I am presenting a new update. Nothing serious this time, but I am working on Steam Workshop support. SpaceEngine will have a launcher where you can enable/disable installed workshop items. This is more convenient for temporarily disabling addons than using the Steam interface (because uninstallation deletes the addon from your computer). Another feature that the launcher will provide is the ability to upload your own addons to the Workshop. Valve does not provide a convenient tool or web interface for that, so I had to create it myself.

Also I am working on Valve Index VR controllers support. Valve released a completely new SDK for it, so adding support is tricky. Binding controller buttons/sticks is now done using the SteamVR configuration tool rather than in the game, but I want to preserve the old binding method (through SE settings menu), because the native Oculus Rift software still uses its own controller support system.

This patch 0.990.38.1750 is in the public beta branch, and will be released to the default branch in a few days.

Changes:

– Initial Steam Workshop support (WIP)

– Addon config file with ability to enable/disable Steam Workshop addons

– Fixed bug with rendering of grayscale-alpha textures of ships

– Ability to select objects by mouse click from the cockpit view in the ship

– Disabled clouds rotation for tri-axial planets (example: WASP-12 b)

– More transparent atmospheres on hot gas giants

– Experimental subsurface scattering for clouds on terrestrial planets

– Updated exoplanet catalog

– Updated catalog of binary asteroids

– Multiple fixes in binary stars catalog

– Added parameter MassJup to planet and star catalog scripts

– Support of UTF-8 names of objects in catalog script (but not recommended, localization database must be used for localized names)

– Updated localizations

– Fixed bug with switching of pressure units on the Wiki Hydrosphere info page

– Export localizations to JSON format (needed for online translation services)

– Fixed object diameter filter in the Chart mode

Subsurface scattering on clouds simulates light scattering inside clouds. This makes clouds look more natural up-close:

Original Modified

But for proper implementation this requires some ray-tracing towards the sun. The fake current implementation causes a sharp transition to shadow when looking at a planet’s terminator from space (look at the post’s header image). I disabled this feature for now, but you may play with it in the Planet editor (and use it in your planet scripts).