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General => Terragen Discussion => Topic started by: eollila on August 09, 2007, 02:06:39 AM

Title: Cloud Help
Post by: eollila on August 09, 2007, 02:06:39 AM
Does anyone know if it is possible to make a single cumulus cloud? Any help would be much appreciated!  ;D
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: FrankB on August 09, 2007, 06:27:38 AM
That's actually not really possible, yet. I know I'm sounding fuzzy, however the concept of a "hero cloud" has not yet been implemented as such. There are ways, though, to create a mask for the density fractal, based on an image map. However, this concept bears a few issues for the renderer (strange lines in the clouds), and making the image map is tricky, too.

What you could try is to create an image map, all black and the place for the hero cloud is white. You will use this as a masking blend shader (xz projection with the right scale and placement) for a density shader, which in turn only creates color in the white region. So far as the theory. I have tried that once and had issues, but I don't exactly remember which. Maybe you're more successful.

Regards,
Frank
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: Tangled-Universe on August 09, 2007, 07:28:29 AM
Here's a tutorial on how to this:

http://www.onlinekiste.com/wolken.html (http://www.onlinekiste.com/wolken.html)

Don't know how good your german is ;)

Martin
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: moodflow on August 09, 2007, 01:35:59 PM
Its most definitely possible.  Thats how you create thunderheads and such.

Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: ProjectX on August 09, 2007, 01:55:16 PM
that looks amazing, but how on earht did you do it?
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: old_blaggard on August 09, 2007, 02:10:54 PM
Um... wow!  Details?  Explanations?
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: rcallicotte on August 09, 2007, 02:21:02 PM
Me!  Me too!!   ;D
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: monks on August 09, 2007, 03:14:35 PM
-reminds me of the ship in Independence Day.

monks
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: moodflow on August 09, 2007, 04:41:59 PM
Thanks for the compliments  8)

The clouds are isolated via a simple image map I created in photoshop.  There are about 4 layers of clouds here.  I have a higher resolution version rendering now, which I'll post when done.

I've also been working on cirrus clouds, and they are coming out nicely as well. 
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: eollila on August 09, 2007, 04:52:54 PM
Hey thanks for all the replies, they really helped  :)  I can't read German..but the pictures explained it enough anyways. By the way, awesome website moodflow.
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: moodflow on August 09, 2007, 05:06:48 PM
Quote from: eollila on August 09, 2007, 04:52:54 PM
...By the way, awesome website moodflow.

Thanks for the compliments!  Its a bit dated, but still has some decent stuff (atleast thats what the therapist tells me).   ;)
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: old_blaggard on August 09, 2007, 07:03:20 PM
Ah, image maps and mutliple layers.  Now it all becomes clear ;).
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: moodflow on August 09, 2007, 08:13:43 PM
Quote from: old_blaggard on August 09, 2007, 07:03:20 PM
Ah, image maps and mutliple layers.  Now it all becomes clear ;).

Heck ya!  Whatever it takes to get the job done.  You know pro studios and artists go that same route too  ;D
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: old_blaggard on August 10, 2007, 12:04:13 AM
Yeah... I'm still kind of stuck in that purist mindset of wanting to only use scalable and universally useable fractals ;).
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: rcallicotte on August 10, 2007, 08:39:47 AM
Thanks to your mentality, I've been learning a lot more about TG2.  Of course, there are others who hold true to this idea and I think it helps.



Quote from: old_blaggard on August 10, 2007, 12:04:13 AM
Yeah... I'm still kind of stuck in that purist mindset of wanting to only use scalable and universally useable fractals ;).
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: sonshine777 on August 10, 2007, 03:35:20 PM
Here is another example of a thunderhead using an image mask. Same technique as "moodflow".
This took 5 hours to render this clip of the whole scene
Detail: 0.5
Anti-aliasing: 4
GI Detail: 2
GI quality: 0

I am still working out the details on the density fractals for each cloud. I used 3 layers of clouds.
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: old_blaggard on August 10, 2007, 03:51:24 PM
Very cool results :).  I'm going to have to play with this.
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: rcallicotte on August 10, 2007, 04:02:20 PM
Cool picture.  I like. 
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: moodflow on August 10, 2007, 04:34:13 PM
Wow, very nice results Sonshine!   :)
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: sonshine777 on August 10, 2007, 04:39:24 PM
I shudder to think how long the final image will take. I plan on making it at least 1600x1200 and raise the quality settings.
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: monks on August 10, 2007, 04:39:45 PM
Understatedley awesome. :)


monks
Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: moodflow on August 21, 2007, 04:30:50 PM
Here is an updated "sunset" version of the cumulonimbus cloud file I've been dailing in.  Still more work to do, but its getting there.  Had some setbacks due to the "red render bug" and super long render times, but I think its worth it for clouds.  I haven't seen any other application even come close to TGTP...

Only minor color corrections in photoshop...the render looks very close to this.

Title: Re: Cloud Help
Post by: old_blaggard on August 21, 2007, 04:45:08 PM
Quite interesting.  I like the detail on the bottom.  Maybe next time we could get a perspective that allows us to see more of the cloud's overall shape.