Question about modeling clouds.

I'm not sure this fits here, but it seemed to be the closest thing for me, so here goes.

I'm trying to make clouds in Lightwave following what is presented here.

My problem resides when I need to

Add a weight map to the planes - It needs to fade linearly from the bottom to the top

My question is... how? How do I make the weight maps fade linearly from the bottom to the top?

At times, It looked half-successful, but since 2 days ago, I can't see the planet's surface thru the transparencies of the layers when I render...

ARRGHHH!!! is what is going in my mind right now... lol

I would REALLY appreciate to learn correctly how to do that fading thing...

Now, to answer some of your questions... I didn't post this in a 3D forum online because I am not registered in such forums as I'm new to 3d modeling, and I'm sure we have a fair share of 3d modelers here. In anyways, ATS rocks, so there you have it. lol

I'll remain logged but will go venture in the real world because the body needs sustenance. I'll be back later, and thanks for your answers!

As per your link, there is a content download available that has the planes already weighted as well as the image map that was used.

All he did was make 20 planes stacked one on top of the other, like a stack of 20 pieces of paper. Starting at the bottom, he selected the 1st plane and gave it a weight of 100%. Then he selected the next plane up and gave it a weight of 95%, and so on from there. The weight map is called Cloud Gradient on his content model.

Edit to add: Thanks for the link. It is an interesting concept that I might have a use for someday.

a reply to: Lakotas

I downloaded the content linked on the page, and I tried the thing with the weight map, but what I want to be sure of is, when I make the weight map for each planes, do I name them all similarly, or is there an unknown function that allows to tell the map it needs to be interpreted as some kind of gradient?

I'm confused there, lol. Because when I selected each planes, I gave a different name for each weight map, so I obviously had more than just the weight map as in his model...

Thanks for your time, and glad to have brought this to your attention. Some results look very spectacular, not just all of it in my case, for now...

a reply to: NowanKenubi

I haven't read the tutorial in detail yet, but I would assume that, since there is only one surface, that you need to use only one weight map and very the strength by plane (as he did in the content). That way you need only one nodal configuration and the cloud density is controlled by the weight map.

a reply to: Lakotas

Thanks again.

I get to work on my project when it's so late at night, I don't always feel like experimenting for hours to get results... lol Thanks.

a reply to: NowanKenubi

My pleasure. I have been brow beat on some of the 3D sites for asking "stupid" questions, so I know the feeling of wanting to avoid them. I have used lightwave for about 10 years, but only as a hobby; so I'm glad that what little knowledge I have was a help.

I learned to ask silly questions in many, many forms in search engines because I am always confident someone wrote about it somewhere, at some point.

You truly were my last hope.

originally posted by: Lakotas
a reply to: NowanKenubi

My pleasure. I have been brow beat on some of the 3D sites for asking "stupid" questions, so I know the feeling of wanting to avoid them. I have used lightwave for about 10 years, but only as a hobby; so I'm glad that what little knowledge I have was a help.

I make and sell 3D resources at TurboSquid. I know what you mean , its very, very frustrating trying to lean this stuff from forums.