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Planetary Atmospheres tutorial version 1.1 November 26, 2000 Software used trueSpace 4 AlphaEdge shader . . . . note Perlin Noise shader Photoshop 5 |
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My planets use three spheres, all in the same place with each latter sphere being just a little larger then the last, please see image. You'll notice in the image I list the size for each sphere. Any size spheres will work as long as you stick to a ratio close to 1:1.05:1.15 . Just multiply the planet size by 1.05 to get the cloud layer size and by 1.15 to get the outer atmosphere size For example: I used 2, 2.1 and 2.3 or you could use 6, 6.3 and 6.9 or say 30, 31.5 and 34.5 . | 
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Next comes the image mapping of each sphere. For the planet use any map you like or use the Axion Planet shader.
If you create the map yourself besure to use the Polar Coordinates in photoshop to clean up any wrinkels at the top and bottom of the image when it is mapped to a sphere. With this planet being mainly desert I used the phong shader with all setting at 0 with the excetion of Defusion, which was set at 0.75. I also used the Perlin Noise v1.0 to create a small bit of bump on the planet surface |
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On to the Clouds.
This part is what can make or break your planet. But in truth it is pretty easy, that is, if you are using Photoshop. In Photoshop create a 512 x 512 image or a multiple of 512 (1024, 2048, 4096 etc...) Lay down a cloud layer by using Filters > Render > Clouds. While useing a multiple of 512 the resulting image will be seemless. This is a good time to decide on a the colors of your clouds.Depending on what type of planet you are creating, you might just use a plain black and white. For my desert planet I decided to use some color, mainly orange. I presonaly prefer to start with black and white clouds and then use Image > Adjust > Hue/Saturation with colorize checked. This is not your only option. Another choice is to create a new layer, set it's options to color and go wild. You can use gradients, spot colors, solid colors, a color image, other textures such as KTP gradient and texture explorers. You realy have a lot of control here and many options. Once you have decided on your cloud colors it is a good time to use the Polar Coordinates filter to clean up any wrinkles. Your next step is to create a transparencey map for your clouds. The easiest way I know is to duplicate your image. Desaturate (image > adjust > desaturate) the image and apply levels (image > adjust > levels). You will want to lighten or darken the image depending on how much cloud cover you wish to have. Remeber that solid Black will be completely transparent while solid White will be completely solid. After you have adjusted you cloud coverage to your desired density your image may no longer be completely seemless. Apply the filter offset (filters > other > offset) with the amount at 1/2 the height and width of you image. For my 512 image that would be 256. Be sure that Wrap Around is checked. If you see any seems, smooth them out with the blur and/or smudge tool and reapply the offset filter. You are now done with Photoshop. If your system can handle it I would recomend leaving it open though, many time you will need to tweak the maps just a little. I have provided the cloud layer and the transparencey map for you to the right. Just click on one of the images to download. |
Back to trueSpace All you realy need to do now is apply these images to your cloud layer (the second sphere) The image below shows all the settings. I used the Phong shader for the Reflectance. 
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The Outer Atmosphere Well, we are just about finished, all we need to do is create the outer atmosphere. For that we will use the AlphaEdge shader for the transparency. The settings for alphaedge are 0.5 for the first option and 1.0 for the second option. You will want to to use Plain Color for the Color. I chose a nice taupe that matched the overall color of the planet. If your planet is mostly water use a blueish color. Basicly pick a color that matches the overall color of your planet. For the Reflectance I used Caligari Phong. The settings are to the right. There is no Displacement used. That about does it. You will want to tweak the settings for all of your shaders. Experimentation is the best way of learning. |
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| If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me at verratta@yahoo.com. You may also use my contact page here. |
A little note about what that means, I do not care if you use the images on this site for your personal use, I encourage it, but under no circumstances is any part of this website to be used for comercial purposses, nor do I want you to claim my work as your own.