Solar System Narration - 3D Voxel Animation Tutorial

This guide walks you through how to generate a looping 3D voxel animation of a solar system using SpatialStudio. The script creates a miniature solar system with planets orbiting around a glowing sun, complete with moons and asteroid belts, all inside a cubic 3D space, then saves the animation to a .splv file.

What this script does

Creates a 3D scene of size 128×128×128
Spawns a central sun with animated solar flares
Generates 8 planets with realistic orbital mechanics:
- Different sizes, colors, and orbital speeds
- Unique textures and surface details
- Some planets include orbiting moons
Adds a rotating asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
Creates twinkling stars in the background
Animates everything for 12 seconds at 30 FPS with realistic orbital periods
Outputs the file solar_system_narration.splv that you can play in your viewer

How it works (simplified)

Voxel volume Each frame is a 3D grid filled with RGBA values (SIZE × SIZE × SIZE × 4).
Central sun A bright yellow-orange sphere with animated surface activity and glowing corona effects.
Planetary orbits Each planet follows an elliptical path around the sun with different orbital radii and speeds based on real solar system ratios.
Planet surfaces Planets are rendered as spheres with unique colors and procedural surface textures using noise functions.
Moons and asteroids Smaller objects orbit around planets, while a dense asteroid belt rotates between the inner and outer planets.
Animation loop A normalized time variable t cycles from 0 → 2π, with each celestial body having its own orbital period multiplier.
Encoding Frames are passed into splv.Encoder, which writes them into the .splv video file.

Try it yourself

Install requirements first:

pip install spatialstudio numpy tqdm

Then copy this script into solar_system_narration.py and run:

python solar_system_narration.py

Full Script

import numpy as np
from spatialstudio import splv
from tqdm import tqdm

# Scene setup
SIZE, FPS, SECONDS = 128, 30, 12
FRAMES = FPS * SECONDS
CENTER_X = CENTER_Y = CENTER_Z = SIZE // 2
OUT_PATH = "../outputs/solar_system_narration.splv"

# Solar system settings
SUN_RADIUS = 6
PLANET_COUNT = 8
ASTEROID_COUNT = 150

def add_voxel(volume, x, y, z, color):
    if 0 <= x < SIZE and 0 <= y < SIZE and 0 <= z < SIZE:
        volume[x, y, z, :3] = color
        volume[x, y, z, 3] = 255

def generate_sun(volume, cx, cy, cz, t):
    sun_color = (255, 200, 50)
    corona_color = (255, 150, 0)
    
    # Main sun body
    for dx in range(-SUN_RADIUS, SUN_RADIUS+1):
        for dy in range(-SUN_RADIUS, SUN_RADIUS+1):
            for dz in range(-SUN_RADIUS, SUN_RADIUS+1):
                dist = np.sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy + dz*dz)
                if dist <= SUN_RADIUS:
                    # Animated surface activity
                    flare = np.sin(dx*0.5 + t*3) * np.cos(dy*0.3 + t*2) * np.sin(dz*0.4 + t*4)
                    brightness = 1.0 + flare * 0.3
                    final_color = tuple(min(255, int(c * brightness)) for c in sun_color)
                    add_voxel(volume, cx+dx, cy+dy, cz+dz, final_color)
                elif dist <= SUN_RADIUS + 2:
                    # Corona effect
                    intensity = max(0, 1.0 - (dist - SUN_RADIUS) / 2.0)
                    if np.random.random() < intensity * 0.3:
                        add_voxel(volume, cx+dx, cy+dy, cz+dz, corona_color)

