How to make good-looking skies

[frostloh]

While browsing around the Terrain Board, i found some terrains with awesome and detailed skies. How do I make a terrain with different skies from the preset ones in the World Editor?

 

[Micro]

maybe Ultimate Terraining Map?

 

[thedeathunterxx]

making skies are the best part about the terrains. They can make or break the overall atmosphere of your terrain.

The first step is to have a theme for your terrain. Say you have a Barrens terrain, with desert life. Your best bet is to take a sky color such as brown or orange to match the overall color scheme. If you get good and get extra creative, you can pan into opposite color themes, and abstract color schemes.

The next step is to have the right models. The UTM (Ultimate Terrain Map) is the best place to start, since they give you custom model clouds and Glows.

Also with making skys, experiment alot with them, and use numerous techniques like making stars in the sky (a bunch of tiny glow/star models and CTRL+UP them) or change the color of a cloud model to red, while you have the fog set to blue(just an example) and you can get great results.

 

[fladdermasken]

As aforementioned it's mainly an experiment with Mc!'s cloudbox models found in the UTM. Try to tint the clouds rather saturated, meaning overall low color values. You can either apply these cloudmodels to existing skies or simply go with a white background colored by the fog. Beyond that it's really all an experiment with whichever model(s) you wish to apply to it to enhance it additionally.

And that's really all there is to it.

 

[SA Dashie]

The dome model made by blizzard can also be a useful sky/backround

 

[fladdermasken]

The dome model made by blizzard can also be a useful sky/backround

Uh-uh, nono, not even remotely, not at all, never.

 

[Dr. House]

Fladder i think its time for you to make a tutorial dont you think?

 

[frostloh]

Fladder i think its time for you to make a tutorial dont you think?

That would certainly be nice

 

[fladdermasken]

Fladder i think its time for you to make a tutorial dont you think?

Meh, I'm not really an expert on this, and such a tutorial would be awfully fuzzy.
I'll consider it though.

 

[M0rbid]

I doubt it is really possible to write a tutorial about this topic. Maybe a bit of a guideline, apart from that, I think there are so many factors coming into this that cannot be really written down. personal experience, preferences... all stuff that is very custom and mainly is done by experimenting and such. Therefor I think it might be a very hard task to write a real tutorial. I certainly think that experimenting with many ideas and being creative is the best way to gain good experience and skills in this field.

 

[SA Dashie]

Uh-uh, nono, not even remotely, not at all, never.

You underestimate me.

 

[fladdermasken]

You underestimate me.

Prove me wrong, I've never seen the dome model do nothing but mess terrains up. Unless of course you'd tint it completely black but for that the stormsphere would be a better solution.
But sure, if you could show me an example of how you utilize the dome for it to look good then I'll withdraw my previous statement.

Sound fair?

 

[SA Dashie]

I've created a map that may not release. I shall attach some screen shots.

edit:sorry had uploading problems and had to end up having to use my own internet access.
Anyway prof enough

 

[fladdermasken]

Anyway prof enough

Sorry, but that looks awful. It doesn't even make any sense to tell you the truth. If anything that proved my point that that dome does nothing but ruin terrains.
What the OP is refering to is the custom made skies for terrain art. As such for example:

Skies

 

[SA Dashie]

meh, what I was trying to say is that it could be usable for a map and without the dome it wouldn't look as good from what I did and that'll be the replacement for my sky. But I must agree it is pretty much useless for epic terrains But remember I only do terraining for game play :I

 

[thedeathunterxx]

im sure the dome model has its uses somewhere as Deathchef said (I think i tryed using it to make an underground volcano terrain once, which i never publisized[is that how you spell that? ]).

But fladder has a good point...all in all try to stay away from most of the default blizzard models. The only blizz models i would touch is "Smoke Smudge" and possibly the Shrub model...thats about it.

 

[johannesr]

I use the dome model when i don't want the sky to be visible and the background just foggy (i.e my swamp terrains).

 

[WarcraftHazNinjaz]

im sure the dome model has its uses somewhere as Deathchef said (I think i tryed using it to make an underground volcano terrain once, which i never publisized[is that how you spell that? ]).

No, it's spelled "Publicized". (Public -ized.)
(Hope I don't sound like an ass.)

 

[L2love]

I use the dome model when i don't want the sky to be visible and the background just foggy (i.e my swamp terrains).

I use the elevator for that since they blend better being white and all.

 

[SA Dashie]

This thread is still going on? So I was partially right?
Anyway if you don't like the dome model than what'll look better anyway?
As I said that's a map(you know for gameplay) and not some showoff piece of artwork made in WE. Meh I don't really care that much.