle axis from the Launchpad dialog. <br />
<br />
===B8. No sound!===<br />
<br />
The basic Orbiter installation doesn't support sound, but there is a popular addon available which add this functionality: DanSteph's OrbiterSound plugin, available from his homepage or from the Orbiter file repository at AVSIM. <br />
<br />
===B9. Orbit deteriorates at 1000x and 10000x time acceleration.===<br />
<br />
Orbiter uses discrete time stepping for dynamics, essentially approximating smooth trajectories by piecewise linear segments. This is reasonably accurate for small time steps, but at extreme time acceleration a full orbit may be sampled by very few steps, at which point the method falls apart. As a rule of thumb: Don't use 1000x acceleration when your trajectory changes rapidly, e.g. in a low orbit. On the other hand, en-route to Mars 1000x acceleration should be safe. <br />
Orbiter now includes the option to "stabilise" orbits under certain circumstances. A stabilised orbit is assumed to be an unperturbed Keplerian orbit which can be solved analytically with a 2-body solution. This prevents orbital stations from falling out of the sky while you are on your way to Mars at 10000x time acceleration. A vessel orbit will not be stabilised if it engages its thrusters, if aerodynamic forces are acting on it, or if perturbations of the central body's gravitational field are larger than a user-defined threshold. <br />
Use the Launchpad dialog to activate orbit stabilisation. <br />
<br />
===B10. Orbiter dies unexpectedly during startup ...===<br />
<br />
... and the Orbiter.log file shows something like<br />
<br />
ERROR: DDraw object is still referenced: 50<br />
ERROR: Destroy framework objects failed <br />
This orbiter log message is a generic indicator that something went wrong and orbiter tried a shutdown during which it couldn't remove all its previously created graphics objects. <br />
<br />
This could be caused by any number of problems, for example by low system memory, by a graphics driver problem, another process running in the background, a misbehaving addon, or by a bug in the Orbiter core. <br />
<br />
Try running a fresh orbiter installation (without any addons), use a low-resolution video resolution (say 800x600), try different video devices, turn off all the options in the "Visual parameters" tab, and don't use any high-resolution textures. <br />
<br />
If nothing helps, your last option may be posting a message on the forum with as much information about your system (hardware, OS, graphics drivers, DirectX version etc.) as possible. With any luck, somebody with a similar system may have a solution. <br />
<br />
==C. Running Orbiter==<br />
<br />
<br />
===C1. I've installed Orbiter, how do I start?===<br />
<br />
Assuming you have configured the video and other options in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog, you are ready to take off. Pick a scenario from the list, and click the "ORBITER" button. <br />
In a nutshell, the most important controls are on the numerical pad of your keyboard: Ctrl+ for increasing main thrust, Ctrl- for decreasing main thrust or engaging retros, Ins and Del for increasing/decreasing hovers (if available), and cursor keys for attitude controls. You should read the Orbiter manual in the Doc folder for a full list of keyboard functions, as well as explanations of the instrumentation. <br />
<br />
===C2. Why can't I get into orbit?===<br />
<br />
To reach orbit from a planetary surface, you need to do two things: attain sufficient altitude, and sufficient tangential velocity. The first point is easy, but unless you reach sufficient tangential velocity, you will simply fall back to Earth again in a ballistic trajectory. The required velocity depends on the orbit altitude and planet mass. For example, a low Earth orbit (LEO) requires a velocity of more than 7000 metres/second. <br />
Orbital launchers usually take off vertically to clear the dense part of the atmosphere quickly, before pitching down to add to the tangential velocity component. You should always launch into a prograde orbit (towards east) to utilise the planet rotation. Orbit insertion normally occurs in two stages: the initial burn leads to a ballistic trajectory, and a second (orbit insertion) burn at the highest point of the trajectory (apoapsis) to raise the periapsis (lowest point of the orbit). <br />
If you are new to Orbiter, you should try your first orbit insertions with one of the more powerful spacecraft, like the Delta-glider. The more realistic launchers, like the Space Shuttle, don't provide much margin for error. If you feel ready to take on the Shuttle, make sure you turn on the "limited fuel" option. With unlimited fuel, the Shuttle is too heavy to reach orbit! <br />
<br />
===C3. I want to rendezvous with the ISS, but I can't even get close.===<br />
<br />
The first step for a successful rendezvous manoeuvre takes place before launch. You should launch into an orbit with as little inclination to the orbital plane of the target as possible. This means waiting until the orbital plane of the target passes through your launch site (use the Map MFD to monitor this). By launching at the right time and into the right direction, you can minimise the need for later corrections of the orbital plane (once in orbit, you can use the "Align orbital plane" MFD for eliminating any residual inclination). <br />
The next step is to catch up with your target, by modifying your orbit appropriately. Use the "Sync Orbit" MFD for this. <br />
<br />
===C4. I can get close to the ISS, but haven't succeded docking.===<br />
