Add a normal map to the clouds image

[cienzorama]

First of all, congratulations on this project, it's awesome!.

I wonder if you could add a normal map for clouds to the list of downloadable images.

Currently I do my own processing of the cloud image with a shader to get the normal map, simply applying a Sobel filter to one of the color channels of the original image (clouds-alpha.png), it's like transform a height map into a normal map.

On the other hand, maybe you also want to add a normal map for the clouds into your 3D ISS tracker, because it generates very interesting results.

[matteason]

Funnily enough I'm adding this to the ISS tracker at the moment!

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I'm doing this in the shader at the moment. I combine the black and white cloud map with a static image to provide more detail (so the clouds look fluffier) then converting to a normal map. Not a bad idea to add it to this service, I'll look at doing that.

(I'd love to know more about the project you're using the cloud maps in, by the way)

[cienzorama]

Curious coincidence that we are both trying to improve the application in the same way!

I really appreciate that you considered adding the normal map for clouds, it makes these applications (JS WEBGL based) more fluid on mobile devices at start, without having to create the normal map using a shader.

If you are curious, I'll tell you that my project is very similar to your 3D ISS tracker, but in mine it's possible to load the parameters of any satellite from a list, I usually use nasabare, but it can be any satellite list. I have also added a view from the satellite (it's possible to move the camera freely) and some satellite data in real time, as well as position data of the sat for a hypothetical observer over the surface, whose location can be changed in real time too.

It is not a commercial application, I will make it public along with the source as soon as I solve some problems.