Project
3D Solar System Simulation
A real-time 3D simulation of the solar system built with modern C++ and OpenGL 3.3 Core Profile, featuring Phong shading, textured planetary spheres, and a 6-DOF camera.
A real-time 3D graphics simulation of celestial bodies built with C++ and modern OpenGL (3.3 Core Profile) using GLFW, GLAD, and GLM.
The simulation generates sphere meshes textured with NASA imagery for each major planet and satellite. Orbital dynamics are handled through hierarchical model-view-projection matrix transformations, accounting for axial tilt, rotation speeds, and moon-planet-sun parent-child relationships. The lighting shader implements Phong illumination with the Sun functioning as an emissive light source, set against a cubemap starfield skybox.
Navigation is driven by a 6-DOF free-fly camera with variable speed controls and FOV-scaled zoom. A Dear ImGui overlay provides real-time simulation metrics and timing adjustments. For compilation instructions and camera controls, see details in the GitHub repository.