6 replies to this topic

[iLoveGameProgramming]

Hey guys
Well I'm trying to make volumetric clouds but I have no idea where to start.. Does anyone know a good tutorial how to make them or suggest a commercial free library that could achieve that more easily with out spending weeks to code it Also I don't want anything too cpu intensive... Just something simple

They don't have to be really realistic or anything but I want to fly thought them, and change how dense they are etc.

I've made simple clouds in OpenGl and they look like this:



I like how they look, i use perlin noise formula to generate them so they are different each time, and I can adjust how dense they are.. the only problem is that it's just a plane..





So I definitely need new approach to this

Well what I am trying in future is weather system, So i could get rain, thunderstorms etc
Thanks so much for your time and help

[larspensjo]

Use 3D simplex noise. Although, it is more performance costly. The cost can be reduced using interpolation.

Edited by larspensjo, 11 June 2012 - 05:12 AM.

[dpadam450]

Just use billboarded sprites like you would with any particle system.

[Waterlimon]

You could have it like it is now (maybe some shaders to make it look 3D), and when you get closer use particles and fade the cloud texture away.

[Yours3!f]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q...cloud rendering
>)

or
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=realtime+cloud+rendering

Edited by Yours3!f, 11 June 2012 - 02:36 PM.

[Fractal_Vision]

Hi there. I've been looking into clouds recently, maybe some of the research I've done could guide you towards a solution.

Perhaps the simplest solution is going from 2D to 3D Perlin Noise.

I would suggest using billboard sprites as dpadam450 said. I'd recommend reading two papers, "A Simple, Efficient Method for Realistic Animation of Clouds" by Yoshinori Dobashi (PDF), as he describes a way to represent cloud volumes. The second paper is on the actual billboard sprites, "Real-Time Cloud Rendering" by Mark Harris (PDF).


If you want really nice clouds, try http://wiki.patapom.com/index.php/Clouds. It the most extensive documentation on clouds I've found to date, but it is very complex. Good luck.

[iLoveGameProgramming]

Thanks so much for feed back!