<br />
Once you got close to your target (see C3), use the Docking HUD mode and the Docking MFD for final approach. The Docking HUD contains relative velocity indicators which help closing in on your target. You need to tune your navigation radios to the target's transmitter frequency to make use of the docking instrumentation. (You can find the target's transponder frequency (XPDR) in the vessel info sheet (Ctrl-I). Set one of your navigation radios (Shift-C) to that frequency, and slave the HUD and Docking MFD to the appropriate receiver). <br />
In the final approach stage, switch the nav receiver to one of the target's IDS (instrument docking system) frequencies, if available. This will activate approach path indicators in the HUD, and docking indicators in the MFD, to guide you to your final docking position. <br />
<br />
===C5. How can I get from Earth to the Moon/Mars?===<br />
<br />
Orbiter now includes Duncan Sharpe's TransX MFD mode, which is a great tool for setting up interplanetary routes. You need to activate the TransX module in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog to use this. <br />
TransX is quite a complex navigation tool, so to understand the concept and options, make sure you read the TransX manual (in the Doc folder) carefully. <br />
<br />
===C6. I want to see imperial units instead of metric.===<br />
<br />
All internal calculations performed by Orbiter are done in metric units (metre, second, kilogram, Joule, Pascal, etc.), for the simple reason that this is the only system I am familiar and comfortable with, and it is widely used by the scientific community. Likewise, all standard instrument readouts and data displays are in metric units (with very few exceptions, like the use of astronomical units (AU) for large distances). There is however nothing preventing an addon developer from implementing instruments which display their data in a different unit system, and it would be entirely possible to write imperial unit replacements for all standard MFDs. Just don't expect them to feature in the stock Orbiter distribution. If you want to see feet, fathoms, stones, barns or quarts, you will probably have to code them yourself.</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=FAQ&diff=1927FAQ2005-08-04T14:36:22Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>=FAQ=<br />
<br />
A. General <br />
A1. Where can I post my suggestions/questions/corrections/bug reports? <br />
A2. When will the next version be released, and what is going to be in it? <br />
A3. I have problems downloading Orbiter <br />
A4. How can I create/import spacecraft into Orbiter? <br />
<br />
B. Troubleshooting <br />
B1. A previous installation worked fine, but the latest version causes problems. <br />
B2. After installation, I don't see any scenarios listed, or I don't get any textures. <br />
B3. I can see the scenario list, but the Start button is inactive and I can't launch any scenarios. <br />
B4. Orbiter takes a long time to load. <br />
B5. I get a low frame rate. <br />
B6. Orbiter fails to run. <br />
B7. My joystick is not responding. <br />
B8. No sound! <br />
B9. Orbit deteriorates at 1000x and 10000x time acceleration. <br />
B10. Orbiter dies unexpectedly during startup ... <br />
<br />
C. Running Orbiter <br />
C1. I've installed Orbiter, how do I start? <br />
C2. Why can't I get into orbit? <br />
C3. I want to rendezvous with the ISS, but I can't even get close. <br />
C4. I can get close to the ISS, but haven't succeded docking. <br />
C5. How can I get from Earth to the Moon/Mars? <br />
C6. I want to see imperial units instead of metric. <br />
<br />
==A. General==<br />
<br />
A1. Where can I post my suggestions/questions/corrections/bug reports?<br />
<br />
There is a web-based ORBITER discussion forum hosted by M6.net where you can post general questions/suggestions or bug reports. Just click at the "Web Forum" button on the navigator bar. <br />
You can also join the ORBITER mailing list to exchange email with other users to get the latest hints and tricks. <br />
Before submitting a bug report make sure you have the latest version, and that the problem is not already addressed in this FAQ or the forum. <br />
As a last resort, you can email me directly, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer all Orbiter posts. <br />
<br />
A2. When will the next version be released, and what is going to be in it?<br />
<br />
I don't announce release dates and feature lists. This is mainly because Orbiter is a hobby of mine, and I don't need the pressure of working against a deadline or fixed specification. I can't always predict how much time I can spend on Orbiter, so the interval between releases will vary. The features added in a new version are usually a mixture of my own ideas and user requests.<br />
Occasionally screen shots of the upcoming version will be posted on the Gallery page, just to keep the suspense up. <br />
<br />
A3. I have problems downloading Orbiter.<br />
<br />
Remember you need only the "Base" and "Textures" packages to run Orbiter. Everything else is optional. Select a download mirror close to your location, and if necessary, try several (try to avoid the medphys server, because excessive demand on that server will get me into trouble ;) <br />
If you have a slow connection, you may try at a different time of day when net traffic is lower. A download manager may help as well. Please note that I am not able to provide a CD distribution service, although Orbiter occasionally features on magazine cover discs (so this may be your last option). <br />
<br />
