More Space

nvseal · October 13, 2011, 09:23:29 PM

It's been a while so I let this render over night. Perhaps I should work on a new planetary cloud setup sometime.

http://nvseal.deviantart.com/art/More-Space-263276456

AP · October 13, 2011, 10:45:01 PM

I think so and i do not say this to be offensive but i think the turbulence i see in the smaller cloud formations in the thinner veil patterns are to marbley as far as the type of turbulence and i see nothing of this in reality on a planetary scale. The type of turbulence is more of a iterated Coriolis effect. You are however the best when it comes to global scale engineering.

TheBadger · October 14, 2011, 08:21:52 PM

Quotethe turbulence i see in the smaller cloud formations in the thinner veil patterns are to marbley as far as the type of turbulence...turbulence is more of a iterated Coriolis effect

Its cool you guys talk this way

I have no idea what it means though, so I'll just tell you I like the image.

AP · October 14, 2011, 10:13:17 PM

Here is a visual explanation of what i am getting at.

TheBadger · October 15, 2011, 07:23:19 PM

Thanks for that ChrisC. Is the issue you are describing a question of render or just the process of making the clouds? That is to ask, if nvseal wanted to make changes like you suggest would he have to work on the cloud nodes, or the render of light, being that light/shadow is how we see the clouds shape?

I was also wondering about the clouds depth. Are we as the viewer so high that the clouds all look like they are on at a single level (altitude), or is there only one layer of clouds? Should there be a thiner layer of clouds above what you have now, or is that not possible in nature?

AP · October 15, 2011, 08:31:14 PM

Just the patterns more then anything. That is the main challenge. However, the iteration patterns are impossible so i do not think there is anything to add to this. Software feature limitations for the most part.

nvseal · October 15, 2011, 08:52:41 PM

@TheBadger: Unfortunately no, the lighting isn't the issue. The problem with attempting to replicate the Coriolis effects that ChrisC is talking about is an issue with the fractals themselves. It has been something which I've been trying to achieve for sometime and never really been able to (though I have been able to build a nice library of about 420 reference images in the process). Thus far I have had to settle for imitations which are just "similar" to that kind natural phenomena. Sometime I've been able to get good effects in a single location per fractal seed, but the trouble is getting the correct effect over the entire planet with the same fractal.

With regard to cloud depth, some of this has to do with the positioning of the light and altitude of the camera. However, you can still see the depth in the clouds. There are 6 cloud layers in this shot. Cloud depth has been another issue which I've had trouble with before. You can get good depth if you sacrifice small detail which is fine if you only want to render from very high altitudes (>500km) but I wanted to be able to get down to at least 200km. My hope is to get something like this (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QkHuiSI-4fk/TVWEiVFM7vI/AAAAAAAAAwk/RL9x6RqUkI4/s1600/earth-from-space-7.jpg), but I'm still working that one

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Quote from: ChrisC on October 15, 2011, 08:31:14 PM
Software feature limitations for the most part.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid this is basically the bottom line at this point.

Edit: One thing to add to this last point. The cloud setup in this image was created before some of the recent updates like the cloud depth modulator. Some simple testing suggests that these new features may make some more realistic effects a bit easier to get.

TheBadger · October 15, 2011, 09:29:27 PM

I am becoming more and more appreciative of this kind of technical dedication. But not for nothing, I think that at this point, with the right light and motion (animation) you could fool most people. Certainly a fantasy syfy film would work for this level of realism.

QuotePerhaps I should work on a new planetary cloud setup sometime.

I'm just wondering if you mean that you keep a library of global cloud types. Not a bad idea

RichTwo · October 15, 2011, 10:00:30 PM

Somehow the strains of Also Sprach Zarathustra ran through my head when I saw this, but I digress... seriously damn good planetary atmospherics you've pulled out of your hat!

nvseal · October 17, 2011, 01:25:40 PM

Quote from: TheBadger on October 15, 2011, 09:29:27 PM
QuotePerhaps I should work on a new planetary cloud setup sometime.

I'm just wondering if you mean that you keep a library of global cloud types. Not a bad idea

Not exactly, I have some tgc files of different planetary clouds setups each having different cloud layers which is its own cloud type.

Redwolf · October 18, 2011, 10:39:31 AM

Quote from: ChrisC on October 14, 2011, 10:13:17 PM
Here is a visual explanation of what i am getting at.

done this sort of thing ages ago and Im sure i posted it in here somewhere, if not here then somewhere else

AP · October 18, 2011, 01:26:38 PM

What about using some of the blue nodes like a sine wave shape to generalize the Coriolis effect of the global cloud system somehow then use some turbulence to break it up on the large scale, then use additional noises for the smaller systems. Using a noise based on a distribution node could work for the tropic equator systems and the local terrain node connected to a cloud node could be used for isolating large tropical depression systems with some turbulence thrown in for a rotating cell system.