I'm doind a landscape and I've got a nice gas giant in the sky. I'd like to add some rings around the planet, but everything I've tried either looks terrible (rings visible through the planet) or doesn't show up at all. Does anyone know of a way to add rings to a planet? (Vue 2.1) Thanks Gail

Attached Link: http://www.derby-vi-service.demon.co.uk/pictures.htm

Have a look at the basic rings in an image on my site at: http://www.derby-vi-service.demon.co.uk/pictures.htm If these are any good for you, let me know, and I'llpost some details of how they are made. I think the original material was done in Vue 2, but I may not be able to send it to you as it is probably saved in later formats now. Antway. if rings like those at my site will do, leave a note here and I'll find time to send details.

Very nice. Please do explain. Thanks Gail

I'll try and find time later today, and write some details.

Ok, its a Vue 3.1 material, so I can't send it to you. First, the rings are a cylinder, squashed flat, to make a disc with a slight thickness. This is then cut with another cylinder using CSG boolean difference to make the hole. Now you have your basic ring disc. For the material, I'll give you all of the settings I can, and you can try to reproduce it in 2.1. Remember that with materials like this, lighting is very important. The lighting in your scene could make it look very different. Of course you can alter the settings I will give you to tune your picture. First, go into your material editor and click on 'new' to get a new material. Select 'object space' and 'cast shadows'. COLOUR PRODUCTION set 'procedural colours'. Create a colour map containing bands of colour to your needs. You do this by right clicking on the colour map and selecting 'edit'. My colour map has 11 bands. Right click on the function preview and select 'edit function'. For your first function, select type 'onion'. Combination mode set to 'blend'. Leave the scale at 1 1 1, and click 'fractal layer'. Edit the fractal layer, setting complexity to 4, and scale and amplitude both to 0.5. Combination mode 'add'. Leave the fractal layer editor. You should now be back in the material colour function editor. Click 'add' and add another onion layer. This layer is as for the first layer except that the scale is set to 0.1 0.1 0.1, and the fractal layer complexity is set to 2. Click ok and leave the colour function editor. BUMP PRODUCTION Right click on the colour function preview, (the little square picture in the colour tab). Select 'copy function'. Go to the bump tab. Right click on the bump production preview picture, and select 'paste function'. HIGHLIGHTS Set to zero. TRANSPARENCY Set global transparency to 100 percent. Select 'variable transparency'. Set 'fading out' to zero. Set 'blurred trans' to zero. Set 'refractive index' to 1. Set 'flare' to zero. Copy the colour function to the transparency function as you did for bumps. Right click on the transparency production preview picture and select edit. Create these extra layers using the 'add' button: leopard scale 0.01 0.01 0.01. Fractal layer complexity 2, mode add, scale .5 amplitude .5. turbulence comp 2, noise (smooth), mode add, scale 2, amp .25, harmonics .5. rotation x 91, y 54, z 200. Onion scale .8 .8 .8. fractal layer comp 2, add, scale .5, amp .5. leopard scale .05 .05 .05. Click ok and leave the function editor. Right click on the transparency function graph in the transparency tab. Edit the graph to make it look like the picture with this post (above). REFLECTIONS In my picture the reflections are set to zero, but if you want reflections, select 'variable reflectivity' and copy the transparency function to the reflection function preview picture. EFFECTS these are settings for my picture, they may be different in yours. Set lighting, diffuse and ambient both to 500 percent. You have to type this in, the slider only goes to 100 percent. I have 'colour reflected light' set. Transition to shadow is 72. FINAL Make large mug of tea and relax. This is a preliminary set of settings. More work could improve the appearence I'm sure.

Thanks very much.

Thanks very much for the tutorial, Adrian! What a great way of making rings! :)