Cloud shadows

[glorybound]

Has anyone successfully created cloud shadows, or the allusion of them?

[Deflaminis]

I just use a simple plane with a cloud alpha on it and stick it above the world a ways. Works well and renders much faster than volumetric clouds. I just use Filter Forge to make the clouds.

[glorybound]

I will try that, thanks.

I just use a simple plane with a cloud alpha on it and stick it above the world a ways. Works well and renders much faster than volumetric clouds. I just use Filter Forge to make the clouds.

[Deflaminis]

If you have animation, two planes moving at slightly different speeds does a good job there. Old UDK trick for games...

[glorybound]

I do stills and I am using a plane, which is working. It is a risk. I know the client is going to ask why there are shadows on the houses.

[Deflaminis]

Yeah I've gotten that too. After I while I've had to treat the arch designs like a logo in that I can have dirt/aberrations on side areas but never on the logo/house. So, my grass and trees and driveways end up with some shadows there, but seldom on the house itself. It's a good point you raise.

[crazy homeless guy]

Yeah I've gotten that too. After I while I've had to treat the arch designs like a logo in that I can have dirt/aberrations on side areas but never on the logo/house. So, my grass and trees and driveways end up with some shadows there, but seldom on the house itself. It's a good point you raise.

I don't feel that is unreasonable... If you are a architectural photographer you would likely wait until the shadows were not hitting the building you were photographing before taking the photo.

[Deflaminis]

Yeah, no arguments here.

[Neilg]

I'd only do cloud shadows on massive scale aerials with large areas of the same material - ones high enough that you're up with the clouds, and where an image that is 90% tarmac (ie an airport) or grass needs a little variation to not look so CG.

[glorybound]

Yeah, it didn't work out the why I thought. It was a thought