Classify the Navara launch pad zone onto terrain and 3D tiles with Cesium's fill, rim and emission

The zone was a flat disc at ellipsoid height in Navara's opaque scene: it floated over low pads and sank under raised ground or 3D tiles, with hard edges and an unlit rim. A screen-space pass now paints the ground pixels within the radius of the pad from the scene depth, as Cesium's GroundPrimitive classifies them, using one style shared by both engines (LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE).

scripts/package-boundaries.json

@@ -3689,6 +3689,7 @@
       "src/layers/localAdsb/render/navara.js",
       "src/layers/vessels/render/navara.js",
       "src/layers/launches/render/navara.js",
+      "src/layers/launches/render/navaraPadGround.js",
       "src/layers/satellites/render/navara.js",
       "src/layers/shared/render/engineView.js",
       "src/celestialRing/render/cesium.js",

src/layers/launches/policy.js

@@ -88,6 +88,22 @@ export const MISSION_ORBIT_DASHES_PER_GROUP = 100;
 
 export const LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M = 500;
 
+/**
+ * The pad zone's look on both engines, as a fraction of the radius: a faint
+ * fill, a bright rim between rimStart and rimEnd whose colour gains the
+ * emission, and a soft edge from rimEnd to the radius. The zone is classified
+ * onto the surface under the pad (terrain and 3D tiles), never drawn at a
+ * height.
+ */
+export const LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE = Object.freeze({
+  color: '#22e6e6',
+  fillAlpha: 0.105,
+  rimAlpha: 0.72,
+  rimStart: 0.952,
+  rimEnd: 0.985,
+  emission: 0.35,
+});
+
 export const LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_MAX_CAMERA_HEIGHT_M = 120000;
 
 export const LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_MAX_CAMERA_DISTANCE_M = 180000;

src/layers/launches/render/cesium.js

@@ -5,8 +5,11 @@ import {
   MISSION_ORBIT_PATTERN_GROUPS,
   MISSION_ORBIT_DASHES_PER_GROUP,
   LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M,
+  LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE,
 } from '../policy.js';
 const HOVER_PICK_INTERVAL_MS = 120;
+/** A GLSL float literal (always with a decimal point). */
+const glslFloat = (value) => value.toFixed(4);
 
 /**
  * Bound hover picking independently of precise click selection. A move inside
@@ -209,19 +212,19 @@ export function createLaunchesCesiumRenderer(engine, { viewer } = {}) {
       fabric: {
         type: 'GevLaunchPadZone',
         uniforms: {
-          color: Cesium.Color.fromCssColorString('#22e6e6'),
-          fillAlpha: 0.105,
-          rimAlpha: 0.72,
+          color: Cesium.Color.fromCssColorString(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.color),
+          fillAlpha: LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.fillAlpha,
+          rimAlpha: LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimAlpha,
         },
         source: `
         czm_material czm_getMaterial(czm_materialInput materialInput) {
           czm_material material = czm_getDefaultMaterial(materialInput);
           vec2 centered = (materialInput.st - vec2(0.5)) * 2.0;
           float radius = length(centered);
-          float inside = 1.0 - smoothstep(0.985, 1.0, radius);
-          float rim = smoothstep(0.952, 0.985, radius) * inside;
+          float inside = 1.0 - smoothstep(${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimEnd)}, 1.0, radius);
+          float rim = smoothstep(${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimStart)}, ${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimEnd)}, radius) * inside;
           material.diffuse = color.rgb;
-          material.emission = color.rgb * rim * 0.35;
+          material.emission = color.rgb * rim * ${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.emission)};
           material.alpha = color.a * inside * mix(fillAlpha, rimAlpha, rim);
           return material;
         }`,

src/layers/launches/render/navara.js

@@ -1,21 +1,11 @@
-// Mission points, paths and the documented flat pad disc on Navara.
+// Mission points, paths and the pad zone on Navara.
 import * as geo from '../../../geo/index.js';
-import {
-  Group,
-  Mesh,
-  CircleGeometry,
-  RingGeometry,
-  MeshBasicMaterial,
-  DoubleSide,
-} from 'three';
 import { createMoverBank } from '../../aircraft/render/navara.js';
 import { createEngineLayerView } from '../../shared/render/engineView.js';
 import { registerViewerEngine } from '../../../globe/cesium/engineFromViewer.js';
 import { selectionDispatcherFor } from '../../../data/selectionDispatcher.js';
-import { LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M } from '../policy.js';
+import { createPadGround } from './navaraPadGround.js';
 
