In-Development [Tool] ED3D Galaxy Map

ed3d.jpg

Hi Cmdrs!
for my needs on my web app ED-Board I've created an 3D Galactic Map for E: D (will be implemented very soon for EDBoard users).
To do something reusable the 3DMap is build as a single app and open source.
If someone want to use the 3D map on his website / webapp or contributing to the project it's open!

I've launched today a first Beta release of the app and a small demo app to demonstrate the capabilities.
It should be ready for use (warn me if there is integration problems).
As using WebGL it need an uptodate browser to work (tested it on FF, Safari, Chrome, Opera & IE).

List of features:
-----------------------------------
- Use a JSON file to fill the map.
- Manage click event to display information related to a system (if detailed infos, need to be in the JSON file)
- Display a global view of the galaxy that reproduces the ingame galaxy (not perfect) - I generate a volumetric particle cloud from an ingame screenshot (a kind of heightmap).
- Hud with customizable categories to filter the map [Optional]
- the HUD stay customisable to fit to any style (full CSS+HTML),
- systems colorizations using color attribute that can be set on each category and soon use color from ingame stellar type (if stellar type defined in JSon file for each system) [Optional]
- Show exploration routes (implemented but not on the demo, will be used on EDBoard) [Optional].

Demo:
-----------------------------------
As a showcase for the app, I've create small Galnet News reader to localize where events take place in the human sphere. For that, I use the Galnet RSS feed, search inside content if there is known systems name, then showing the list of news with system localization (each couple of news/systems got a random color).

3D Map demos:
- Elite: Dangerous Milky Way
- Elite: Dangerous - Galnet 3D Galaxy Map
- performance test: data dump from EDSM

Sources:
-----------------------------------
Sources on Github, please leave me a msg if you got problems to use it on third party projects (or for more needed features), will do my best to answer in time.

Screenshots:
-----------------------------------
galnet_news1.jpg galnet_news2.jpg


Every feedbacks and comments are welcome! atm it's a beta release, more features will be added soon.
 
Last edited:
Good job so far, looking forward to see how this progresses. There have been a few attempts at galaxy maps but for me they have all fallen short somehow (or not been completed), but I've got a good feeling about this one! :)
 
I miss to ask to community: I seek a detailed ingame screenshot of the galaxy, atm my screenshot is not perfect and some galaxy arms are not enough visible,
I've try to assemble multiple screenshot but hard to get something good: don't got a very high rez on my computer.
Don't know how is the render on bigger screen, maybe someone could have a better render to have a good image. The most difficult is to have a screenshot(s) with perfect alignment for X/Z axis and also need to be be a perfect on top view. If someone could have that, will be really nice for testing issues :) (maybe some explorers already got that)

Good job so far, looking forward to see how this progresses. There have been a few attempts at galaxy maps but for me they have all fallen short somehow (or not been completed), but I've got a good feeling about this one! :)
I've follow a little other 3DMap web projects (The Power Play visualizer is nice) but don't find something for my own need on my logbook webapp (and nothing with a distant view of the galaxy)
so it's why i've make my own app. Also I was interested too on working on WebGL since a while, it was a good use case :)
Thx to have good feeling for this project ;) I hope it will be useful for other app creator. As I use it for my own app (launched since a while), will probably not leave the 3D map project soon (still open source if it happen).
My main target is to have a 3D view for exploration trips & visualize progression for planed routes. The next showcase with this feature will coming soon. I just hope Horizon beta will not be too fun :) maybe will delay a little my progress.

The combination with the GalNet news reader is awesome. Thanks!
Thx, it's most a demo atm but if people like it I will improve it a little ;) (could be nice to have an official API with Community Goals locations)
 
Last edited:
I've downloaded the app from github and it's not working locally. I've extracted the zip and tried both indexes, it just shows the loading animation. the web demo works fine though (Firefox). maybe I'm doing something wrong...
 
I've downloaded the app from github and it's not working locally. I've extracted the zip and tried both indexes, it just shows the loading animation. the web demo works fine though (Firefox). maybe I'm doing something wrong...
There is no JSon file on the github repo,
I will add an exemple folder with the galnet sample later today.
 
I've downloaded the app from github and it's not working locally. I've extracted the zip and tried both indexes, it just shows the loading animation. the web demo works fine though (Firefox). maybe I'm doing something wrong...

I've updated the repo, add a demo_galnet.html with a static json sample with some JSon data
but if you launch the html file directly (no host) have to deal with browser security issues to load some resource, the demo work only on Firefox
need to be hosted to work everywhere (on a local or distant host)

Ohhh. Any chance of adding the Merope sphere?
What do you mean by adding the Merope sphere ? :)
is this some system data ?

I will add this week-end (probably tomorrow, busy today) an other demo with a large amount of system data.
 
Last edited:
All the systems around Merope that unknown artefacts have been found in.
It creates a nice sphere and it'd be cool to view it inside your map.

I suppose it's something like that:
sphere.jpg
It's a screen from a small test with EDSM systems data,
will add a live demo (need to make some visual fixes before, too high system density in human sphere => too bright)
 
Last edited:
Oh my. This is impressive.

Thx!
I just check your blog, very interesting your orthographic view :)
give me some ideas: I will probably test something like that to see how it could render,
but before I've to check if it's not too complex to implement perspective & orthographic camera at the same time & toggle from one to the other.
 
UPDATE:
-Add controls to enable/disable the Milky Way and grid,
-add new option to define a player position, used to center the map on player on application start.

Galnet demo
updated with last release.
 
Last edited:
Release 1.1:
Add an optional view to show extra infos about the Galaxy: show quadrant, arms names & gaps (some part miss, will add them soon).
All feedbacks are welcome if some data need to be fixed, as a beginner in exploration not sure of everything :)

Demo: Elite: Dangerous Milky Way
Screenshots:
galaxy0.jpg

galaxy3.jpg


NB: Thanks to Cmdr Erimus for his great thread about Galactic Mapping: a treasure to get datas about the ED Milky Way!
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom