Some try with clouds

[Tangled-Universe]

Cool clouds, quite massive
I like this image, the only crit I have is that it took me a while to see what's actually depicted: an island with huge clouds over it.

...
The cloud coverage MUST be 0.0!!

Salut Christian, why? the cloud coverage is not important for blending clouds through a distance shader, to the best of my knowledge. I mean, my cloud coverage is almost never at 0

Regards,
Frank

Are you sure Frank? As far as I know the cloud coverage is a kind of offset. Any value above 0.0 will add color the to the (distance)shader's mask.
Anyhow, since you're the cloud-expert here you're probably right, but I remember I once was told to use it @ 0.0.

[FrankB]

no, the problem is with masks that generate color higher than white. For example, if you use a power fractal as a mask for another power fractal, the mask must have "clamp above white" checked in order to contain the second fractal inside, otherwise you'll wonder why the blended second fractal doesn't obey to the visible boundaries of the blending mask.
Sounds weird, I know.

Frank

[Oshyan]

Great image, but I agree with Frank, it is a bit "muddled", hard to determine what you are seeing at first. I think it's partly because everything has a strong blue cast, and also everything seems to be equally sharp and detailed. Perhaps if the island were a bit softer somehow? It is quite nice as it is though, regardless.

Edit: Forgive me, perhaps my particular taste only. I hope you don't mind the little edit Christian! Just some levels adjustment.
[attachthumb=1]

- Oshyan

[RogueNZ]

Looks really similar to an image i made a few months ago - except your clouds are much nicer

[christianfly]

Great image, but I agree with Frank, it is a bit "muddled", hard to determine what you are seeing at first. I think it's partly because everything has a strong blue cast, and also everything seems to be equally sharp and detailed. Perhaps if the island were a bit softer somehow? It is quite nice as it is though, regardless.

Edit: Forgive me, perhaps my particular taste only. I hope you don't mind the little edit Christian! Just some levels adjustment.
[attachthumb=1]

- Oshyan

No problem, Oshyan, of course 
In fact, under tropical area, the haze has often a very high level, so in the real word, it is sometime quite difficult to see more than this image.
But you are right, the images can be somewhere difficult to decode

[christianfly]

Cool clouds, quite massive
I like this image, the only crit I have is that it took me a while to see what's actually depicted: an island with huge clouds over it.

...
The cloud coverage MUST be 0.0!!

Salut Christian, why? the cloud coverage is not important for blending clouds through a distance shader, to the best of my knowledge. I mean, my cloud coverage is almost never at 0

Regards,
Frank

Are you sure Frank? As far as I know the cloud coverage is a kind of offset. Any value above 0.0 will add color the to the (distance)shader's mask.
Anyhow, since you're the cloud-expert here you're probably right, but I remember I once was told to use it @ 0.0.

Frank,
I am not able to see any cloud when I give other value than 0.0 for the coverage slider. But maybe I am doing something wrong.
Christian

[FrankB]

see this with cloud coverage 0.5
[attach=#]

[christianfly]

You are right! Don't know why mine is not working in some case. I will check and let you know why.
Thanks, Frank

[littlecannon]

I actually quite like the fact you have to look closely at the image to see what it is... Ooooh the mystery.   The big cloud looks like it would be nice and soft to the touch...
(And thanks Frank for the tut on distance shader. )

[dandelO]

...
The cloud coverage MUST be 0.0!!

Salut Christian, why? the cloud coverage is not important for blending clouds through a distance shader, to the best of my knowledge. I mean, my cloud coverage is almost never at 0

Regards,
Frank

There seems to be some difference between raising coverage in cloud layers and density fractals with distance shaders.

I've seen, many times in things I'm playing with, the places where no cloud should be in the fractal, are rendered as straight fog when you raise the 'cloud layer' above '0' coverage with the disance shader in use on its fractal.

It doesn't happen with the density fractal's coverage slider. This will fill out the spaces between the clouds correctly so, use it instead. I think that's how I remember fixing this problem.

[Oshyan]

Correct dandelO, the Coverage Adjust in the Cloud Layer works differently than in the Power Fractal. You should use the Power Fractal Coverage Adjust preferentially in most cases.

- Oshyan

[Matt]

'Coverage Adjust' is an offset; it adds a value to whatever the fractal produces. If you use it in the fractal shader, it adjusts the fractal before the blend shader is applied. If you use it in the Cloud Layer, the blend shader has already done its multiplication, potentially multiplying some parts of the fractal down to 0. If you increase the coverage adjust on a density of 0, you get positive values. This is in places where you wanted there to be 0 cloud.

Matt