-const PAD_KIND = 'gevLaunchPad';
-const registered = new WeakSet();
 const read = (v, time) =>
   typeof v?.getValue === 'function' ? v.getValue(time) : v;
 const property = (v) =>
@@ -23,7 +13,7 @@ const property = (v) =>
 const rgba = (c) => (c ? [c.red, c.green, c.blue, c.alpha] : [1, 1, 1, 1]);
 export function createLaunchesNavaraRenderer(
   engine,
-  { view: nativeView, MeshDesc } = {},
+  { view: nativeView, EffectDesc, NavaraEffect } = {},
 ) {
   let destroyed = false,
     sequence = 0,
@@ -355,113 +345,31 @@ export function createLaunchesNavaraRenderer(
     return source;
   };
   const createPad = (launch) => {
-    const group = new Group();
-    group.matrixAutoUpdate = false;
-    group.frustumCulled = false;
-    const fill = new Mesh(
-      new CircleGeometry(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M, 96),
-      new MeshBasicMaterial({
-        color: 0x22e6e6,
-        transparent: true,
-        opacity: 0.105,
-        side: DoubleSide,
-        depthWrite: false,
-        polygonOffset: true,
-        polygonOffsetFactor: -1,
-        polygonOffsetUnits: -4,
-      }),
-    );
-    const rim = new Mesh(
-      new RingGeometry(
-        LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M * 0.952,
-        LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M * 0.985,
-        96,
-      ),
-      new MeshBasicMaterial({
-        color: 0x22e6e6,
-        transparent: true,
-        opacity: 0.687,
-        side: DoubleSide,
-        depthWrite: false,
-        polygonOffset: true,
-        polygonOffsetFactor: -1,
-        polygonOffsetUnits: -4,
-      }),
-    );
-    fill.frustumCulled = false;
-    rim.frustumCulled = false;
-    rim.renderOrder = 1;
-    group.add(fill, rim);
-    let padHeightM = 0;
+    // Classified onto the surface under the pad as Cesium's GroundPrimitive
+    // (render/navaraPadGround.js); nothing is drawn at a height.
+    const ground =
+      nativeView?.registerEffect && EffectDesc && NavaraEffect
+        ? createPadGround(nativeView, { EffectDesc, NavaraEffect }, launch)
+        : null;
     let dead = false,
-      freed = false;
-    const dispose = () => {
-      if (freed) return;
-      freed = true;
-      for (const mesh of [fill, rim]) {
-        mesh.geometry.dispose();
-        mesh.material.dispose();
-      }
-    };
-    const place = (height) => {
-      if (dead) return;
-      padHeightM = Number.isFinite(height) ? height : 0;
-      group.matrix.fromArray(
-        geo.transforms.eastNorthUpToFixedFrame(
-          geo.cartesian3.fromDegrees(
-            launch.lon,
-            launch.lat,
-            Number.isFinite(height) ? height : 0,
-          ),
-          geo.ellipsoid.WGS84,
-        ),
-      );
-      group.matrixWorldNeedsUpdate = true;
-      engine.render.request('launch-pad');
-    };
-    // W1 parity decision: a flat ellipsoid disc, not terrain classification.
-    // A coarse tile height sampled during the focus flight can be kilometres off.
-    place(0);
-    let handle;
-    if (nativeView) {
-      if (!registered.has(nativeView)) {
-        registered.add(nativeView);
-        nativeView.registerMesh(
-          PAD_KIND,
-          class extends MeshDesc {
-            constructor(view, ctx, config) {
-              super(view, ctx, config);
-              this.pad = config[PAD_KIND];
-            }
-            createMesh() {
-              return this.pad.group;
-            }
-            onDestroy() {
-              this.pad.dispose();
-              super.onDestroy();
-            }
-          },
-        );
-      }
-      handle = nativeView.addMesh({ [PAD_KIND]: { group, dispose } });
-    }
+      shown = true;
+    engine.render.request('launch-pad');
     const pad = {
-      get heightM() {
-        return padHeightM;
-      },
+      /** Classified, as on Cesium: the zone has no height of its own. */
+      heightM: null,
       get show() {
-        return group.visible;
+        return shown;
       },
       set show(value) {
-        if (group.visible === Boolean(value)) return;
-        group.visible = Boolean(value);
+        if (shown === Boolean(value)) return;
+        shown = Boolean(value);
+        if (ground) ground.visible = shown;
         engine.render.request('launch-pad');
       },
       destroy() {
         if (dead) return;
         dead = true;
-        handle?.delete();
-        dispose();
+        ground?.destroy();
         primitives.delete(pad);
         engine.render.request('launch-pad');
       },