A4. How can I create/import spacecraft into Orbiter?<br />
<br />
If you want to create your own addons, you should download the Orbiter SDK (software development kit) package. This contains the libraries for compiling your own spacecraft code, sample code, a few utilities and documentation. <br />
As a minimum, you will need to create a mesh for your spacecraft model (look at the Related Sites page for links to mesh converters from popular 3-D model formats such as 3ds), and define its basic physical properties in a configuration (.cfg) file. For more sophisticated models you may need to write and compile a specialised vessel plugin dll. Alternatively, there are 3rd party wrapper dlls available which can be controlled via configuration scripts. <br />
Finally, you must design a scenario (.scn) which loads your new spacecraft to see it in action in Orbiter. It is probably easiest to modify an existing scenario file by replacing one of the vessel definitions. <br />
If you get stuck, you may want to ask for help (or propose a collaborative project) on the addon forum. <br />
<br />
==B. Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
B1. A previous installation worked fine, but the latest version causes problems.<br />
<br />
Sometimes this problem occurs if a new version is installed over an old one. It is strongly recommended to always install new versions from scratch into a new directory rather than overwriting an existing installation. Installing from scratch can also solve problems caused by addons which are no longer compatible with a new version. If you suspect a problem may be caused by an addon, re-install your addons one at a time and see whether you can identify the culprit. If you can, you may consider notifying the author of the addon. <br />
Multiple Orbiter installations can co-exist on the same computer, so it is a good idea to keep your old Orbiter version to fall back on, in case you can't get the latest version to work on your system. <br />
<br />
B2. After installation, I don't see any scenarios listed, or I don't get any textures.<br />
<br />
This problem usually occurs if you forget to restore the Orbiter directory tree when extracting the packages. When using WinZip or a similar utility to unpack the Orbiter packages, you need to activate the "Use folder names" option (or an equivalent option to that effect). After unpacking the Base and Textures packages, your Orbiter root directory should contain (amongst other things): <br />
<br />
The orbiter executable (Orbiter.exe) <br />
A number of subdirectories, including Meshes, Scenarios, Textures <br />
If all files ended up in a single directory, you made a mistake when unpacking. <br />
<br />
B3. I can see the scenario list, but the Start button is inactive and I can't launch any scenarios.<br />
<br />
The scenario list contains directories (indicated by the folder icons next to them) and scenarios (indicated by the red delta-glider icons). The Orbiter Launch button remains inactive as long as a directory is selected in the list. You must select a scenario entry before you can launch orbiter. After a fresh installation there will be no scenarios in the top-level directory, so you need to step down into one of the subdirectories (by double-clicking on them) to access a scenario. <br />
<br />
B4. Orbiter takes a long time to load.<br />
<br />
ORBITER loads a large number of texture maps (mainly planetary surfaces) during startup. Loading these maps will be very slow if your graphics card does not support texture compression, because textures must then be decompressed on the fly. To reduce the loading time (and the amount of memory required for textures): <br />
<br />
Disable high-resolution textures if you have any. High-resolution textures are located in the Textures2 subdirectory. The easiest way to disable them is to rename the directory. Orbiter will then use the lower-resolution textures in the Textures directory. <br />
Turn off visual effects in the "Visual effects" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. In particular the Cloud layers and Specular water reflections options are texture-intensive. <br />
B5. I get a low frame rate.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a hardware render device in the "Video" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog (for example "Direct3D HAL" or "Direct3D HAL T&L"). Avoid the much slower software devices, such as "RGB Emulation". <br />
<br />
Here are a couple of possible solutions: Quit other programs running in the background. Run Orbiter in fullscreen mode. Use a lower screen resolution and lower colour depth (16 bit). Reduce planetary texture resolutions and don't use the highres planetary textures. Reduce the number of background stars. Turn off object shadows. (Most of these options can be adjusted in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog.) <br />
<br />
B6. Orbiter fails to run.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have DirectX7 or higher installed. <br />
Make sure your system meets the requirements specified in the Download page. <br />
Make sure the parameters in your Orbiter.cfg file agree with your system specs. <br />
The Orbiter.log file might contain information about what is going wrong. <br />
<br />
B7. My joystick is not responding.<br />
<br />
Make sure you have enabled the joystick in the "Joystick" tab of the Orbiter Launchpad dialog. <br />
The joystick is usually mapped to the reaction control system (RCS) or aerodynamic control surfaces of your spacecraft, so remember: <br />
<br />
