Desktop software such as Houdini, Blender and Cinema 4D have this type of tool built-in, and there are hundreds of plugins such as X-Particles that specialise in just one aspect of this topic.
Sadly the options on mobile devices are limited for creating and animating this type of particle simulation. However, you can create the visual effect of smoke and fog in other ways, and in this little tutorial I’ll take a look at how to do it in Nomad Sculpt. Bear in mind there’s no animation capability in Nomad Sculpt, so this is mostly useful for imagery in illustration and concept art.
The technique we’ll use is similar to hair cards that have been used in game design for decades. We can take a UVmapped polygon and add an alpha to it that will mask out anything that we don’t want to see. Using a greyscale gradient of some type means the texture gets more transparent as needed. With the correctly painted alpha maps, we can simulate layered fog or smoke, and this is effective for your scenes presuming that you don’t want to move the camera through the effect. Being a simple polygon means there’s little load on the CPU or GPU, and it won’t impact the overall performance of Nomad Sculpt either.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition
On the surface, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super is barely any different from the vanilla GeForce RTX 4080 that was launched in 2022.
MCU VFX moments
Pros choose their favourite CG shots from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Nosing around on Fallout
We sniff out the story of how FutureWorks brought The Ghoul to life with the creation of his iconic noseless face
DISCOVER RED GIANT GEO'S HANDY TOOLS
Heather Sterland introduces one of the newest additions to Maxon's suite of Red Giant VFX plugins with an atmospheric lunar creation
BUILD AND ANIMATE A FUN-FILLED ROBOT
Expand your horizons with Julio Benavides, who reveals his workflow for creating a charming hard-surface character
DESIGN STRIKING SCULPTS AT SPEED
Learn how to build 3D characters that balance visual quality and efficient workflow with pro advice from Oh Holy Mary
CREATE A CANYON ENVIRONMENT
Build a stunning desert setting with an expert walkthrough from Romain Eboli, who uses high-quality Quixel assets
TURN A 2D CONCEPT INTO AN INCREDIBLE 3D-PRINTED FIGURE
Concept artist Emily Chapman shares her process for sculpting, printing and painting an outstanding model to put on display
Goodbye SAIGON
Trevor Hogg gets held captive by multiple versions of Robert Downey Jr.while uncovering the visual effects of HBO's spy series The Sympathizer
IMPRESSIONISTIC REALISM
Trevor Hogg learns how the artisan aesthetic came to be for The Wild Robot