src/layers/launches/render/navara.test.mjs

@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@ import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
 import * as geo from '../../../geo/index.js';
 import { createFakeEngine } from '../../../globe/testing/fakeEngine.js';
 import { WHITE } from '../../shared/color.js';
+import { PerspectiveCamera, RGBADepthPacking } from 'three';
 import { createLaunchesNavaraRenderer } from './navara.js';
+import { PAD_GROUND_KEY, padGroundShader } from './navaraPadGround.js';
+import { LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE } from '../policy.js';
 
 const position = geo.cartesian3.fromDegrees(0, 0, 1000);
 test('mission bank growth, callbacks and source visibility write actual mover stores', async () => {
@@ -130,41 +133,116 @@ test('mission hover uses engine drillPick and obeys disabled state', () => {
   engine.destroy();
 });
 
-test('flat pad uses a native mesh description, ellipsoid ENU placement and idempotent disposal', () => {
+test("the pad zone is classified onto the surface with Cesium's fill, rim and emission", () => {
   const engine = createFakeEngine();
   engine.fake.script('sampleHeight', 125);
-  let config,
-    removed = 0;
+  const effects = [];
+  let Desc;
+  class EffectDesc {
+    constructor(view, ctx, config) {
+      this.view = view;
+      this.ctx = ctx;
+      this.config = config;
+    }
+    find() {
+      return mrt;
+    }
+    onDestroy() {}
+  }
+  class NavaraEffect {
+    constructor(camera, effect) {
+      this.effect = effect;
+    }
+  }
+  const mrt = {
+    depthBuffer: { isTexture: true },
+    depthBufferPacking: RGBADepthPacking,
+  };
+  const camera = new PerspectiveCamera();
+  camera.position.set(6378137 + 2000, 0, 0);
+  camera.updateMatrixWorld();
   const view = {
-    registerMesh() {},
-    addMesh(value) {
-      config = value;
+    camera: { raw: camera },
+    registerEffect(key, desc) {
+      assert.equal(key, PAD_GROUND_KEY);
+      assert.ok(desc.insertAfter.includes('toneMapping'));
+      Desc = desc;
+    },
+    addEffect(config) {
+      const desc = new Desc(
+        view,
+        { getRenderTarget: () => ({ depthTexture: {} }) },
+        config,
+      );
+      desc.createPass();
+      const record = { desc, visible: config.visible, deleted: false };
+      effects.push(record);
       return {
-        delete() {
-          removed++;
+        update: ({ visible }) => (record.visible = visible),
+        delete: () => {
+          record.deleted = true;
+          desc.onDestroy();
         },
       };
     },
   };
   const renderer = createLaunchesNavaraRenderer(engine, {
     view,
-    MeshDesc: class {},
+    EffectDesc,
+    NavaraEffect,
   });
   const pad = renderer.createPad({ id: 'x', lon: 0, lat: 0 });
   assert.equal(
     engine.fake.callsOf('surface.sampleHeight').length,
     0,
-    'flat pad must not sample a coarse tile',
+    'classified onto the surface: no coarse tile height is sampled',
   );
-  const group = config.gevLaunchPad.group;
-  assert.equal(group.children.length, 2);
-  assert.equal(group.matrix.elements[12], 6378137);
-  assert.equal(group.children[0].material.polygonOffsetUnits, -4);
+  assert.equal(pad.heightM, null, 'no height of its own, as on Cesium');
+  assert.equal(effects.length, 1);
+  const { desc } = effects[0];
+  desc.updateFrame();
+  const u = desc.effect.uniforms;
+  // The pad 2 km below the camera, the ENU axes of lon 0, lat 0.
+  assert.deepEqual(u.get('uPadOffset').value.toArray(), [-2000, 0, 0]);
+  assert.deepEqual(u.get('uUp').value.toArray(), [1, 0, 0]);
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    u
+      .get('uEast')
+      .value.toArray()
+      .map((v) => Math.round(v) + 0),
+    [0, 1, 0],
+  );
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    u
+      .get('uNorth')
+      .value.toArray()
+      .map((v) => Math.round(v) + 0),
+    [0, 0, 1],
+  );
+  assert.equal(u.get('tAllDepth').value, mrt.depthBuffer);
+  // Cesium's GevLaunchPadZone material, from the same style.
+  const rgb = u
+    .get('uPadColor')
+    .value.toArray()
+    .map((v) => Math.round(v * 255));
+  assert.deepEqual(rgb, [0x22, 0xe6, 0xe6]);
+  for (const part of [
+    `smoothstep(${LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimEnd.toFixed(4)},1.0,radius)`,
+    `smoothstep(${LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimStart.toFixed(4)},${LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimEnd.toFixed(4)},radius)`,
+    `mix(${LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.fillAlpha.toFixed(4)},${LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimAlpha.toFixed(4)},rim)`,
+    `(1.0+${LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.emission.toFixed(4)}*rim)`,
+    '/500.0000',
+    'if(depth<surface-2e-7) return;',
+  ])
+    assert.ok(padGroundShader.includes(part), part);
   pad.show = false;
-  assert.equal(group.visible, false);
+  assert.equal(effects[0].visible, false);
+  pad.show = true;
+  assert.equal(effects[0].visible, true);
   pad.destroy();
   pad.destroy();
-  assert.equal(removed, 1);
+  assert.equal(effects[0].deleted, true);
+  assert.equal(effects.filter((e) => e.deleted).length, 1);
   renderer.destroy();
   engine.destroy();
 });