In vacuum, aerodynamic control surfaces obviously have no effect - the spacecraft orientation can only be controlled with the RCS. <br />
Conversely, in a dense atmosphere, the RCS may be too weak for attitude control. Control surfaces will be more effective. <br />
When both RCS and control surfaces are disabled, the joystick has no effect. <br />
In linear RCS mode, the joystick will not rotate the spacecraft, but add to the linear velocity vector. <br />
If your joystick has a throttle control, you can use it to manipulate the main engines. If your throttle control is not responding, try selecting a different throttle axis from the Launchpad dialog. <br />
<br />
B8. No sound!<br />
<br />
The basic Orbiter installation doesn't support sound, but there is a popular addon available which add this functionality: DanSteph's OrbiterSound plugin, available from his homepage or from the Orbiter file repository at AVSIM. <br />
<br />
B9. Orbit deteriorates at 1000x and 10000x time acceleration.<br />
<br />
Orbiter uses discrete time stepping for dynamics, essentially approximating smooth trajectories by piecewise linear segments. This is reasonably accurate for small time steps, but at extreme time acceleration a full orbit may be sampled by very few steps, at which point the method falls apart. As a rule of thumb: Don't use 1000x acceleration when your trajectory changes rapidly, e.g. in a low orbit. On the other hand, en-route to Mars 1000x acceleration should be safe. <br />
Orbiter now includes the option to "stabilise" orbits under certain circumstances. A stabilised orbit is assumed to be an unperturbed Keplerian orbit which can be solved analytically with a 2-body solution. This prevents orbital stations from falling out of the sky while you are on your way to Mars at 10000x time acceleration. A vessel orbit will not be stabilised if it engages its thrusters, if aerodynamic forces are acting on it, or if perturbations of the central body's gravitational field are larger than a user-defined threshold. <br />
Use the Launchpad dialog to activate orbit stabilisation. <br />
<br />
B10. Orbiter dies unexpectedly during startup ...<br />
<br />
... and the Orbiter.log file shows something like<br />
<br />
ERROR: DDraw object is still referenced: 50<br />
ERROR: Destroy framework objects failed <br />
This orbiter log message is a generic indicator that something went wrong and orbiter tried a shutdown during which it couldn't remove all its previously created graphics objects. <br />
<br />
This could be caused by any number of problems, for example by low system memory, by a graphics driver problem, another process running in the background, a misbehaving addon, or by a bug in the Orbiter core. <br />
<br />
Try running a fresh orbiter installation (without any addons), use a low-resolution video resolution (say 800x600), try different video devices, turn off all the options in the "Visual parameters" tab, and don't use any high-resolution textures. <br />
<br />
If nothing helps, your last option may be posting a message on the forum with as much information about your system (hardware, OS, graphics drivers, DirectX version etc.) as possible. With any luck, somebody with a similar system may have a solution. <br />
<br />
==C. Running Orbiter==<br />
<br />
<br />
C1. I've installed Orbiter, how do I start?<br />
<br />
Assuming you have configured the video and other options in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog, you are ready to take off. Pick a scenario from the list, and click the "ORBITER" button. <br />
In a nutshell, the most important controls are on the numerical pad of your keyboard: Ctrl+ for increasing main thrust, Ctrl- for decreasing main thrust or engaging retros, Ins and Del for increasing/decreasing hovers (if available), and cursor keys for attitude controls. You should read the Orbiter manual in the Doc folder for a full list of keyboard functions, as well as explanations of the instrumentation. <br />
<br />
C2. Why can't I get into orbit?<br />
<br />
To reach orbit from a planetary surface, you need to do two things: attain sufficient altitude, and sufficient tangential velocity. The first point is easy, but unless you reach sufficient tangential velocity, you will simply fall back to Earth again in a ballistic trajectory. The required velocity depends on the orbit altitude and planet mass. For example, a low Earth orbit (LEO) requires a velocity of more than 7000 metres/second. <br />
Orbital launchers usually take off vertically to clear the dense part of the atmosphere quickly, before pitching down to add to the tangential velocity component. You should always launch into a prograde orbit (towards east) to utilise the planet rotation. Orbit insertion normally occurs in two stages: the initial burn leads to a ballistic trajectory, and a second (orbit insertion) burn at the highest point of the trajectory (apoapsis) to raise the periapsis (lowest point of the orbit). <br />
If you are new to Orbiter, you should try your first orbit insertions with one of the more powerful spacecraft, like the Delta-glider. The more realistic launchers, like the Space Shuttle, don't provide much margin for error. If you feel ready to take on the Shuttle, make sure you turn on the "limited fuel" option. With unlimited fuel, the Shuttle is too heavy to reach orbit! <br />
<br />
C3. I want to rendezvous with the ISS, but I can't even get close.<br />
<br />
