ERAU · Unity 6 · Research
Lunar Lander
Digital Twin
A Unity 6 digital twin built at ERAU using NASA's Lunar Digital Elevation Model maps to reconstruct a geometrically accurate lunar surface. Realistic camera physics simulate orbital and landing imaging conditions — testing how different camera parameters affect picture quality during capture.
Overview
Unity 6 · NASA LDEM · Visual Fidelity
Orbital Imaging Fidelity Test
Rather than deploying hardware to test imaging quality in actual lunar conditions, this project built a controlled simulation environment in Unity 6. NASA's Lunar Digital Elevation Model data was used to reconstruct the lunar surface at geometric accuracy. A realistic camera physics model then allowed systematic testing of how aperture, exposure, focal length, and sensor parameters affect picture quality — turning Unity into a cost-free orbital imaging testbed.
Components
Terrain
NASA LDEM
Lunar Digital Elevation Model data from NASA processed into Unity 6 heightmaps — the same real-world terrain pipeline used across other projects in this portfolio. The surface geometry matches actual lunar topography, giving the camera simulation a physically grounded environment to work against.
Camera Model
Realistic Physics
Camera parameters — aperture, exposure, focal length, and sensor size — were modeled to reflect real imaging hardware. This lets the simulation reproduce how a physical camera would behave at orbital and landing altitudes, without needing the hardware to be present.
Purpose
Parameter Testing
By sweeping camera parameters inside the simulation, imaging performance can be characterized across a wide range of conditions — altitude, lighting, angle — that would otherwise require physical orbital test missions to evaluate.