I am toying around with some raw image data from MGS in the form of pds files. (EDIT: MOLA instrument images). I have downloaded the data from here:
http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/mgs/megdr.html
Each image consists of a pair of files: ".img" and ".lbl". The img-file contains the data and the lbl file contains metadata. In this metadata file it says that the sample size is 16 bits. But in the program NASAView, which one uses to generate images from pds files, I have only managed to create 8 bit images.
Is it possible to create images with the full 16 bit data with NASAView? Or should I use some other program? Or do I have to write it myself?
Thanks for any suggestions!
/Magnus (magnus @ #space)
Your best bet is going to be using the MOC Gallery
http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/ as then you'll have the projected images, processed just about as well as they can be, in a comparatively lossless format (gif) - AND - they're easier to find
MC might correct me, but I believe MOC is only 8 bits. MER cameras are 12, but MOC is just 8.
Doug
I have done what I wanted with 8 bit vertical resolution instead. That is to make images for a mars with a hypothetical oceans with several different ocean heights. To compose in a video afterwards. It was pretty fun. Will probably try somehow to do it with 16 bit vertical resolution instead and far more images, or perhaps dynamically generate images or parts of images based on user input data.
Another thing I have learned is that 11000x5500 px videos does not work so well. I managed to encode it, but when I played it in VLC, my computer froze. heh. So I had to settle for 1280x640 for the video. Ah well.
This is the result of what I did:
http://magnus.infidyne.com/mars/water/
16 bit PNGs work well for this purpose and Photoshop CS can handle them. I have been using 16 bit PNGs to do renders of Mars based on MOLA data (an old and rather bad experimental one can be seen here: http://www.mmedia.is/bjj/3dtest/mars_vm_pt3rt.jpg ). 8 bits are usually insufficient for this kind of work.
What I did was to take all of the IMG MOLA files and convert/merge them into a single, huge 'RAW' file using a small program I wrote. I then wrote a small program that can extract a selected latitude/longitude range from the 'RAW' file and write the result to a 16 bit PNG file. I then use that file to render a limited area at high resolution.
I don't remember if my IMG2PNG utility can convert a MOLA PDS file to a PNG (I'm at work so I can't check it ) but it could be modified fairly easily to do so if it doesn't work.
YEah - here's the 8 bit v 16 bit problem - I'm getting steps in my terrain. Looks awesome at the moment, but that extra resolution for altitude would take it to that level where you couldn't see those 256 steps.
Doug
NEARLY works with Photoshop.
The dimensions are in the LBL, but I'm getting an odd clipping whereby (I think) I'm getting two hacks at 16 bits, with the depths resetting from black to white to go deeper. Odd.
Works a treat for CTX...not so good for MOLA.
Doug
Doug,
I'm just guessing, but it is it possible for you to change the DEM image from 8 to 16 bit in Photoshop, and then add some Gaussian noise for the lower 8 bits? It would get rid of the stairstepping effect at least.
That would help a bit, for now - but...
These things take 2 or 3 days to render out a 4k res sequence of 1800 frames
What I'd really like is to get both the 16 bit sorted AND use the 64 ppd data. That means getting the four panels processed the same to mosaic them up as one roughly 20k x 10k mosaic and the way NasaView loads them, it stretches each, unequally.
So I'll hang tight till I can figure out the processing at 16 bit, mosaic them, then get re-rendering ( I think a cheap render node or two might be usefull in the meantime!)
Doug
Well, if there was some way to divvy up the work, couldn't we create a virtual renderfarm for you? Although, I was looking into it, and for ~$600 I could build a quad-core 2GB system. Would be easy to create a a renderfarm with one or more of those puppies.
That's exactly what I'm planing I did a spreadsheet comparing total system cost to render speed (basically frames per hour per pound purchase prices) for various options. I've always had this belief that the best cpu in performance/£ isn't always the best component because it's only a part of the whole system...and indeed and for £300 I can do exactly the sort of rig you suggest - little asus barebone boxes, Q6600's, 2gb and a small SATA drive. I'm looking at the various asus boxes carefully as I used Win XP 64 and would like the same OS on the nodes for rendering consistency - and if possible, I'd like to do what I've done on my desktop rig which is overclock the 2.4 gig Q6600 to 3 gig - 25% extra free, and it's been 100% stable on my desktop rig
I literally, set the fsb from 266 to 300 by accident when I built it, so it was at 2.7 all the time before I noticed - and seeing as 3 gig is the fastest quadchip they'll sell you, all be it at 3x the £150 price of the Q6600, I thought it was worth a stab, so I set the FSB to 333 and it's been 100% perfectly stable ever since - even when rendering for 3 days straight over Christmas. 3ds Max is the only thing I can give it to 'fill' all four cores
However - I don't really need a farm just yet - so I'm going to hold off as long as I can, and then maybe sort something out in a few months time. For £1k today, I could have 12 cores - and technically quadrouple the rendering performance of the shed.
I'm also looking at ISIS again on my Macbook. Last time around I gave up before I even got any app working. Last night I got vicar2isis working for HRSC dem's - but in trying to shortcut the data rsync, I'd missed some template it needed so I've got a day of that to get thru yet before I can try that, and I'll try MOLA thru it as well.
Doug
Bjorn,
Would you be interested in sharing the source for IMG2PNG? I'm not really a SW guy, but I can hum a few bars and fake it pretty well. Byteswapping would be an easy option to add, and it would be nice to calibrate & decompand the CTX IMGs directly.
ImageJ can handle this lot perfectly - I'm now working on mosaicing the 128ppd set - but basically importing at 16 bit signed, then exporting a TIFF - the final tif is fine.
Doug
Just for fun - I've revisited my stock Mars model in 3DS Max. It needed work, and I think I've improved it. I'll post some obscure low sun low altitude renders later, but meanwhile, a 72 second animation that has two rotations of Mars - one at normal topography, one with the Topography massively exaggerated.
The finished 1080 res MOV is available here : http://vimeo.com/5529718 (link at the bottom to download it)
and also in You Tube's idea of 'HD'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5QlvD3bn_w
Wow, that's incredible Doug. Truly gives you perspective on how varied Mars topography is.
Art
A bunch more random renders. One is especially for Stu and I, at 2kx2k, the resolution of OSIRIS on Rosetta.
Love the Mars Blowfish! Thanks for sharing.
Eoin
Ahh, beautiful stuff, even though I do prefer a Mars that looks more ochre.
Another animation just for fun.
http://vimeo.com/5666678
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OQWxe6UhNg
Put it full-screen, put your laptop on the floor, and watch standing up
Great stuff!!!!
Took your suggestion & it damn near gave me vertigo.
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