The first step for a successful rendezvous manoeuvre takes place before launch. You should launch into an orbit with as little inclination to the orbital plane of the target as possible. This means waiting until the orbital plane of the target passes through your launch site (use the Map MFD to monitor this). By launching at the right time and into the right direction, you can minimise the need for later corrections of the orbital plane (once in orbit, you can use the "Align orbital plane" MFD for eliminating any residual inclination). <br />
The next step is to catch up with your target, by modifying your orbit appropriately. Use the "Sync Orbit" MFD for this. <br />
<br />
C4. I can get close to the ISS, but haven't succeded docking.<br />
<br />
Once you got close to your target (see C3), use the Docking HUD mode and the Docking MFD for final approach. The Docking HUD contains relative velocity indicators which help closing in on your target. You need to tune your navigation radios to the target's transmitter frequency to make use of the docking instrumentation. (You can find the target's transponder frequency (XPDR) in the vessel info sheet (Ctrl-I). Set one of your navigation radios (Shift-C) to that frequency, and slave the HUD and Docking MFD to the appropriate receiver). <br />
In the final approach stage, switch the nav receiver to one of the target's IDS (instrument docking system) frequencies, if available. This will activate approach path indicators in the HUD, and docking indicators in the MFD, to guide you to your final docking position. <br />
<br />
C5. How can I get from Earth to the Moon/Mars?<br />
<br />
Orbiter now includes Duncan Sharpe's TransX MFD mode, which is a great tool for setting up interplanetary routes. You need to activate the TransX module in the Orbiter Launchpad dialog to use this. <br />
TransX is quite a complex navigation tool, so to understand the concept and options, make sure you read the TransX manual (in the Doc folder) carefully. <br />
<br />
C6. I want to see imperial units instead of metric.<br />
<br />
All internal calculations performed by Orbiter are done in metric units (metre, second, kilogram, Joule, Pascal, etc.), for the simple reason that this is the only system I am familiar and comfortable with, and it is widely used by the scientific community. Likewise, all standard instrument readouts and data displays are in metric units (with very few exceptions, like the use of astronomical units (AU) for large distances). There is however nothing preventing an addon developer from implementing instruments which display their data in a different unit system, and it would be entirely possible to write imperial unit replacements for all standard MFDs. Just don't expect them to feature in the stock Orbiter distribution. If you want to see feet, fathoms, stones, barns or quarts, you will probably have to code them yourself.</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1926Main Page/Old2005-08-04T14:32:19Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
==Pilot Section==<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
'''New to Orbiter?''' [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 This] is a good place to start!<br />
* [[FAQ]]<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Developper Section==<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, Scematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Want to contribute to Orbwiki?==<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1925Main Page/Old2005-08-04T09:35:24Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
==Pilot Section==<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
'''New to Orbiter?''' [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 This] is a good place to start!<br />
<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Developper Section==<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, Scematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Want to contribute to Orbwiki?==<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1924Main Page/Old2005-08-04T09:35:14Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
==Pilot Section==<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
'''New to Orbiter?''' [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 This] is a good place to start!<br />
<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Developper Section==<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, Scematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
==Want to contrubute to Orbwiki?==<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1923Main Page/Old2005-08-04T09:34:33Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
===Pilot Section===<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
'''New to Orbiter?''' [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 This] is a good place to start!<br />
<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Developper Section===<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, Scematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Want to contrubute?===<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1922Main Page/Old2005-08-04T09:33:46Z<p>Over g: New to Orbiter?</p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
===Pilot Section===<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* '''New to Orbiter?''' [http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=23905 This] is a good place to start!<br />
