How would I go about creating clouds like this (see link)

[Andrew March]

Topic says it all really, I'm not particularly great at cloud settings, often using default settings or none at all but this is something I would love to try and recreate.

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Prometheus-Ship.jpg

[TheBadger]

I punch my wall a lot. It does not help me get clouds like that, but I feel better about it for a moment.

[Andrew March]

Haha, yeah I know the feeling mate

[Andrew March]

I understand from speaking with some of the vfx artists on the film that the sequence was actually created in 2d using manipulated cloiud photos not 3d at all but it would be nice to create something similar.

[Kadri]

It is interesting sometimes what they use.
I always thought what they used for the scene you see after the 8.20 mark in the behind the scenes video for Aliens for example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ELGaNlbNc&feature=related

[cyphyr]

I had a quick play with this when |I first saw the still a few weeks ago. The clouds are difficult I agree but I think the main issue here is the lighting. Its hardly (ahem cough) "real world", the shadow from the big planet is cast from a lightsource that is not the star just going behind it for example.

I would create a short 10 frame animation (very low res) of the sun moving behind the planet to find the EXACT point that it disappears and casts the shadow you want. Say that happens on frame 6. Now set frame 1 and 10 to the values of frame 5 and 7 respectively and render again. Each time your zooming in on a very specific place/time that would be very hard to find simply with visual feedback and trial and error. Set sunlight to soft shadows and your good to go. As Kadri says so much of this is painted you'll probably end up doing it that way anyway.

Good luck, this could be very cool

Richard

[Andrew March]

Oddly I have pretty much managed to get the lighting the way I want it working with in the real world constraints of TG2's lighting model by adding a second sun that illuminates the leading edge of the 2nd planet but doesn't overly affect the main planet or atmosphere, my main problem is getting the clouds to look the way they do. I am slowly getting there by tweaking various values but it's a hard slog.

[Kadri]

You probably had a look at the clouds in the file sharing area here in the forum Andrew ?

[Andrew March]

Yeah, only a cursory glance though, so I will have another in depth look now, not too good at adding clips to my existing files though but will give it a go.