src/layers/launches/render/navaraPadGround.js

@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+// The launch pad zone on Navara, classified onto the surface as Cesium's
+// GroundPrimitive does (render/cesium.js): a screen-space pass reads the depth
+// of each pixel, puts it back in the world and paints the pixels of the
+// ground (terrain or 3D tiles, not a model in front of them) that lie within
+// the zone's radius of the pad, with Cesium's fill, rim and emission. Nothing
+// is drawn at a height, so the zone neither floats over nor sinks under the
+// ground, and no height is sampled.
+import { Effect, EffectAttribute } from 'postprocessing';
+import { Matrix3, Uniform, Vector3 } from 'three';
+import * as geo from '../../../geo/index.js';
+import {
+  groundSurfaceUniforms,
+  updateGroundSurface,
+} from '../../shared/render/navaraGroundSurface.js';
+import { LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M, LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE } from '../policy.js';
+
+export const PAD_GROUND_KEY = 'gevLaunchPadGround';
+// The surface above or below the pad that the zone still classifies, as
+// Cesium's classification volume spans the terrain heights there.
+export const PAD_GROUND_BAND_M = 9000;
+const registered = new WeakSet();
+const glslFloat = (value) => Number(value).toFixed(4);
+/** A #rrggbb colour as display (sRGB) values, as Cesium's material reads it. */
+const displayRgb = (hex) =>
+  [1, 3, 5].map((at) => parseInt(hex.slice(at, at + 2), 16) / 255);
+
+export const padGroundShader = /* glsl */ `
+uniform sampler2D tAllDepth;
+uniform sampler2D tSurfaceDepth;
+uniform mat4 uInverseProjection;
+uniform float uLogDepthFC;
+uniform mat3 uViewToWorld;
+uniform vec3 uPadOffset;
+uniform vec3 uEast;
+uniform vec3 uNorth;
+uniform vec3 uUp;
+uniform vec3 uPadColor;
+vec3 toDisplay(vec3 c) {
+  return mix(12.92*c,1.055*pow(max(c,vec3(0.0)),vec3(1.0/2.4))-0.055,step(vec3(0.0031308),c));
+}
+vec3 toLinear(vec3 c) {
+  return mix(c/12.92,pow(max((c+0.055)/1.055,vec3(0.0)),vec3(2.4)),step(vec3(0.04045),c));
+}
+void mainImage(const in vec4 inputColor,const in vec2 uv,out vec4 outputColor) {
+  outputColor=inputColor;
+  float depth=unpackRGBAToDepth(texture2D(tAllDepth,uv));
+  if(depth>=1.0) return;
+  // Only the ground: a mesh or model in front of it keeps its own colour.
+  float surface=texture2D(tSurfaceDepth,uv).r;
+  if(depth<surface-2e-7) return;
+  float distance=exp2(2.0*depth/uLogDepthFC)-1.0;
+  vec4 ray=uInverseProjection*vec4(uv*2.0-1.0,-1.0,1.0);
+  vec3 point=ray.xyz*(distance/-ray.z);
+  // Relative to the pad, from offsets small enough for single precision.
+  vec3 rel=uViewToWorld*point-uPadOffset;
+  if(abs(dot(rel,uUp))>${glslFloat(PAD_GROUND_BAND_M)}) return;
+  float radius=length(vec2(dot(rel,uEast),dot(rel,uNorth)))/${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_RADIUS_M)};
+  if(radius>=1.0) return;
+  // Cesium's GevLaunchPadZone material, blended as in its framebuffer.
+  float inside=1.0-smoothstep(${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimEnd)},1.0,radius);
+  float rim=smoothstep(${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimStart)},${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimEnd)},radius)*inside;
+  float alpha=inside*mix(${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.fillAlpha)},${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.rimAlpha)},rim);
+  vec3 color=min(uPadColor*(1.0+${glslFloat(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.emission)}*rim),vec3(1.0));
