P0:P172: Space Exploration Engine

I have found a product on the Unity Asset Store called the “Space Exploration Engine”. This seems to do basically what I was trying to do with my Spherical Terrain project, but it is at a much later stage of development.

The main features of it are the fact that it supports essentially “unlimited” planet sizes, and it supports a seamless surface to space transition. It also supports spacecraft with realistic motion, and the ability to have physics objects moving within the spacecraft as the craft itself is moving. This is something I also intended to implement in my project. It is also possible to step into and out of a spacecraft at will.

The asset store page for this product is HERE, and it worth looking into for anyone else interested in this type of technology. There is also a free demo available.

There are some limitations however. Firstly, it is quite obvious that  there are no textures on the terrain. When you get up close the terrain is really just a single colour, which can be seen in the first image below.  This is something that I will need to add at a minimum. I will also need to add things like normal maps, detail maps, advanced lighting, etc etc, which could be challenging.

There is no atmosphere effect on the terrain either, no clouds, no “shimmer” on the edges of the planet at long range. This is not a priority, and my project didn’t have this either, but it is something that I will eventually need to add.

I also don’t know how “multiplayer safe” this code is, my project seemed to work ok in multiplayer, but I hadn’t tested it extensively.

Overall, I think it is worth exploring this project, it may end up saving me a lot of time in the long run.