🌌 Solaris Explorer: Final Edition

Solaris Explorer is an immersive, real-time 3D universe simulation built purely with Three.js and WebGL.

This project pushes the boundaries of browser-based rendering, featuring procedural living stars, volumetric black holes inspired by Interstellar, and cinematic warp-speed travel effects—all running smoothly in a standard web browser.

✨ Key Features

• 🌞 Procedural Living Sun

  • Utilizes custom Fragment Shaders (GLSL) to simulate a dynamic photosphere with turbulence and coronal mass ejections.
  • Features physically based glow and noise-driven surface generation.

• 🪐 Realistic Planetary Rendering

  • Atmospheric Scattering: Implements custom shaders for realistic atmospheric halos on Earth, Venus, and Mars.
  • Saturn's Rings: Simulates ring systems using tens of thousands of individual particles.
  • Voyager 1 Model: Includes a high-fidelity 3D model of the probe with its iconic Golden Record.

• 🌑 Volumetric Black Hole

  • A stunning visual simulation of a supermassive black hole.
  • Features a volumetric accretion disk, gravitational lensing (photon ring), and relativistic jets.

• 🌌 Deep Sky Objects

  • Interactive Galaxies: Spiral galaxies (like Andromeda M31) built with particle systems that support dynamic rotation and color gradients.
  • Pillars of Creation (M16): Volumetric cloud rendering to recreate the famous nebula structures.

• 🚀 Cinematic Experience

  • Warp Drive: Seamless "Light Speed" travel effect with dynamic FOV (Field of View) stretching and spatial distortion.
  • Sci-Fi HUD: A fully functional, glassmorphism-styled User Interface displaying real-time telemetry, temperature, and astronomical data.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Core Engine: Three.js (r161, via ES Modules)
• Languages: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+)
• Rendering: * WebGL 2.0
  • Post-Processing: UnrealBloomPass, EffectComposer
  • Shaders: Custom GLSL for the Sun, Black Hole, and Atmosphere.
• Physics: Orbital mechanics and particle simulations.

🚀 How to Run

⚠️ Note: Because this project uses ES Modules (import) and cross-origin textures, it cannot be run by simply double-clicking the HTML file. You must use a local server.

Option 1: VS Code (Recommended)

1. Install the "Live Server" extension in VS Code.
2. Right-click index.html (or Galaxy.html).
3. Select "Open with Live Server".

Option 2: Python

If you have Python installed, open your terminal in the project folder and run:

# Python 3
python -m http.server 8000