- Gravitational engine and dos on-screen simulation created
by
Mathias Burmeister, (c) 1994;
- Interaction and reflection engine, further graphic development
and
windows programming by Evgenij Barsoukov, (c) 1998
All questions to --------> root@bars.kiev.ua
- It is a physically correct 3d simulation of stars
movement under force of
gravitational attraction.Different from the objects you
can see out of your window in a clear night, stars in "cave" don't have
much space to move around (they are restricted by the walls of the cave),so
they collide just like billiard-balls (also physically correct). Situation
is actually near the one just after the big-bang.
-In fact, the initial idea was from Mathias Burmeister.
He actually made the gravitational
simulation with point-bodies and nice 3d graphic. I was
fascinated when he showed it to me! But the system had problems - on screen
balls had certain diameter, whereas in mathematics they were only dimensionless
points, and did not see each other (did not collide). I was attracted by
the challenge to make the multy-body system to work "cooperatively" and
pseudo-simultaneously. Thanks to courtesy of Mathias, I got his code and
his blessing to do with it whatever I want. So I could continue the work
on the program and finally succeed in creating a pseudo-simultaneous simulation
engine, where gravitation bodies are also geometrical bodies interacting
with each other. Also some niceties in the graphics were introduced.
This screen-saver is the first
application of this engine, aiming to demonstrate it's physical "real-word"
correctness. Apart from its physical and mathematical attraction, I also
find the spectacle happening on the screen simply.... beautiful.
That is why the screen-saver is put to public domain:
1) to introduce the physically strict simulation engine
to anybody who would be interested in
cooperation to implement it in games (like billiard etc.)
or educational software (to visualize the molecules dynamics for example).
For example, you can check _visually_ Maxwell-Bolzman distribution of kinetic
energies.
2) just to share my fascination by the world of physics,
unveiling itself on the screen. It is
always out there around us but we usually can not see
it with our eyes.
Simply copy the *.scr file to your windows directory,
and choose the ic-cave screen saver as your default.
Options:
- You can change the delay in program operation in "settings". I usually use "slow" setting, as it shows the "planets" behavior most clearly, saves computer resources and don't tire the eyes. But fast movement has also its own beauty.
- You click ON "show frame" to see the boundaries
of the box where the balls
are flying around.
Btw this program is rather resource-intensive (lots of mathematics is going on). It requires pentium 100 at least, k6/200 is just right, and 16-bit color or higher. It will look rather nasty when dithered down to 4 and 8-bit color, sorry.
Hot-keys:
There is a hot-key which saves the whole beautiful screen-picture
to a bmp-file
called tmp.bmp (in desktop directory). The free-version
users have to find
this hot-key. Try - it is not difficult! :-) Registered
users will get a version where
the key is documented together with other features.
I have a couple more niceties in stock, which I reserved
for these, who want to support my work with 10$. You know, hardware and
compilers cost money... If you register you will receive to e-mail address
you specify a registered version of the program (its radical advantages
described later on).
Now, here is an unusual offer - you can get a credit by
me! If you send me an non anonymous e-mail, to evgen@camd1.kkpcr.re.kr
(check current address at https://members.tripod.com/~Sudy_Zhenja/
)
where you specify your actual name and address and declare
that:
***********
after receiving the registered version as attachment
you _will_ send me during next 1 week (by stamp on envelope) 10$
cash or check - I will believe you on your
word_ and _immediatelly_ send
you the registered version as attachment. I will also send you a
separate e-mail with my current post address.
************
Right now the address is:
Evgeni Barsukov
Shin-Song Dong 209-11 #202
Yuseong-Gu
Taejeon 305345
S.Korea
The registered version can do in addition:
You know, sometimes the screens arising are just overwhelmingly
spectacular - and remember, they will _never_ come back again! Initial
positions, masses and colors are chosen randomly by use of good random
number generator. Not to mention, that the mathematics of this system is
"cryptographically strong", which means that after some time of work even
very small difference in initial conditions results in _very_ different
scenery.
In registered version you can edit the resource file,
where all initial conditions are specified
(masses, radius, number of bodies, colors). It is a lot
of fan creating your own spectacular worlds, with white heavy dwarf stars,
sun-systems with fancy multy-lunar planets - I really can spend a lot of
time doing that and then watching development of my creations.
This is obviously necessary if you have many of your
"custom-created" worlds.
This is good if you want to watch the development
of some stellar system not only until you hit some key to do some work
on your computer, but continuously. If you put-on this check-box, each
time you terminate the screen-saver the positions are saved, and next time
it will start with it and continue development as if nothing happened in
between.
Contact me by e-mail, I am interested on cooperation
in further development based on
existing engine.
Best regards,
Evgenij
--------->
current fastest e-mail:
evgen@camd1.kkpcr.re.kr
permanent e-mail:
root@bars.kiev.ua