Sand

Create desert terrain beneath an animated layer of dusty clouds.

Visual example

Where to find it

Shader menu: FORGE3D/Planets HD/Sand. Start with Assets/FORGE3D/Planets/Sandstorm/Planet_Sand_01.prefab.

Material: Assets/FORGE3D/Planets/Sandstorm/Materials/Planet_Sand_01.mat. Select the relevant Mesh Renderer > Materials slot, duplicate that material into your own folder, and assign the copy before editing. See material ownership.

Main settings

The Project folder is Sandstorm, while the shader and surface materials use Sand. Dust is part of the surface material. Clouds Output and Cloud Shadows are separate: removing visible dust does not automatically remove the shadow contribution.

Lighting and rim

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Scatter Map	_ScatterMap	Color lookup for the view/light-dependent surface shading. Retain the supplied lookup when first changing the palette.
Scatter Color	_ScatterColor	Tints the surface scatter contribution. A dark color can strongly reduce the visible surface.
Scatter Boost	_ScatterBoost	Strength of the scatter contribution. Tune with Scatter Color rather than compensating only with light intensity.
Scatter Indirect	_ScatterIndirect	Adds a floor to the scatter modulation. Raise it cautiously if the surface becomes too dark outside the bright region.
Scatter Stretch	_ScatterStretch	Scales the lookup coordinates, changing the spread of the shading transition. Tune with Scatter Center Shift.
Scatter Center Shift	_ScatterCenterShift	Moves the lookup transition. Adjust to reposition the scatter band without changing the planet Transform.
Specular Color	_SpecularColor	Tint of the highlight contribution. Check alpha as well as RGB when a highlight adjustment appears ineffective.
Specular	_Specular	Strength of the surface highlight, shaped by the shader’s texture masks. Adjust under the intended scene light.
Smoothness	_Smoothness	Surface highlight smoothness. Higher values generally concentrate reflections; texture and cloud masks can reduce the effect.
Frensel Mult	_FrenselMult	Strength of the rim contribution. At zero, changing its color or power can have no visible effect.
Fresnel Power	_FresnelPower	Concentrates the view-dependent rim. Increase to narrow its response toward grazing views; compare with Frensel Mult enabled.
Fresnel Color	_FresnelColor	Color of the view-dependent rim contribution. Its strength also depends on Frensel Mult and Fresnel Power.

Surface and effect shape

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Detail Map	_DetailMap	Fine surface pattern and masks. Its channel use depends on the shader; retain the supplied map while tuning the material.
Detail Tiling	_DetailTiling	Texture repetition for detail. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Base Color	_BaseColor	Underlying terrain color. Desert, vegetation and mountain layers can cover it, so first inspect the active masks.
Desert Color	_DesertColor	Color of the desert layer. Coverage, mask textures and overlying layers determine where it is visible.
Desert Coverage	_DesertCoverage	Threshold controlling the extent of the desert layer. Compare small changes with the supplied mask and Desert Factors.
Desert Factors	_DesertFactors	Sharpness of the desert layer transition. Higher values make its threshold harder; tune after Coverage.
Albedo Boost	_AlbedoBoost	Multiplier for Sand’s terrain color before the cloud contribution. Increase to lift the ground while keeping Cloud Boost separate.
Mountain Color	_MountainColor	Color of the mountain layer. Coverage, mask textures and overlying layers determine where it is visible.
Mountain Coverage	_MountainCoverage	Threshold controlling the extent of the mountain layer. Compare small changes with the supplied mask and Mountain Factors.
Mountain Factors	_MountainFactors	Sharpness of the mountain layer transition. Higher values make its threshold harder; tune after Coverage.

Detail and mapping

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Normal Map	_NormalMap	Small surface relief through lighting. Keep a compatible normal texture and tune Normal Scale before replacing the map.
Normal Scale	_NormalScale	Strength of normal-map relief. Increase for stronger small shadows and highlights; it does not raise terrain geometry.
Normal Tiling	_NormalTiling	Texture repetition for normal. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
TriplanarFalloff	_TriplanarFalloff	Sharpness of the blend between projected texture directions. Use a positive value and inspect transitions around the globe.

Clouds

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Gradient	_Gradient	Blend mask joining the pole and middle cloud maps. Keep the supplied gradient when tuning cloud motion.
Clouds Top	_CloudsTop	Cloud texture used around the poles. Its rotation is controlled by Clouds Top Speed.
Clouds Middle	_CloudsMiddle	Cloud texture across the middle of the globe, using a separate UV channel. Clouds Middle Speed controls its panning.
Clouds Blend Weight	_CloudsBlendWeight	Exponent shaping the blend between pole and middle clouds. Change gradually and inspect the join at high latitudes.
Clouds Top Speed	_CloudsTopSpeed	Signed rotation rate for the pole cloud map. Zero stops this motion; inspect in Play Mode.
Clouds Middle Speed	_CloudsMiddleSpeed	Signed panning rate for the middle cloud map. Tune separately from pole motion in Play Mode.
Clouds Height	_CloudsHeight	Offset used to sample the cloud shadow. Changes the apparent separation of clouds and shadow without adding shell geometry.
Clouds Tint	_CloudsTint	Color of the cloud layer. Its visibility also depends on Clouds Output and the cloud maps.
Cloud Shadows	_CloudShadows	Shapes the texture-based shadow mask beneath clouds. Compare against zero to see its contribution; it is not a linear opacity slider.
Clouds Output	_CloudsOutput	Visible cloud contribution. Zero removes that contribution; Cloud Shadows is a separate control.
Cloud Boost	_CloudBoost	Extra multiplier for Sand’s tinted cloud contribution. Reduce if dust obscures too much terrain detail.

Advanced settings

Desert and mountain layers can cover Base Color. Adjust their coverage and transition factors before changing Detail Map. Cloud Boost affects the dusty contribution while Albedo Boost affects the ground; use them separately to balance terrain visibility. For mapping and rendering details, see Technical reference.

Practical example

Duplicate Planet_Sand_01.mat. Compare Clouds Output = 1 and 0 to reveal the desert below the dust. Restore the clouds and compare Cloud Shadows = 0.782 and 0 to choose the amount of shadow shaping independently.

Setting comparisons

These examples keep the camera, light and other material settings fixed within each pair. Before appears first and After second. Values describe these examples, rather than a required range.

Clouds Output comparison

Before: 1; After: 0

Look at how much of the underlying surface is revealed when the visible cloud contribution is removed.

Before — Clouds Output = 1

After — Clouds Output = 0

Cloud Shadows comparison

Before: 0.782; After: 0

Look at the dark shaping beneath cloud regions, independently of the visible cloud color.

Before — Cloud Shadows = 0.782

After — Cloud Shadows = 0

Related topics

Shader guide · Materials and customization · Lighting and effects · Practical workflows · Troubleshooting