an absurd question (falling snow)

[TheBadger]

I know this is completely impractical and, would even if possible be a render nightmare... I suppose.

But I was thinking about falling snow in TG. One way I imagined it could go is by using clouds, nothing unusual about trying to use clouds in place of some kind of particle. But Is it even *possible* to make a cloud the size of a snow flake?

About like this? http://likethedew.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Shivering-Man-Snow-Storm.jpg

I was thinking it would only need to cover about 1000 square feet or so, and anything beyond that could just be a normal-ish cloud layer.

And of course there is the problem of populating a cloud. But?

Didn't someone make rain in TG?

Just a theory question with a cautious optimism that it may be possible.

ideal in terms of op http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/PRE2609.jpg

pretty easy to do this with just a cloud used in a normal way https://thiswildwakingjourney.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/bmwhiteout2-copyright2011scottwilliamsburningman20112.jpg

Mix of what I want and what I could do now http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1359891/blizzard-man.jpg

[TheBadger]

Hmmm, could also be used for falling ash, I would think. Just make it grey, right.

[Oshyan]

Clouds are volumetric, so you don't need multiple cloud shaders to get this effect, you just need a 3D noise function (e.g. any of the ones in Power Fractal) with the right settings. A regular Perlin with small scales and high contrast would probably do this fairly well. Then just use higher density and edge sharpness (will increase render time) and you have your little blotches of cloud that could be made to look like snow, or at least like the snow in that photo.

- Oshyan

[Kadri]

As Oshyan said. Some old threads:

http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,9835.0.html
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=8099.0

[Dune]

Use very low quality cloud and you get flake like particles.

[TheBadger]

I remember DandelOs post and was thinking about it when I posted. But I did not remember that it was only a test. So perhaps I may be able to get the look I want. He was only focused on figuring out the mechanics of it I think. Probably he could have made it look perfect if he wanted.
But yes, I should try it again first in the normal way, and see how far I can get this time. Now that I see the the only reason DnadelO did not take it to the extreme was because he was just testing. I remembered it as a final result rather than an experiment.


Thanks for refocusing me on the practical guys. I did think about all you wrote beforehand, but when I tried before I did not really get very fine results (I tried dust not snow). Mostly I thought it looked like a low quality cloud like Ulco said.
But I tried it a long time ago, and should be able to do better now (I would hope).

THis is the best I got with dust doing it in the regular way,
[attach=1]
For snow I think that would be just fine for background. I will try again for the individual flakes in the foreground.

One thing that I am absolutely unsure of, is how to get the snow to sorta wiggle as it falls. Like a leaf falling, where it sorta moves in multiple directions *as it falls*. My main idea is that I want the snow to fall pretty slow. So that is why I thought of my OP, I thought that would also allow for more detail in the shape and texture of the flakes.
...

Another issue. Snow does not all fall at the same rate. I am thinking that just two layers of clouds would make it look good. Just by making the speed a little slower in the one than the other. A good place to start anyway I think.

[dandelO]

Few more updated versions from a link posted above, all using a Cloud Layer for snow. Low resolution I'm afraid.

http://youtu.be/0Gnxw5eZpCw

http://youtu.be/8gTfJwi7QYk

http://youtu.be/Do1FEHXpZs4

[dandelO]

Or, with a populator...

http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,4133.msg43342.html#msg43342

[TheBadger]

Never saw the last one Martin, thanks. Never thought to use stones for this. Someone used that on trees trees too I think.

In the cloud animations, are you animating only the fractal noise, or also the elevation of the cloud? I mean is the cloud layer descending in hight? I need to try this at a much slower speed.  I am thinking of being able to see the individual flakes as they fall, once they come into frame until they move down out of frame, at least for whats happening in the extreme foreground. IN this case your fake stones idea may be better.

[dandelO]

The flakes were actually objects, not fake stones. Here it is, it's crude...

[TheBadger]

Wow man, just a lot more possibilities than I had really thought of. THank you!

[Oshyan]

If you want to animate this, *do not animate the cloud layer* (at least not for *direction*). You want to add a Transform shader and use Translate, feed your *density shader* output into the transform, output of Transform into your cloud density shader input. Then animate the Translate values, z, y, z, to get movement of your cloud. Animating the density shader values themselves, e.g. 4D noise, is also an option to consider for some effects.

- Oshyan

[Dune]

And probably you can use an animated warp shader to animate the wiggles.