Under-the-hood Questions

[loudcloud]

Hello all,

I've been enjoying my time relaxing with Condor2 and I'm really interested in learning more about the underlying architecture that makes the simulator so sublime. I'm a graduate student in atmospheric science and in particular I'm curious about the locations of the thermal generation as seen in the linked image https://prnt.sc/w0ofv8.

I realize that something like Condor2 is necessarily proprietary so I'm not asking to see the exact code responsible (although that would be marvelous), yet I'm hoping I could be pointed towards resources or people to help uncover some of the science behind the scenes.

[wickid]

You can find some info here: https://www.condorsoaring.com/about/

Also check the landscape guide. It has an explanation of the "thermal map". Found here: https://www.condorsoaring.com/downloads-2/

[loudcloud]

Hi wickid,

Thanks for the reply, it was mighty helpful. From the Landscape Guide I read that the thermal maps factor in the type of terrain (either water, deciduous trees, forests / grass, and fields) as a single grayscale image with different RGB values corresponding to each type to determine the strength and probability of thermal formation in addition to the terrain profile (used in hilly / mountainous areas) and sun exposure.

However, I'm still unsure of exactly how Condor2 consolidates each of these data to emulate the lift experienced by the glider. I noticed in the credits that Uroš and Chris Wedgwood are credited with programming and game design--do you know if they would be willing to discuss the inner machinations of how their thermals are generated? I'll go ahead and Contact the team and forward them this reply. Thanks again for your help wickid!