<br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Developper Section===<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, Scematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Want to contrubute?===<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1921Add-on tutorials2005-08-04T09:28:58Z<p>Over g: /* Mesh Making */</p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel (WIP)<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Converting to msh]] - Convert your 3d model to Orbiters mesh format<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addon Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1920Add-on tutorials2005-08-04T09:28:49Z<p>Over g: /* Surface Bases */</p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel (WIP)<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addon Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1919Add-on tutorials2005-08-04T09:25:12Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel (WIP)<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[Converting to msh]] - Convert your 3d model to Orbiters mesh format<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addon Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1918Add-on tutorials2005-08-04T09:24:56Z<p>Over g: /* Surface Bases */</p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel (WIP)<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[Converting_to_msh]] - Convert your 3d model to Orbiters mesh format<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addon Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Converting_to_msh&diff=1917Converting to msh2005-08-04T09:23:36Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Introduction==<br />
The Mesh format *.msh is Orbiters 3D Model Format. It supports vertex normals, materials and textures.<br />
The 3DModel.pdf, availabe in the Orbiter SDK ([[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/download.html download]]) describes the mesh format in detail.<br />
<br />
==Converting to 3ds==<br />
We are going to use a tool that can convert from a 3ds format to Orbiters Mesh Format. If you already have your model as a 3ds, proceed to step 2. <br />
If not, download [http://www.davidhsmith.net/downloaditems/3dexplor1_5.exe 3D Exploration 1.5]. This tool allows you to convert form a wide range of 3D Formats into the 3ds Format we need. <br />
<br />
==Converting to msh==<br />
You need the converter [[MeshMaker]] by Radu, [http://www.orbithangar.com/searchname2.cfm?search=MeshMaker&Submit2=Search download here].<br />
You have to name your 3ds file input.3ds, and place it into the same folder as MeshMaker. Then execute MeshMaker. It generates a debug.txt file. About changes you can make here, please read the Meshmakers documentation, or the tips about [[Shading]]. After that, execute MeshMaker again. It now converts the debug file into the desired msh file, named output.msh.<br />
<br />
What to do, when the output file does not work:<br />
*Download [[Anim8or]], open the 3ds file form step one in Anim8or, then export as input.3ds. This should make your 3ds compatible with MeshMaker<br />
*Delete any old debug.txt and output.msh files first, then try again.<br />
<br />
An alternative to [[MeshMaker]] is [[3ds2msh]], made by [[Vinka]]. There are also other tools available to convert from gmax, Bleder or Lighwave to msh.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Tips&Tricks==<br />
*[[Shading]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=References&diff=1916References2005-08-04T08:58:05Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Space Shuttle, STS===<br />
*[http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/sodb/ Shuttle Operational Data Book, Blueprints]<br />
*[http://models.lemut.net/drawings/Space_Shuttle/index.html Scale drawings of USA Space Shuttle]<br />
*[http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Graphics/STS/index.html NASA Dryden STS Graphics]<br />
<br />
===Collections, Miscellanious===<br />
*[http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Graphics/ NASA Dryden Graphics]<br />
*[http://blueprints.onnovanbraam.com/blueprints/modernplanes/ Onno van Braam, Blueprint Collection] <br />
*[http://www.simviation.com/designresources.htm Simviation 3-View and Aircraft Resources]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1915Main Page/Old2005-08-04T08:57:22Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
===Pilot Section===<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Developper Section===<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
* [[References]] - Blueprints, Scematics, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Want to contrubute?===<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=References&diff=1914References2005-08-04T08:57:18Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Space Shuttle, STS===<br />
*[http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/sodb/ Shuttle Operational Data Book, Blueprints]<br />
*[http://models.lemut.net/drawings/Space_Shuttle/index.html Scale drawings of USA Space Shuttle]<br />
*[http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Graphics/STS/index.html NASA Dryden STS Graphics]<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Graphics/ NASA Dryden Graphics]<br />
*[http://blueprints.onnovanbraam.com/blueprints/modernplanes/ Onno van Braam, Blueprint Collection] <br />
*[http://www.simviation.com/designresources.htm Simviation 3-View and Aircraft Resources]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Category:Tools&diff=1913Category:Tools2005-08-03T22:01:59Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>This page lists various tools for Orbiter. There probably won't be too many to organize them by tool category (e.g. Mesh tools), but if there ever are, that can be done easily.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
