The test I am working out now are clouds based on Vue Spheres. Page 411 gets it started.
After not getting the results in the lesson I just added the material from the Clouds Sphere #2. It saved allot of time and I was able to start changing parameters quickly.

This is definately a test in progress
The clouds still look a little too hard. Some real fuzzy settings on spheres just above the cloud tops may add the mist fluffy look I'm after. After applying the material the Key attributes for change are Global Transparency and Fuzzy Settings. The greater the Fuzzy setting the less likely you are going to see intersecting polys from each sphere. At least for now, I am using a lower settings for clouds at a greater distance to give them a more more volume in reflected light.
The lighting which includes Diffusion, Ambient, Contrast and Luminosity are next with Contrast and Ambient play a big role with different positions of the Sun.

Stacked Clouds
I am staking spheres closer to the camera because at higher resolutions the clouds look a little too hollow with open transparent areas. At greater distances I am using a larger cloud as a filler to fill gaps. For now the current settings work with a variety of Sun positions. At high angles luminosity and Contrast needs to be cranked up.

Issues for Now
Fog and Haze don't play too nice so far.

richcz3 Message edited on: 06/02/2005 18:35

Looking good :) I like the 2nd pic the best.

Looks fantastic (and i saw it as well at CGTalk - where it looks as good! :-))) ) What worries me always is what happens to these clouds when they go into another atmosphere - and/or have to be scaled. Or transformed (moved, rotated etc). Better fuzzy material support for clouds, smoke etc is very very high on my wishlist for e-on and future Infinite versions.

The effects looks great. Ditto on the 2nd pict. Have you tried rendering the planes flying thru the clouds? How would this look? Just curious.

I've played with this and never got them looking so good. I'll have to give it another try. You've given me hope. it would be nice if Vue had 3d cloud production as a feature so we wouldn't have to agonize over this. You've done a great job.

I've played with this and never got them looking so good. I'll have to give it another try. You've given me hope. it would be nice if Vue had 3d cloud production as a feature so we wouldn't have to agonize over this. You've done a great job.

I was wondering about making an eco system in V5I to distribute the spheres to make clouds the other day. Not actually done anything about trying the idea out yet but maybe I'll actually do more than think about it now I've seen your test renders.

Thanks for the feedback. I am preparing some aircraft animations that require multiple cloud setups. I need them to work from variable angles. I think I can break down the essential controls to keep setup times from getting expensive.

wabe- Yes, scaling the spheres does effect the overall look and different Atmospheres can make the clouds completely dark or too light. Fortunately the effects controls can make up for the changes. Fog and haze are issues I need to resolve.

animajikgraphics- agiel has a nice volume cloud effect I am going to try and use for fly throughs.

** http://www.alquier.org/linfa-net/tutorials/clouds-tutorial.cfm**

lingrif-Hopefully E-on creates a more robust cloud system than using spheres. I've seen tutorials for mist and fog layers, but clouds require allot of work right now.

impish-EcoSystem could be an option especialy with variable sizing, although scaling can have odd effects.

dlk30341-Thanks

I'm going to try multiple materials to see if I can get some material changes I need. So Instead of doing patch work, I've removed the clouds and I'm starting from scratch.

Thanks

richcz3

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=2159141

Thanks for the link to my tutorial. That reminds me I have to clean up those old mini tutorials. I actually attempted almost the same scene, with an ecosystem of clouds. This link points to an earlier discussion about clouds in Vue 5. I really wish they could improve the render of volumetric materials as a whole, especially regarding the issue of sharp boundaries still visible when you apply a volumetric material to a sphere.

agiel, that shot is great! I really like it.
Down to the flak bursts. It's good to know the EcoSystem will help with the setup.
I've struggled with clouds in Lightwave over the years and this is precicisley one of the reasons I picked up Vue Inf this time around. Here's something in LW from a while back.

Thanks for that link.

richcz3