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General => Contests => NWDA 2015 Theme Challenge - Iceland => Topic started by: zaxxon on November 07, 2014, 12:32:07 AM

Title: Northern Lights
Post by: zaxxon on November 07, 2014, 12:32:07 AM
The lure of portraying the aurora borealis is to too challenging to pass up. I think if I were to go to Iceland it's the northern lights that would draw me most, so here's my first go at the atmospherics. I think I'll add a starfield to peek thru. Still looking for that sheet like structure at this point. The composition is just a study.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: choronr on November 07, 2014, 12:44:18 AM
Back in 2011, Markal (Mark) and I worked together to try and replicate an aurora. Have a look. I still have the .tgd if you are interested, I'd be glad to share. Link: http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,11825.msg119782.html#msg119782 .
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: zaxxon on November 07, 2014, 01:23:00 AM
Amazingly cool renders Bob! I grabbed the tgd's on that thread, if you have additional ones I'd really like to see them. I have a bunch of images that are really tempting to try to emulate, if I can.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: choronr on November 07, 2014, 01:38:39 AM
Quote from: zaxxon on November 07, 2014, 01:23:00 AM
Amazingly cool renders Bob! I grabbed the tgd's on that thread, if you have additional ones I'd really like to see them. I have a bunch of images that are really tempting to try to emulate, if I can.
Glad you liked the project Doug, I have a group of files from that TG2 era that I can forward to you. I'll send you a PM. We used a .ter file for the terrain which I can include, although you may want to use your own terrain. In any event, use the earlier link for reference for your project.

Bob
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Dune on November 07, 2014, 02:49:15 AM
You can use the light modulator/final density inputs to add several colors to one cloud layer. So if you make a rather dense overall cloud, and mask the color fractals by warped simple shapes or stretched (YZ or YX) fractals, you can interesting effects. That takes the rest of the cloud out.

I just put this together, not warped yet. Very simple.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: zaxxon on November 07, 2014, 10:22:23 AM
Thanks Ulco, that set up answers a couple of questions that I was working on.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Dune on November 07, 2014, 11:08:17 AM
You're welcome, I'm developing something myself as well, pretty interesting... BTW, did you get my pm about exchanging stm's?
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: zaxxon on November 07, 2014, 11:43:04 AM
Hey Ulco my email address is :----@----.com (removed)
No, I didn't. Let's chat via email regarding the .spm's
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: TheBadger on November 08, 2014, 01:40:13 AM
cool.

I have not seen the Northern lights in a long time.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Dune on November 08, 2014, 04:03:53 AM
Got it Doug, better remove your email address again, before it gets sold to spammers!
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: ADE on November 08, 2014, 08:20:37 AM
one of my first ever renders were northern lites way back ten yrs ago, enjoyed doing them ever since
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Dune on November 09, 2014, 04:17:32 AM
Not wanting to hijack this thread, but I elaborated a bit on the setup up here. You can use one cloud layer with a few colors and some transform/extra warp between, or a few cloud layers. Use the ambient color to give the colors light.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Tangled-Universe on November 09, 2014, 07:51:07 AM
Pretty realistic shapes Ulco!

I thought blue auroras didn't exist, but they actually do as well as red auroras. Must be very energetic particles then to cause a blue aurora!
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: choronr on November 09, 2014, 11:08:40 AM
Yes, you have achieved those undulating shapes typical of the aurora - well done.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: zaxxon on November 09, 2014, 12:37:38 PM
Really, really nice! So is that the basic set-up from above warped? It works, and the colors are sublime. No hijack, I'm sure all of us contestants are looking for whatever techniques that will improve our images, thanks!
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: bla bla 2 on November 09, 2014, 12:39:24 PM
trop beau.  :)
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Dune on November 10, 2014, 02:58:57 AM
Instead of sss's, I used some elongated perlin noise here. A mix of big soft and smaller vertical perlin in the normal cloud input to shape the lines, the colored lines into the final density.
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Dune on March 21, 2017, 02:56:48 AM
For Terje only!  ;)
Title: Re: Northern Lights
Post by: Agura Nata on June 19, 2017, 10:33:06 AM
Looks great :)