This add-on will be posted once I sort out the permissions and distribution logistics to get it on the Celestia Motherlode!


It was only a matter of time, but the SLDEM2013 finally got processed into a **Level 7** normal map!
This was made possible by a fellow Orbinaut, kamaz, who downloaded and downsampled 79% of the map
to 512 ppd, near its effective resolution. I cannot thank him enough for his efforts, and saving me a call from my ISP!

The map was originally 2 terabytes, but I learned its effective resolution was between 256-512ppd, likely close to a
tenth of the resolution**, as mentioned here. Since going to level 8 would only offer a marginal improvement in quality,
I opted for a level 7 normal map. I tested fridger's nmtools, and yes, they work for 131k maps!
Level 7 took about 30 minutes to process.

Once I saw the results in Celestia, I was blown away. I couldn't even tell the underlying texture map was only 32k!
Goes to show that a good normal map goes a long way to making a planet look awesome.

Some previews of the normal map:





Compared to the GLD100:




The last two images demonstrate why a ridiculous* (1.4 megapixels by 737k pixels across!) resolution is needed to
ensure a decently detailed stereo-pair-derived DTM.


*Ridiculous-res is more the rule than the exception for remote sensing

**The team mentioned the effective resolution of the GLD100 was ~1km per pixel, or about a tenth of the detail of the original stereo-pairs.

FYI There is also SLDEM2015 which improves upon SLDEM2013. Perhaps your friend could take a look at it also?
Although it is for latitudes 60S - 60N only, the authors of the paper suggest using LOLA for the poles...

I would have used it if not for two other points:

The LOLA ground tracks are clearly visible, which I find distracting for moon visuals:


"Poorly-fit" tiles are replaced with LOLA-only data, even worse!:


The overall accuracy of the SLDEM2015 is better, but I find it lacking in these areas.

I do however agree with the authors on using LOLA data for the poles, but I found the
cutoff for the SLDEM2015 to be way too much. Maybe if I could upload the data-reduced
DEM as a resource for others to improve upon?

Were the issues ever sorted out with getting SLDEM2013 on the Motherlode?
I think this would be great addon for people to try out.

i do not think so

as far as i know the LAST and only 128k ( 131072x 65538) is my venus map
i was informed NOT to upload more by the people at ibiblio

but that was a while ago so....

_________________
"I don't pitch Linux to my friends, I let Microsoft do that for me."
Using OpenSUSE 42.1 & Scientific Linux 6.7

If the motherlode can take another 12 gig addon, I'd be happy to upload.
If not, I could use my mega account, but bandwidth limits might limit availability.

I don't exactly how to upload to the motherlode via FTP.
Do you just use your account details there, or is there more to it?

Could the addon be posted as two separate addons? e.g., one for levels 0-5, another for levels 6-7