Vincent Nacon Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Now available in Firestorm Viewer ( Version 4.4.0 )No need to manual install, just apply setting via "Firestorm" Tab > "Windlight" Tab > drop down menu for Cloud Textures.Big thanks to Cinder Roxley who did the code work. Natural Clouds A great way to improve your Machinima videos and snapshots. I've been meaning to do this for a while and finally got the time. During Windlight Beta testing, I couldn't help but notice there's a TGA texture file called "cloud2.tga" in"C:\Program Files\(any viewer installed)\app_settings\windlight".I've been hoping LL or any other Third Party viewer developer make a in-world editor input to change this texture, like the water texture. I dunno why that never happened, but there's a very good reason why there should be one. Take a look at the picture below.The texture in red (left) box is the default cloud, which actually look more like something generated from a cheap height map editor. It's ridiculous. After replacing it, it may not come out perfectly with any existing sky settings to be honest, but some do work pretty well with it. It may require a little tweaking between "Cloud XY/Density" and "Cloud Coverage" sliders to avoid light peaking through the gaps between cloud's "pluff" section. Messing with Cloud color may improve as well from dark to light. As you may notice I've created my own cloud texture more horizonal than having it evenly spread across the area. Because the skydome (or skybox if you like to call it that way) is hemisphere and the texture scroll across. Seem to work well when it's "blowing" in the right direction as to cloud having its common shape you see in the sky.============================================================================================UPDATE:Along with some updates in many different viewers, the cloud texture can be broken because Linden Lab have not worked on it for a while, few codes was changed. Quick work around, just change sky to something else and back. Repeat till it come through. Link: Clouds #1: Basic Series of Cumulo-Nimbus Formations. UPDATE:_____________________________Two more textures are up for grab!Altocumulus cloud formation.Link: Clouds #2: Altocumulus.=============================================================================================Layered Formation of Clouds. With type of formations, Cumulus, Nimbo-Stratus, Cirrus, and Cumulo-Nimbus.Link: Clouds #3: Layered Formation of Clouds. PS: You can also grab my Natural skies and daycycle here. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Fossett Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Wow, thanks, Vincent! I came across that file while looking for something else and made a mental note of the possibility. I'm thrilled someone took the initiative. I can't wait to try this out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koto Nizna Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 TYVM!:smileyhappy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seraphiel Galaxy Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Thank you Vincent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 I may plan on some reversion of this as the more I realize it could be improved by putting layers of clouds at their own shade level. Problem is getting image result of a actual cloud in depth mapping instead of some photograph of a cloud applied in grey-scale. ...which is what I've had done. Only way to get an actual depth map of a cloud in clear details by talking to NASA or NOAA folks for some fancy laser/radar data. Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindens Torley Linden Posted March 24, 2011 Lindens Share Posted March 24, 2011 Sweet tweak. *squees and gives kudos* I had forgotten about this. Backstory, because I'm glad you brought it up: YES, long ago, I discussed with Zen Linden about the possibility of adding a swatch to change the sky texture, much as you can do it with the water texture (normal map). I changed the clouds to all sorts of ridiculous things like smiley faces (I can't believe I have a pic of that), too. Sigh. Sure would make it a lot more user-friendly and flexible per-setting. Since that hasn't happened yet, the next best thing must be your overhaul that goes beyond Perlin noise, Vincent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Thanks Torley, doesn't surprises me that you'd have tried something other than clouds. (I figured you would had sky filled with watermellons.) I've decided to redo the cloud texture but correct them in a proper layer. The way Windlight intercept the value shading from Black to White but they have two sliders to change the range and coverage. So I'm thinking that I could set up layers that reveils more "pluffy" clouds as you increase the coverage before it become a full coverage. From bland to big pluffy clouds. At least I'm hoping... PS: Still waiting for a reply back from NOAA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadir Taov Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 this is awesome Vincent! I'm in a binge to make the SL environment as realistic as possible when doing photography or machinima ... this is perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 I've updated First post with two more cloud textures. Enjoy! PS: No response back from NOAA but I've managed to get some data pointers from NASA's Earth Observatory department after explaining them what was my small project was about. Surely enough, my brain was overloaded with everything they gave me. Too bad I couldn't do more with them as Windlight's shader is extremely limited to one flat layer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindens Torley Linden Posted April 7, 2011 Lindens Share Posted April 7, 2011 Thanks Vincent for the heads-up! Mmm more cloudy goodness... the skies always had little fluffy clouds in 'em, and, uh... they were long... and clear and... there were lots of stars at night... In related WindLight news... I need to set expectations that isn't ready yet, as Oz Linden said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Fossett Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Fabulous! This