Chaos Group, Is a cloud system difficult to program?

[Teriander]

I've been using Vray for about 5 years and Max for about 10, and I've yet to find a simple cloud solution in both packages.

Now I know about VRayEnvironmentFog, and yes you can create volumetric clouds with it, it's still a tedious process and can be quite complicated to get realistic results by balancing your texture maps and fog settings exactly right. It feels more of a complex work around.

Of course there are HDRIs and Environment Maps that I can slap on a Sphere or the background, but that's not great if you want to animate your clouds or risk tiling. It can also look quiet fake.


A simple cloud system Im looking for is similar to Vue's clouds or Maya's Visor. Where in Maya you can draw a spline and a preselected cloud type like cumulus would appear and render as a fully animated, volumetric, and good looking cloud in no time. Vue, just as fast and easy. Is something like this complex to create for max? A system that is programmed to create "clouds"? I would have thought by now a great functioning cloud system would have been created for VRay or Max's Mental Ray. But i've yet to see it. Is it not available because it's difficult to program?

[vlado]

Vue and DreamScape both works fine with V-Ray too...

Best regards,
Vlado

[Teriander]

Yes, but that doesn't answer my question. Besides, I've had quiet a few bug issues when using Vue inside Max. Im just curious as to why it hasn't become available as a Max or VRay option.

[vlado]

Because it is not, strictly speaking, the job of a renderer to implement cloud systems; we can only implement rendering for them. If/when 3ds Max implements a cloud system, we would be more than willing to support it. Why 3ds Max itself doesn't have a cloud system - I can't really answer that I suppose that there have always been plugins for this that do the job. (Yes, it is quite difficult to program it).

Best regards,
Vlado

[claude_tnt]

i hope this can help you as it did help me....clouds using vray environmental fog

http://vray.info/tutorials/vrayenvfogclouds/

davis

[Alan Iglesias]

I second that cloud tutorial...you can make all kinds of very convincing clouds with Vray Environment Fog once you get the noise and gizmo parameters down. ...And the clouds react beautifully with Vray Sun and sky, even in sunset situations. I've used Vue and it's fun, but it's amazing how much you can do with just Vray.

-Alan

[MasterBercon]

Someone could write a maxscript to automatically setup clouds with vrayvolumefog + noise map + gizmos. Shouldn't be too hard AFAIK.

[Dave_Wortley]

Afterburn is pretty good for clouds and works with Vray too....

[plastic_]

Someone could write a maxscript to automatically setup clouds with vrayvolumefog + noise map + gizmos. Shouldn't be too hard AFAIK.

wasn't there some sort of blending problem with overlapping gizmos?

[Teriander]

Afterburn is pretty good for clouds and works with Vray too....

Afterburn is 3rd party plugin. Which means anyone who uses the Max file will also need Afterburn installed. My question basically revolves around using straight out the box Max + Vray to create volumetric clouds. For easy transfer of Max files to someone who also owns Max + Vray. But as vlado has mentioned, its a limitation with 3D Max. I hope the Max development team would focus on a easier setup for creating clouds. Much like Maya has.

[sea2stars]

Unless Autodesk buys out a 3rd party who has a decent cloud plugin I wouldn't hold my breath.

The Max development teams' reaction to Vray users? At a tradeshow a few years ago: "Just F$#@ing use Metal Ray!"

[Teriander]

Unless Autodesk buys out a 3rd party who has a decent cloud plugin I wouldn't hold my breath.

The Max development teams' reaction to Vray users? At a tradeshow a few years ago: "Just F$#@ing use Metal Ray!"

Is that a true quote?? Does Autodesk dislike Chaosgroup? I hope they really didn't say that. Sounds like they're getting frustrated with people asking them about support for VRay.

[sea2stars]

It was at Vismaster in Boston in '08 and they were showing off which ever iteration of Max they had at the time. They were getting a bit annoyed with everyone; some asking when they were going to fix certain issues before adding new features, some were angry that their old fbx files wouldn't be supported by the new release and some were asking about Vray.

[Da_elf]

wasn't there some sort of blending problem with overlapping gizmos?

not to promote other companies but cebas has an environment plugin which mixes environment effects without problems.would be cool to see vray do it

[instinct]

I think there used to be...just tried and it didnt seem like there still was..

Regards,
Thorsten