A new Tornado approach

[mesocyclone]

Wow, thats a nice set of renders!!

The tornado with inner vortex is amazingly done.
I suggest you to google for "wall cloud" and "mesocyclone" (my nickname  ) to give you some idea on the "feeder cloud".

[nbk2]

Cool nice image
I've not seen that lightening model in a while Surprises me that its come up so fat. I remember it being thinner. What AA are you using? Also I wouldn't try to use the model to light the scene with its luminosity. Use standard lights for that. One at the cloud base and one near the ground where the lightening strikes.  Leave the model with a luminosity of 1, just so it self illuminates. Of course you'll get a much better bolt from a image but in that case why not just comp it in afterwards?
Cheers
Richard

This image was AA 5.


If you download your models they come with a very high luminosity. So I assumed thats how it was done. But the brightness values seem to jump wildly around. I will try what you said  should I reattempt this again.

[nbk2]

Wow, thats a nice set of renders!!

The tornado with inner vortex is amazingly done.
I suggest you to google for "wall cloud" and "mesocyclone" (my nickname  ) to give you some idea on the "feeder cloud".

There are so many forms around, just googling that doesn't really help. Which one do you mean? You are right I didn't use yet enough time on it Too obsessed with funnel.

But one of the very definite ones would be
http://pattersonpages.wikispaces.com/file/view/Supercell_Thunderstorm.jpg/33761313/Supercell_Thunderstorm.jpg

would be cool.

[mesocyclone]

Wow, thats a nice set of renders!!

The tornado with inner vortex is amazingly done.
I suggest you to google for "wall cloud" and "mesocyclone" (my nickname  ) to give you some idea on the "feeder cloud".

There are so many forms around, just googling that doesn't really help. Which one do you mean? You are right I didn't use yet enough time on it Too obsessed with funnel.

But one of the very definite ones would be
http://pattersonpages.wikispaces.com/file/view/Supercell_Thunderstorm.jpg/33761313/Supercell_Thunderstorm.jpg

would be cool.

Yeah, you can search for "supercell" too! 

Well, i'ts just to you to get an general idea of the thing... Not necessarily be exactly like one of them! Storm structure is something so variable...
But they have some common traits.
In fact, it is somewhat common to see a tornado under a round-shaped cloud like that one of the image you've linked...
The mesocyclone is an ascending and rotating column of air, it is the "heart" of the storm... And the area where most tornadoes will form.

The image you've linked is a mesocyclone base...Sometimes it will spawn a rotating lowering attached to it called "wall cloud"




Wall clouds are known for being a sign of possibly forthcoming tornado...

So, what I'm trying to say is not that you necessarily have to insert these things in your image... It's just an idea to make your work even more awesome and realistic ! 
Some more images:

[mesocyclone]

PS.: I know it can be difficult to do something like that in TG2, but I trust the skills of the people who read this forum 

[nbk2]

a starter on that wallcloud business .. some on the web nearly looked like that.. 



Sadly cancelled

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I am busy the next two weeks..  so will update when I can .. 

well used tinypic as said it's a starter ... 

[TheBadger]

Use standard lights for that. One at the cloud base and one near the ground where the lightening strikes.  Leave the model with a luminosity of 1, just so it self illuminates. Of course you'll get a much better bolt from a image but in that case why not just comp it in afterwards?
Cheers
Richard

I would like to see examples of both of these suggestions! Have wanted to do something with lightning strikes for a while, but had no idea how to start.

By the way, where is this lightning model coming from? And, how would you use a photo of lightning?

[nbk2]

hmm, dunno why the lower bit turned out so dark it's the same cloud as above.  It seems to be a real shadow. Still I like the progress it has more drama now. 

[nbk2]

Well the newest mesocyclone attempts..

I made about 30 inbetween those ..  I think I will take a step back .. I feel like I am aiming for something quite inprecise.

[Oshyan]

Woah, you've got some crazy iridescence going on at the edges of the top (sunset) one. How did you do it?

- Oshyan

[nbk2]

Woah, you've got some crazy iridescence going on at the edges of the top (sunset) one. How did you do it?

- Oshyan

I hope I saved the right one.

The mesocyclone cloud is a cloud thingy called mesocyclone in the upper left corner.. (I do surprise myself sometimes by naming things logically)


I tried a gathered project but the upload limit prohibits it.

[dandelO]

Woah, you've got some crazy iridescence going on at the edges of the top (sunset) one. How did you do it?

- Oshyan

Come on, Oshyan! You know how to do that.

NBK, great, now animate that wiggler!

[dandelO]

Woah, you've got some crazy iridescence going on at the edges of the top (sunset) one. How did you do it?

- Oshyan

It appears NBK has another way that I can't work out from looking at the .tgd! I'd just output an extremely slight amount of colour from the cloud layer's fractal/surface shader. But, then again, I am simple.

Maybe one of your distribution image maps has a slight hue to it instead of just b/w, NBK?

[Oshyan]

I know of a way to do it, yes, but this effect looks subtler and better integrated than I would have expected. So, quite curious. I'll take a look at the TGD.

- Oshyan

[dandelO]

I've got some quite promising spectral cloud .tgd approaches in progress, I'm finding quite a difficult task localising it to where it needs to be, though. My best attempt has been to limit the spectral effects by distance from camera but it's clunky and awkward still. I see NBK has it quite limited to specific areas but I assume that's because the effect is only applied on one cloud layer here. Looks cool, whatever the method.