Cummulus Clouds

[TheBadger]

Hello Happy 4th... belayed

I was hoping to gain some relieve from the terrible frustration I am enduring while trying to make good cummulus clouds.
A good visual of what Im after can be seen here...http://www.flickr.com/photos/anderani/2601916584/

I know that this is a common topic, but I have still have not gained any kind of mastery.

My problem seems to be in two main areas.

1) Though I can make clouds (some very nice), I cant seem to command their shape, form or feel. To be clear, the image I link to above is the goal, but I cant get anywhere close.

2) Placement is also a difficult thing. Suppose I could create the cloud shown above, I have had a great deal of difficulty positioning clouds where I want in an image.

It seems clear that a cloud will look different when localized from one place to another in an image. But how can I gain more control of what the results will be? And, accepting some randomness in the cloud seed, how can I build clouds like the one shown above? I am guessing that I can build with shaders the same way as a planet surface, but I would rather not just guess my way through it.

Just need some strong direction here.

Thank you.

[Tangled-Universe]

Ghehe, who doesn't want to make such clouds?
It is possible to some extent, but certainly bloody difficult.

2) Placement is also a difficult thing. Suppose I could create the cloud shown above, I have had a great deal of difficulty positioning clouds where I want in an image.

It seems clear that a cloud will look different when localized from one place to another in an image. But how can I gain more control of what the results will be? And, accepting some randomness in the cloud seed, how can I build clouds like the one shown above? I am guessing that I can build with shaders the same way as a planet surface, but I would rather not just guess my way through it.

The cloud node has an option "move textures with cloud" which makes it possible to move a localized cloud while retaining its shape/density fractal. Very useful.
"Sculpting" clouds is really difficult. Basically you need a fractal as a base and add another 1 or 2 extra fractals to add variation and detail.

Finding settings for clouds like these with just one single cloud fractal I consider to be the holy grail of TG2 clouds
Well perhaps making these clouds at all is the holy grail

[TheBadger]

Martin,

Thanks for quick reply.

So, as a better starting point (than what I have been doing), I should...

1)"add another 1 or 2 extra fractals" to gain more form, volume and personality for the clouds?

2)"move textures with cloud" function, to place what I have made?

This already sounds better than what I have been doing. I'll try it now, and post back.

Also, I tell you if I find the grail I'll ask how to make a clip file and I'll post it. I would save everyone from such frustration if I could.

Thanks martin!

[Henry Blewer]

Awesome clouds like in your photo can be done. I find the render time is not worth the time and effort to build these. I am using a Pentium 4. When I get my I7 system together and running it may be different.

FrankB has some fantastic clouds like these at NWDA.

[TheBadger]

Hi again,

cant locate "move textures with cloud" option. Where is it and how dose it work?

I have bought some of the cloud packs, but I would like to try and work my way through this on my own first before using them. Most of the packs have very complex node networks, and trying to learn from them does not often go to understanding.

[neon22]

One of these two appraoches may be what you're looking for...

Cloud Busting:
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=10582.0

Cloud Library:
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=3691.0

and the idea of using planets (scaled down) as clouds and positioning them to get the kind of towers and more interesting shapes. (in the Cloud library thread - called meta clouds) Yay 2008...

[Added]
- I put a 2-axis blend up here of some parameters for handmaking clouds:
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=12721.msg126538#msg126538

[TheBadger]

Thanks guys.

I think Im in a better place now with these clouds, though its pretty clear I'm not going to get everything I want, but maybe in post.

Still cant find "move textures with cloud" option. Could some one tell me where it is? It sounds like it will help me get better localization results.

Thanks

[dandelO]

'Move textures with cloud' is only available in TG2.3 by opening the .tgd/.tgc in a text editor, navigating to the cloud node code and changing the '0' to '1' where you see this option. It isn't an editable feature in the UI of the current releases yet.
You can have a look at similar options for the 'planet' node in .tgd's written by TG2.3 this same way.