def generate_planet(volume, cx, cy, cz, radius, color, t, planet_id):
    # Planet surface with texture
    for dx in range(-radius, radius+1):
        for dy in range(-radius, radius+1):
            for dz in range(-radius, radius+1):
                dist = np.sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy + dz*dz)
                if dist <= radius:
                    # Procedural surface texture
                    noise = np.sin(dx*0.8 + planet_id) * np.cos(dy*0.6 + planet_id) * np.sin(dz*0.7 + planet_id)
                    brightness = 0.8 + noise * 0.2
                    final_color = tuple(min(255, max(50, int(c * brightness))) for c in color)
                    add_voxel(volume, cx+dx, cy+dy, cz+dz, final_color)

def generate_planets(volume, cx, cy, cz, t):
    # Planet data: (name, distance, size, color, orbital_speed, has_moon)
    planets = [
        ("Mercury", 15, 2, (169, 169, 169), 4.0, False),
        ("Venus", 20, 3, (255, 198, 73), 1.6, False),
        ("Earth", 25, 3, (100, 149, 237), 1.0, True),
        ("Mars", 32, 2, (205, 92, 92), 0.5, True),
        ("Jupiter", 45, 5, (255, 140, 0), 0.08, True),
        ("Saturn", 55, 4, (250, 222, 164), 0.03, True),
        ("Uranus", 65, 3, (79, 208, 231), 0.01, False),
        ("Neptune", 72, 3, (70, 130, 180), 0.006, False)
    ]
    
    for i, (name, distance, size, color, speed, has_moon) in enumerate(planets):
        # Calculate planet position
        angle = t * speed + i * 0.5
        px = cx + int(distance * np.cos(angle))
        pz = cz + int(distance * np.sin(angle))
        py = cy + int(2 * np.sin(angle * 0.3))  # Slight vertical variation
        
        generate_planet(volume, px, py, pz, size, color, t, i)
        
        # Add moon if planet has one
        if has_moon:
            moon_angle = t * 8.0 + i
            moon_distance = size + 6
            mx = px + int(moon_distance * np.cos(moon_angle))
            mz = pz + int(moon_distance * np.sin(moon_angle))
            generate_planet(volume, mx, py, mz, 1, (200, 200, 200), t, i + 100)

def generate_asteroid_belt(volume, cx, cy, cz, t):
    asteroid_color = (139, 69, 19)
    
    for i in range(ASTEROID_COUNT):
        # Random but consistent positioning using i as seed
        np.random.seed(i)
        base_distance = 38 + np.random.random() * 8  # Between Mars and Jupiter
        angle_offset = np.random.random() * 2 * np.pi
        height_offset = (np.random.random() - 0.5) * 6
        
        angle = t * 0.2 + angle_offset
        ax = cx + int(base_distance * np.cos(angle))
        az = cz + int(base_distance * np.sin(angle))
        ay = cy + int(height_offset)
        
        add_voxel(volume, ax, ay, az, asteroid_color)

def generate_stars(volume, t):
    star_color = (255, 255, 255)
    # Fixed star positions that twinkle
    np.random.seed(42)  # Fixed seed for consistent star positions
    
    for i in range(200):
        x = np.random.randint(0, SIZE)
        y = np.random.randint(0, SIZE)
        z = np.random.randint(0, SIZE)
        
        # Only place stars far from center
        if np.sqrt((x-CENTER_X)**2 + (y-CENTER_Y)**2 + (z-CENTER_Z)**2) > 80:
            # Twinkling effect
            if np.sin(t * 5 + i * 0.1) > 0.7:
                add_voxel(volume, x, y, z, star_color)

def generate_scene(volume, t):
    generate_stars(volume, t)
    generate_sun(volume, CENTER_X, CENTER_Y, CENTER_Z, t)
    generate_planets(volume, CENTER_X, CENTER_Y, CENTER_Z, t)
    generate_asteroid_belt(volume, CENTER_X, CENTER_Y, CENTER_Z, t)

enc = splv.Encoder(SIZE, SIZE, SIZE, framerate=FPS, outputPath=OUT_PATH, motionVectors="off")

for frame in tqdm(range(FRAMES), desc="Generating solar system"):
    volume = np.zeros((SIZE, SIZE, SIZE, 4), dtype=np.uint8)
    t = (frame / FRAMES) * 2*np.pi
    generate_scene(volume, t)
    enc.encode(splv.Frame(volume, lrAxis="x", udAxis="y", fbAxis="z"))

enc.finish()
print(f"Created {OUT_PATH}")

