The Solar System Simulation is an interactive 3D model built using Three.js. It allows users to visualize the orbits and rotations of planets around the Sun and provides a simple user interface to control various aspects of the simulation, such as adjusting the speed of orbits, selecting a planet to focus on, and locking the camera to follow a specific planet.
- Orbiting Planets: Each planet orbits the Sun at a different speed and radius, simulating the motion of planets in the solar system.
- Rotating Planets: Planets rotate around their axes at varying speeds, creating a realistic spinning effect.
- Free Camera Movement: Users can pan, zoom, and rotate the camera view using mouse interactions. This is enabled by the Three.js
OrbitControls. - Focus on a Planet: Users can select a planet from the dropdown menu, and the camera will automatically lock onto the selected planet and follow its orbit around the Sun.
- Camera Follow Mode: When focused on a planet, the camera moves at the same speed and along the same orbital path as the planet, providing a close-up view as the planet travels through its orbit.
- Orbit Speed Control: A slider allows users to adjust the speed at which all planets orbit the Sun. Increasing the slider value accelerates the orbits, while decreasing it slows them down.
- Rotation Speed Control: A slider allows users to control the speed at which planets rotate around their axes. Users can slow down or speed up the rotational speed using this control.
- Planet Focus Selection: A dropdown menu lists all planets in the simulation. By selecting a planet from the menu, the camera locks onto that planet and follows its movement.
- Zoom In/Out: Scroll the mouse wheel up or down to zoom in or out.
- Pan: Hold the right mouse button and drag to pan the camera view.
- Orbit Speed: Use the orbit speed slider in the UI to control how fast planets orbit the Sun. A higher value increases the speed, while a lower value slows it down.
- Rotation Speed: Use the rotation speed slider to control how fast planets rotate around their axes. Adjusting this slider will make the spinning of the planets faster or slower.
- Select a Planet: Use the dropdown menu labeled "Focus on Planet" to choose a planet you wish to follow. Once selected, the camera will automatically adjust to follow the chosen planet as it orbits the Sun.
- Camera Follow Mode: After selecting a planet, the camera will move in sync with the planet's orbit, giving the appearance that the camera is "attached" to the planet.
- To reset the camera to its default position or to regain free movement after focusing on a planet, simply select "none" from the "Focus on Planet" dropdown menu.
- Three.js: This simulation is built using Three.js, a powerful 3D library that enables the creation of 3D graphics within the browser.
- OrbitControls: The camera movement and interaction are managed by the OrbitControls feature from Three.js, allowing intuitive control over the viewing perspective.