Making Gas Planets

[cbest]

Hello everyone, I'd like to know what you suggest for creating atmospheres for planets like Jupiter (with those swirls an stuff). All advice, (comments, links, guides) are welcome.   

[nethskie]

you will need Image Shader function for this(just like how we create Hurricane Renders), it would be tough but with patience you can do it. 

[cbest]

Thanks! But I can't find the Image Shader function! I mean, I went to the node network, right-clicked, went to Create Function, and I cant find it.

[Cyber-Angel]

Create Shader > Displacement Shader >  Image Map Shader (Sixth Shader From the top of the List beneath Heightfeild Shader: You can also find it under the "Displacement" roll out of the Terrain Tab in the same position as above: you can also find it under "Colour Shader" Create Shader > Colour Shader
> Image Map Shader (Its sixth From the top, beneath Distribution Shader v4). 

Hope that helps?

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel
   

[dandelO]

I'd use a planet with stretched power fractals across it, in the noise tab of a fractal, stretch the X and Z axis to layer your patterns.

Also, you can use a ball of clouds, uncheck render surface in the planet node you're making and use a cloud the size and depth of the planet, stretch the fractal noises, as above, here too.

[cbest]

I'd use a planet with stretched power fractals across it, in the noise tab of a fractal, stretch the X and Z axis to layer your patterns.

Also, you can use a ball of clouds, uncheck render surface in the planet node you're making and use a cloud the size and depth of the planet, stretch the fractal noises, as above, here too.

Thanks, but sorry, I don't really understand what you mean. I mean, it sounds really complicated. I don't get what you mean when you say to make the clouds the same size as the planet, or to stretch the power fractals.
Sorry if I'm annoying you, I just don't understand.

[dandelO]

Of course you're not annoying me. Sorry I was in a bit of a rush earlier and typed quickly without a decent explanation.

Have a look at this, it explains what I meant above: [attachimg=#]

When you open the .tgd, you'll be looking at a planet covered by power fractals on its surface.
[attachimg=#]
It won't win any beauty contests but, look at the 'tweak noise' tab of each power fractal shader that feeds the planet's 'surface shader' input. At the bottom of this tab, there are 3 noise stretch inputs. The 'noise' is stretched by x30 on both the horizontal X and Z axis. this gives the appearance of layers or bands of colour.

That's not all, it's just a shell, with a secret hidden inside...

After checking out what the 'surface shader' inputs are doing, (you might not like that approach), open the settings panel for 'planet 02' and un-check the 'render surface' box. Now, there's a ball of clouds in the sky, they were inside the planet all along.
So, that's two 3D cloud layers that are set, not to extend above the surface of the planet, but to fill it with clouds. To get the cloud depths and heights required, I took the 'radius' of the planet object as the guide(it was 1.8378e+007, use an online calculator to half/double or just press '=' to see the actual numerical value of such numbers). Make the clouds whatever colour you want, add more clouds, take some away, whatever.
Cloud layer 2(the red one) is set to appear wherever cloud layer 1(orange) doesn't, by blending its fractal with the invert of the first.
A ball of cloud.
[attachimg=#]

That's what I should have said earlier but didn't have time to.

[cbest]

Thank you all (especially DandelO )! I've learned one new thing in Terragen 2. Here is a picture I made using DandelO's advice. Anti-aliasing 2 and Detail .8. 

[Henry Blewer]

Nice work. I would have added more color variations in the oranges. But this is really quite convincing.

[cbest]

I'm less in a hurry now  , so I've made some better editions. Here is the same picture, but bigger, and with 1 detail and 3 anti-aliasing. In the second one I've improved the gas color variation and gas overall.

[cbest]

Please tell me how you think those pictures can be improved.

[Henry Blewer]

You could put one of the spacecraft available at NASA in it. Here's a link to the post with the models location at the NASA site.

[Dune]

Here's a link to the post with the models location at the NASA site.

[Kadri]

Here's a link to the post with the models location at the NASA site.

I think with "here" Njeneb did mean this forum and his post here :

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=10525.0

[Henry Blewer]

Oops...