So i have a proof of concept going for instanced plants that sway in the breeze.

The only things left to figure out are drawing dust storms and flowing lava.

dust storms:

basically, see Mad Max by Avalanche Studios, published by WB...

BTW, i'm really impressed with this game. it has me (Mr hardcore PC himself <g>) playing a 3pv only console title with a straight port of the controls - it doesn't even have true WASD behavior! And I still play it! But the game is awesome! A combo of driving sim, just like the original version of The Driver, and what i would describe as a JRPG mortal combat fisticuffs game - similar to sleeping dogs except they don't attack one at at a time. The fluidity of the hand to hand attack animations is flawless. And the whole game is gorgeous - probably better than Fallout. And it has vehicle design! And its lore-friendly to both the original concept for Fury Road and the entire franchise in general (production of the game began long before the movie was released - basically when movie production was just getting underway). So if you're a Mad Max fan like me, you'l love this sh*t...

It only shows storms for a second near the end, when it says "and brave the elements...". But if you've seen the game... i think you'll know what i mean... what combo of effects are they using ? other than stuff that tumbles by and hits you! <g>.

Flowing lava, not just a glowing pool (although i need that part too), but actually flows down the side of the volcano. perhaps some kind of moving / deforming mesh, or similar... or a growing particle system of large moving static meshes?

suggestions? algos? links? search terms? sample code?

Flowing lava, not just a glowing pool (although i need that part too), but actually flows down the side of the volcano. perhaps some kind of moving / deforming mesh, or similar... or a growing particle system of large moving static meshes?

Search for "water animation flow map". It's one way to animate flowing water, and you could presumably use a similar technique for lava (and a lava shader is probably a lot simpler than a water shader). (

The dust storm looks like some kind of particle system with proper lighting. Random link I found: http://www2.imm.dtu.dk/visiondag/VD06/graphical/smoke.pdf

Search for "water animation flow map".

Thanks Phil!

Shoot! that reminds me, i need better water and sky too. And i know those are non-trivial. And I can't exactly pony up 10 G's for a middleware library. Or spend 40 man weeks on coding atmospherics. Just have to do what i can.