was done with the first file: The next step would be the ability to change the active cloud texture from within the (running) viewer as a function of Environment options instead of juggling the files in our various Windlight settings folders. Has anoyone opened a JIRA yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa Fossett Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 JJ, I'm not a techie, but let me explain as best I can.... The viewer can't use a regular photo to render clouds. These files (see the downloads graciously posted above) are a bit like sculpt maps, RAW files, or alpha masks. While they are tga format, they are not photos that are simply rezzed in the sky as a texture might be rezzed on a prim. Rather, they hold information for the viewer to help it render--make--the clouds you see. These files determine the relative shape of the clouds; other settings (found in your environment settings) determine things like density and repeat of the clouds across the sky. If you want a picture of the sky from your back yard rezzed in world, at this time the only way I know how that can be done is to put that picture on a prim or prims. [As an aside, a webcam streaming sky might be a cool thing to do on media in world.] So far as your viewer crashing, I'll also bring up that mine did, too, even with these files, until I decreased the file size to 512x512. I'm in Kirsten's; currently 21 (5), but have been in 21 (6) as well. Try downloading one of the files above, resizing it, and see whether you get better results. And, if a more tech-minded person can elaborate or correct me, please do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 jjccc Coronet wrote: ok i may have done some thing wrong found a cloud i want turned it into a tga clouds2 file in windlight folder started pheonix viewer and it crashed over and over so i put it back to how it was and it work again, but i still want to do this. like i want to be able to go into my back garden take a pic of the clouds that day up load it to second life and there it is on screen clouds done, :smileymad: but no i have to wait till it becomes possible The requirement for Cloud2.tga is 8-bit channel Grayscale with image size to square of time 2. ex; 32x32 or 256x256 or 512x512 or 1024x1024. Image with any Color channel mode will cause the viewer to crash on start up. However, Windlight process the image differently as posed to be basic texture layer. White pixel have prolonging statement than black pixel to stay appear in sky. (Basically like a heightmap texture.) PS: Sorry that I didn't reply soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ole Etzel Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 kudos!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charolotte Caxton Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 I have updated the links on my new server and had inculsed the link for my Natural Sky settings along with daycycle. Also, a thread bump! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cereal1488311868 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Thank you. I can't wait to log in and see the difference. The clouds have been bugging me for quiet some time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beeflin Grut Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Got an honor to have these cloud textures added to Firestorm Viewer (version 4.4.0) as a graphical feature. A big thanks to Cinder Roxley who did the code-bending and made it possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlphaWolf19 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Hi, Where exactly can I find the setting to change the cloud texture? I found them all in a folder inside the windlight folder but I don't see any way to change them on the fly on the viewer edit-- woops..never mind. I saw the first pic in this post now It never loaded earlier when I was browsing through this. Ty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Nacon Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Yeah, you may have read it while I was editing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnii Hendes Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Hi I just ran acorss this post and I'm a little confuse on how exactly I do this? Do I save the textures you have here and uploaed them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dresden Ceriano Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Bonnii Hendes wrote: Hi I just ran acorss this post and I'm a little confuse on how exactly I do this? Do I save the textures you have here and uploaed them? You'd either have to use the Firestorm viewer, which has them pre-installed or replace the "cloud2.tga" file with the ones provided by the OP, which is going to be in your viewer's program folder under "app_settings\windlight". Unfortunately, I just checked and it seems the links to the files given by the OP are no longer working, so Firestorm is your only hope. If you don't wish to use Firestorm you could download it, install it, go to "Firestorm-Release\app_settings\windlight\clouds" (in your Program folder), get them and install them in the viewer of your choice, as directed in the first post of this thread. ...Dres *doesn't know if any other viewers now include this option* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnii Hendes Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Oh Ok ! Well I use firestorm so how do I exactly see this stuf fif you get what I'm sayin..I have pretty good shadows and often throught my windlights but my clouds always look a mess but everything else is beautiful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dresden Ceriano Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Go to Avatar/Preferences/Firestorm/Windlight, at the very bottom where it says, "Cloud texture (restart recommended)", select another texture from the drop down and restart your viewer. There's a picture in the first post of this thread which you can reference. ...Dres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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