[http://simcosmos.planetaclix.pt/01_orbiter/SC_util/c_util_prg/prg.htm Simcosmos, useful links for dev-tools]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1910Add-on tutorials2005-08-03T22:00:40Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel (WIP)<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]<br />
*[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Addon Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Orbiter_tutorials&diff=1909Orbiter tutorials2005-08-03T21:59:32Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki's Tutorial Page</div><br />
<br />
* [[Orbit tutorials]] - basic guides to entering low earth orbit.<br />
* [[Transfer tutorials]] - a set of guides to get you from earth to the moon and back.<br />
* [[Interplanetary tutorials]] - how to get to the outer planets.<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
* [http://smithplanet.com/stuff/orbiter/orbitaloperations.htm Orbital Operations Manual by Jared "Smitty" Smith]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Converting_to_msh&diff=1908Converting to msh2005-08-03T21:49:33Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>=WIP=<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The Mesh format *.msh is Orbiters 3D Model Format. It supports vertex normals, materials and textures.<br />
The 3DModel.pdf, availabe in the Orbiter SDK ([[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/download.html download]]) describes the mesh format in detail.<br />
<br />
==1. Converting to 3ds==<br />
(Anim8or)<br />
<br />
==2. Converting to msh==<br />
(3ds2msh<br />
(mesh_Maker)<br />
<br />
[[Shading]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Converting_to_msh&diff=1907Converting to msh2005-08-03T21:48:58Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>=WIP=<br />
==Introduction==<br />
The Mesh format *.msh is Orbiters 3D Model Format. It supports vertex normals, materials and textures.<br />
The 3DModel.pdf, availabe in the Orbiter SDK ([[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/download.html download)]] describes the mesh format in detail.<br />
<br />
==1. Converting to 3ds==<br />
(Anim8or)<br />
<br />
==2. Converting to msh==<br />
(3ds2msh<br />
(mesh_Maker)<br />
<br />
[[Shading]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=OrbiterWiki_talk:Guidelines&diff=1878OrbiterWiki talk:Guidelines2005-08-03T13:13:30Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>[*] I think there should be a '''plugin addons''' category as well. Orbiter sound should be a plugin, also GlassCockpit etc. A miscellanious addon would maybe be a new texture, mapMFD maps, etc..<br />
<br />
== Deletion ==<br />
<br />
Do we want to delete articles that are inappropriate for an Orbiter wiki, or do we just want to strongly discourage creation of them but not do anything once they're there? This is an important issue. [[User:Kmweber|Kmweber]] 2 August 2005 02:50 (MSD)<br />
<br />
== Rulemaking procedures and admin powers ==<br />
<br />
Also, we need to work out what kind of powers admins have. If the only admin is going to be whoever it is who set this site up, then it's irrelevant--it's his site, he can do whatever the hell he wants. However, if there are going to be other admins, then they (as well as all the other users) will need to know what the limits are on their powers--under what conditions can they, for instance delete or protect pages, etc.? Are the limits going to be handed down from the owners of the site or will they be determined by a community procedure? These are important decisions. The decision as to whether policymaking is to be done by decree by the owners or community decision or some other mechanism will need to be decided by the site owners (since it's their site, it's their rules), and then the rest of us can get to work accordingly. [[User:Kmweber|Kmweber]] 2 August 2005 03:04 (MSD)<br />
<br />
== Discussions here? ==<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Thread on m6 Forum]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page/Old&diff=1877Talk:Main Page/Old2005-08-03T13:07:41Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>Ultimately, we're going to have to come up with a set of procedures, processes, and guidelines for use if this isn't going to devolve into mass chaos. As I doubt the community that arises around this wiki will be nowhere near the size of the one that grew around Wikipedia, it won't need nearly the complexity, but we will need something. [[User:Kmweber|Kmweber]] 2 August 2005 02:45 (MSD)<br />
<br />
==Where to place vessel development tutorials?==<br />
<br />
I could write a lot of tutorials about the funky stuff, like autopilots or animations codes, but my problem is, what is the best location for it. SDK documentation does not look right for me, tools is also wrong. Maybe we could create a section like "DLL tutorials" with a subsection "design pattern for vessels"? <br />
<br />
Also i currently have a small little capsule project on my workbench, which is quite nice for explaining some basic things of how to use anim8or for orbiter. --[[User:Urwumpe|Urwumpe]] 3 August 2005 14:44 (MSD)<br />
<br />
Urwumpe, <br />
created a new site: [[Addon Tutorials]]. This could be the place to put tutorials. Feel free to structurize and organize the site. created also a link to it on the main page. [[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 This thread]] can be used for discussions too.</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1876Main Page/Old2005-08-03T13:04:03Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
