Dev Log – Milestone: Emergent Planetary Weather System Online
May 20, 2025
After weeks of system integration and underlying simulation work, the planetary weather system has officially come to life. For the first time, we’re seeing dynamic, emergent weather behavior driven by solar energy—and it’s working.
The illumination system is actively heating the planet’s surface based on sun angle, which in turn drives evaporation. Atmospheric moisture is being transported by wind vectors. Clouds are forming. And yes—rainfall is occurring, confirmed directly in the Unity inspector.
This marks the first time in the project that energy flow from a celestial body has caused a cascading response in atmospheric behavior. The weather is no longer static or scripted—it’s the result of layered systems reacting in real time.
While visuals are still pending and there are certainly bugs to squash, this is a major architectural win. It validates the simulation flow from:
- Irradiance → Surface Heating
- Surface Heating → Evaporation
- Evaporation + Wind → Cloud Formation
- Clouds → Precipitation
It’s not just that rainfall is happening—it’s why it’s happening. This system is built to scale, to evolve, and to plug directly into vegetation growth, climate dynamics, and long-term biosphere simulation.
Next steps include finalizing the illumination model (seasonal and rotational accuracy), expanding overlay visualization, and integrating a UI panel to explore simulation layers interactively.
This is a real planet now. And it’s starting to breathe.
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