[dandelO]

In a default planet and cloud, the areas you want to edit in notepad are in bold here(I wonder what 'seed' stands for in a cloud layer?);

<cloud_layer_v2
      name = "Cirrus layer 01"
      gui_use_node_pos = "1"
      gui_node_pos = "-220 520 0"
      gui_group = "5. Atmosphere"
      enable = "1"
      input_node = "/Atmosphere 01"
      gui_use_preview_patch_size = "0"
      gui_preview_patch_size = "1000 1000"
      enable_primary = "1"
      enable_secondary = "1"
      move_textures_with_cloud = "0"
      centre = "0 -6378000 0"
      radius = "6378000"
      seed = "0"
      cloud_altitude = "14359"
      cloud_depth = "10"
      local_sphere = "0"
      local_sphere_centre = "0 14359 0"
      local_sphere_radius = "10000"
      local_sphere_falloff = "1"
      local_sphere_value_at_radius = "-0.5"
      density_shader = "Density fractal 01"
      edge_sharpness = "1"
      cloud_density = "0.01"
      coverage_adjust = "0"
      cloud_colour = "0.349999994 0.349999994 0.349999994"
      scattering_colour = "0.349999994 0.349999994 0.349999994"
      sun_glow_amount = "1"
      sun_glow_power = "1.25"
      light_propagation = "2"
      light_propagation_mix = "0.125"
      fake_internal_scattering = "1"
      enviro_light = "1"
      enviro_light_tint = "1 1 1"
      darker_unresolved_scattering = "1"
      anisotropic_enviro_light = "1"
      altitude_offset_function = ""
      altitude_offset_multiplier = "1"
      depth_modulator = ""
      depth_modulator_centre = "0"
      final_density_modulator = ""
      ambient = "0 0 0"
      fake_dark_power = "0"
      fake_dark_sharpness = "10"
      improved_lighting_model = "1"
      flatter_base = "0"
      invert_profile = "0"
      base_wispiness = "0"
      base_softness = "0"
      coverage_gamma = "1"
      rendering_method = "0"
      quality = "0.5104784277"
      number_of_samples = "5"
      sample_jitter = "1"
      ray_fuzziness = "0"
      step_optimisation = "0"
      enable_ray_traced_shadows = "0"
      acceleration_cache = "0"
      use_2D_shadow_map = "0"
      shadow_map_resolution = "200 200"
      shadow_map_blur_radius = "2 2"
      >
   </cloud_layer_v2>

<planet
      name = "Planet 01"
      gui_use_node_pos = "1"
      gui_node_pos = "-920 -20 0"
      gui_group = "3. Objects"
      enable = "1"
      show_b-box_in_preview = "0"
      render_surface = "1"
      translate_textures_with_planet = "0"
      render_atmosphere = "1"
      rotate_textures_with_planet = "0"
      lat_long_at_apex = "0 0"
      centre = "0 -6378000 0"
      rotation = "0 0 0"
      radius = "6378000"
      import_motion_filename = ""
      heading = "0"
      elevation = "270"
      distance = "6378000"
      surface_shader = "Base colours"
      atmosphere_shader = "Cirrus layer 01"
      displacement_tolerance = "1"
      >
   </planet>

[rcallicotte]

Glad to see your back, DandelO...and nice question.  I'm curious, too.

[Tangled-Universe]

I made an attempt with, I think, may be a novel approach.
Definitely needs some tweaking but the basic idea and shapes are there.

[Dune]

That sure looks good, Martin. I am quite curious about your novel approach....

[Tangled-Universe]

Thanks Ulco

Ghehe, perhaps a bit morbid, but I call the method "self cutting"
I first use a big base fractal and then contracted and invert it, then subtract the second from the first.
As usual it needs a bit of tweaking.
Rest is based on previous cloud work Frank, others and I did.

[IcePowder]

First post here.  I have a simple question. Is anyone working on a GPGPU Terragen cloud solution?

IcePowder

[Tangled-Universe]

First post here.  I have a simple question. Is anyone working on a GPGPU Terragen cloud solution?

IcePowder

Simple answer, no.