+  outputColor=vec4(toLinear(mix(toDisplay(inputColor.rgb),color,alpha)),inputColor.a);
+}
+`;
+
+/** The pad's ECEF position and its east, north and up axes. */
+export function padFrame(launch) {
+  const m = geo.transforms.eastNorthUpToFixedFrame(
+    geo.cartesian3.fromDegrees(launch.lon, launch.lat, 0),
+    geo.ellipsoid.WGS84,
+  );
+  return {
+    origin: [m[12], m[13], m[14]],
+    east: [m[0], m[1], m[2]],
+    north: [m[4], m[5], m[6]],
+    up: [m[8], m[9], m[10]],
+  };
+}
+
+function padGroundClass(EffectDesc, NavaraEffect) {
+  return class LaunchPadGroundDesc extends EffectDesc {
+    static key = PAD_GROUND_KEY;
+    static insertAfter = [
+      'gevEarthquakeGround',
+      'gevObservedWeather',
+      'gevNepalEvent',
+      'gevRecentImagery',
+      'gevFirmsGround',
+      'toneMapping',
+    ];
+    static insertBefore = [
+      'gevPreSharpenOverlay',
+      'gevSharpen',
+      'smaa',
+      'fxaa',
+      'gevOverlay',
+      'final',
+    ];
+    constructor(view, context, config) {
+      super(view, context, config);
+      this.owner = config[PAD_GROUND_KEY].owner;
+    }
+    createPass() {
+      this.effect = new Effect('GevLaunchPadGround', padGroundShader, {
+        attributes: EffectAttribute.CONVOLUTION,
+        uniforms: new Map([
+          ...groundSurfaceUniforms(),
+          ['uViewToWorld', new Uniform(new Matrix3())],
+          ['uPadOffset', new Uniform(new Vector3())],
+          ['uEast', new Uniform(new Vector3())],
+          ['uNorth', new Uniform(new Vector3())],
+          ['uUp', new Uniform(new Vector3())],
+          [
+            'uPadColor',
+            new Uniform(
+              new Vector3(...displayRgb(LAUNCH_PAD_ZONE_STYLE.color)),
+            ),
+          ],
+        ]),
+      });
+      return new NavaraEffect(this.view.camera.raw, this.effect);
+    }
+    updateFrame() {
+      const frame = this.owner.frame,
+        camera = this.view.camera.raw;
+      if (!this.effect || !frame || !camera) return;
+      updateGroundSurface(this.effect, camera, this.ctx, this.find('mrt'));
+      const u = this.effect.uniforms;
+      u.get('uViewToWorld').value.setFromMatrix4(camera.matrixWorld);
+      const e = camera.matrixWorld.elements;
+      u.get('uPadOffset').value.set(
+        frame.origin[0] - e[12],
+        frame.origin[1] - e[13],
+        frame.origin[2] - e[14],
+      );
+      u.get('uEast').value.fromArray(frame.east);
+      u.get('uNorth').value.fromArray(frame.north);
+      u.get('uUp').value.fromArray(frame.up);
+    }
+    onDestroy() {
+      this.effect?.dispose();
+      super.onDestroy();
+    }
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Show one pad zone on a Navara view; `show` toggles it, `destroy` removes it.
+ * @param {object} view The Navara view.
+ * @param {{ EffectDesc: Function, NavaraEffect: Function }} sdk
+ * @param {{ lon: number, lat: number }} launch
+ */
+export function createPadGround(view, { EffectDesc, NavaraEffect }, launch) {
+  if (!registered.has(view)) {
+    view.registerEffect(
+      PAD_GROUND_KEY,
+      padGroundClass(EffectDesc, NavaraEffect),
+    );
+    registered.add(view);
+  }
+  const owner = { frame: padFrame(launch) };
+  let handle = view.addEffect({
+    [PAD_GROUND_KEY]: { owner },
+    visible: true,
+  });
+  return {
+    owner,
+    set visible(value) {
+      handle?.update({ visible: Boolean(value) });
+    },
+    destroy() {
+      handle?.delete();
+      handle = null;
+      owner.frame = null;
+    },
+  };
+}