Customization ideas

Adjust orbital speeds: Modify the speed values in the planets list to make orbits faster or slower
Add more moons: Set has_moon=True for more planets or create multiple moons per planet
Change planet sizes: Edit the size parameter to create gas giants or smaller rocky planets
Modify asteroid density: Increase ASTEROID_COUNT for a thicker asteroid belt
Add comet trails: Create elongated objects with trailing particles
Experiment with colors: Try different planet color schemes or add atmospheric effects

Educational notes

This animation demonstrates several astronomical concepts:

Orbital mechanics: Inner planets orbit faster than outer planets (Kepler's laws)
Scale relationships: While not to real scale, the relative sizes and distances give a sense of the solar system's structure
Asteroid belt: Shows the rocky debris field between Mars and Jupiter
Planetary moons: Illustrates how natural satellites orbit their parent planets
Solar activity: The animated sun surface represents solar flares and coronal activity

Next steps

Try adding Saturn's rings by creating a flat disk of particles around Saturn
Implement realistic orbital ellipses instead of perfect circles
Add Pluto and other dwarf planets in the outer solar system
Create planetary rotation so planets spin as they orbit
Experiment with lighting effects to show the day/night cycle on planets

examples

Snake 3D

Creating Yoyo Animation

Creating Wooden Planks Animation

Creating Windstorm Animation

Creating Windmill Animation

Creating Whale Animation

Creating Waterfall Animation

Creating Volcano Animation

Creating Vaporwave Animation

Creating Tree Animation

Creating Tornado Animation

Creating Sun Animation

Creating Stone Wall Animation

Creating Spring Animation

Creating Spider Animation

Creating Spaceship Animation

Creating Solar System Narration.Txt Animation

Creating Solar System Educational Animation

Creating Solar System Animation

Creating Snowglobe Animation

Creating Snake Animation

Creating Script Generation Warning.Md Animation

Creating Sailboat Animation

Creating Robot Animation

Creating River Rapids Animation

Creating Rainbow Animation

Creating Prism Animation

Creating Pinwheel Animation

Creating Pine Tree Animation

Creating Phoenix Animation

Creating Pendulum Animation

Creating Octopus Animation

Creating Mushroom Animation

Creating Metronome Animation

Creating Meteor Animation

Creating Metal Plates Animation

Creating Lissajous Animation

Creating Lightning Animation

Creating Lighthouse Animation

Creating Lava Lamp Animation

Creating Lantern Animation

Creating Kite Animation

Creating Kaleidoscope Animation

Creating Jellyfish Animation

Creating Inner Planets Orbit Animation

Creating Hourglass Animation

Creating Hive Animation

Creating Grass Animation

Creating Geyser Animation

Creating Gear Animation

Creating Fountain Animation

Creating Flower Animation

Creating Fish Animation

Creating Fireworks Animation

Creating Fireflies Lissajous Fast.Splv Animation

Creating Fern Animation

Creating Earth Orbit Animation

Creating Dragon Animation

Creating Disco Ball Animation

Creating Demon Animation

Creating Crystallization Animation

Creating Crystal Animation

Creating Cosmic Formation Animation

Creating Coral Reef Animation

Creating Compass Animation

Creating Cloud Animation

Creating Clock Animation

Creating Castle Animation

Creating Carousel Animation

Creating Candle Animation

Creating Campfire Animation

Creating Cactus Animation

Creating Butterfly Animation

Creating Bush Animation

Creating Brick Wall Animation

Creating Blackhole Animation

Creating Beehive Animation

Creating Aurora Animation

🎈 Floating Balloons