===Pilot Section===<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Developper Section===<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Want to contrubute?===<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
Important for contributers: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki Thread on m6 Forum]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1875Main Page/Old2005-08-03T13:02:53Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
===Pilot Section===<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Developper Section===<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
==Important: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum==<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page/Old&diff=1874Main Page/Old2005-08-03T13:02:30Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div><div class='bluenote' style='font-size:16pt; text-align:center;'>Welcome to OrbiterWiki</div><br />
<br />
You know '''[http://www.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/~martins/orbit/orbit.html Orbiter]'''? It's patently cool. On this Wiki we are collecting information, documentation, plug-ins and other stuff relating to Orbiter:<br />
----<br />
===Pilot Section===<br />
<!-- These links will probably have to be slightly rearranged, with some of them going inside some of the other ones - that's when everybody has some clearer ideas what they should be. For now, just leave it as a pile of top-level links --><br />
* [[Orbiter tutorials]] - your first flight, how to fly to Mars, etc.<br />
* [[Orbiter manual]] - detailed information about Orbiter for pilots<br />
* [[List of Acronyms and Abbreviations]]<br />
* [[:Category:Addons|List of Addons]] - custom ships, instruments, bases, orbital stations and even planets<br />
* [[Celestial mechanics]] - what a pilot must know in order to understand how a ship behaves in space<br />
* [[OrbiterWiki:Capitalization|Guidelines for Page Capitalization]]<br />
<br />
----<br />
===Developper Section===<br />
Information and documentation for developers:<br />
<br />
* [[Addon Tutorials]] - various tutorials<br />
* [[SDK documentation]] - how to write your own modules, instruments and spaceships<br />
* [[:Category:Tools|Tools]] - a list of tools which may be useful to addon developers<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
'''Before you start editing, please read the [[OrbiterWiki:Rules|OrbiterWiki Rules]]'''.<br />
If you don't know how to edit, you can read [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Help]] (this link goes to another website). Please practice editing in the [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox|Sandbox]].<br />
<br />
=Important: Discussion thread for Guidelines, etc on m6 Forum=<br />
[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=25079 Orbiter Wiki]]<br />
<br />
<div class='ylwnote'>Please note that at the moment OrbiterWiki links are entirely case-sensitive, including the first letter! This means that [[OrbiterWiki:Sandbox]] is not the same as [[OrbiterWiki:sandbox]]. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that was necessary for the API functions. In a very short while this will be changed to entirely case-insensitive - once it's fully working on our local test machine.</div></div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Category:Tools&diff=1873Category:Tools2005-08-03T12:58:06Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>This page lists various tools for Orbiter. There probably won't be too many to organize them by tool category (e.g. Mesh tools), but if there ever are, that can be done easily.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
[[http://simcosmos.planetaclix.pt/01_orbiter/SC_util/c_util_prg/prg.htm Simcosmos, useful links for dev-tools]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Category:Tools&diff=1872Category:Tools2005-08-03T12:57:54Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>This page lists various tools for Orbiter. There probably won't be too many to organize them by tool category (e.g. Mesh tools), but if there ever are, that can be done easily.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
[[http://simcosmos.planetaclix.pt/01_orbiter/SC_util/c_util_prg/prg.htm Simcosmos, useful links with dev-tools]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1871Add-on tutorials2005-08-03T12:54:09Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel (WIP)<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1870Add-on tutorials2005-08-03T12:53:40Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=15653 Hints for new addon developers]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=7602 Programming Tutorials]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1869Add-on tutorials2005-08-03T12:51:49Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained<br />
<br />
===External Links===<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/forum.asp?forumid=5 Orbiter SDK Forum]]<br />
*[[http://orbit.m6.net/v2/read.asp?id=16976 Creating your own addon ships, Newbies Only]]</div>Over ghttps://www.orbiterwiki.org/index.php?title=Add-on_tutorials&diff=1868Add-on tutorials2005-08-03T12:50:19Z<p>Over g: </p>
<hr />
<div>===Vessel Coding===<br />
* [[Add-on Tutorial]] - create a spaceship without programming, complete tutorial for newbes<br />
* [[Vessel code]] - basic c++ code template for a vessel<br />
<br />
===Mesh Making===<br />
* [[Shading]] - explanes how Orbiter uses shading, Tips<br />
<br />
===Surface Bases===<br />
* [[simple Base]] - create a basic surface base with a config file<br />
<br />
===Scenarios===<br />
* [[Scenarios]] - a scenario file (*.scn) explained</div>Over g