Multi-coloured clouds?

[Njen]

Is it possible to use a shader to drive clouds that are multi-coloured?

[WAS]

Sort of:

• You could use direct light and enviro light to tint clouds.
  ⚠️ This method only lightly effects the scenario.
• You could use the density input.
  ⚠️ This will be unpredictable, and the cloud layer will interpret hue intensities as density.
• You could use the ambient light modulator and glow the clouds.
  ⚠️ Downside being your clouds are glowing, the shading model is now incorrect and weird (depending on use???).

All these methods have severe drawbacks except this last one.

• Use the "Cloud Colour" under the Colour tab with multiple cloud layers and different colours.
  🟢 Shading is handled better, and TG can "mix" the colours as they interact if the cloud layers overlap.
   

In the following example, we're using the Density Input to drive colour. You can see how weird the clouds look, but coloured they are. You can use this project file and subsequent RGB test map to test the other methods (except the last).

[Dune]

If you have your normal clouds and add a PF (set) with some (big/soft) color variations into the final density, you can tint existing clouds as well.

[Hannes]

Look at that! Ulco nailed it! I would have thought, that the final density doesn't use colors.

[WAS]

If you have your normal clouds and add a PF (set) with some (big/soft) color variations into the final density, you can tint existing clouds as well.

Oh awesome, didn't even think of that one. And that's about the effect you'd get with multiple clouds (almost, besides the green interactions), and cuts the multiple layers.

[Njen]

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'll try them all out.

[Tangled-Universe]

Njen, you're back, nice!

[Matt]

You can also use "Direct light modulator" and "Enviro light modulator".

[Njen]

Thanks for that Matt! Tangled-Universe, I've always been here, though lately it has been in the background as most of my non-work time has been monopolised by my steampunk animated short film, which is now in the home stretch.


I have had an idea on how to create an aurora for a while, and I finally figured it out. The coloured clouds were just the final piece of the puzzle.