Thunderstorm

Create a turbulent cloud world with animated, masked lightning emission.

Visual example

Where to find it

Shader menu: FORGE3D/Planets HD/Thunderstorm. Start with Assets/FORGE3D/Planets/Thunderstorm/Planet_Thunderstorm_01.prefab.

Material: Assets/FORGE3D/Planets/Thunderstorm/Materials/Planet_Thunderstorm_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 baseline is one instant in an animated effect. Lightning can be subtle at that instant. Tune the mask before the boost, then inspect several pulses in Play Mode. Lighting A/B Frequency changes texture-offset cadence; a still image cannot show its timing. Lightning is emission, not a spawned Light.

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 UV Tiling	_NormalUVTiling	Texture repetition for normal uv. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Normal UV Speed	_NormalUVSpeed	Animation rate for normal uv. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Normal Tiling	_NormalTiling	Texture repetition for normal. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Normal Speed	_NormalSpeed	Animation rate for normal. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Normlal Distortion Factor	_NormlalDistortionFactor	Signed strength of the storm normal distortion. Tune separately from the visible cloud-color distortion.
Normal Scale	_NormalScale	Strength of normal-map relief. Increase for stronger small shadows and highlights; it does not raise terrain geometry.
Distortion Map	_DistortionMap	Pattern used for animated surface distortion. Retain the supplied map while adjusting motion and strength.
Distortion UV Map	_DistortionUVMap	Texture that bends the animated detail coordinates. Tune its motion separately from the main detail.
Distortion UV Tiling	_DistortionUVTiling	Texture repetition for distortion uv. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Distortion UV Speed	_DistortionUVSpeed	Animation rate for distortion uv. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Distortion Tiling	_DistortionTiling	Texture repetition for distortion. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Distortion Speed	_DistortionSpeed	Animation rate for distortion. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Distortion Factor	_DistortionFactor	Signed distortion strength. Larger magnitude bends the surface pattern more strongly.

Surface and effect shape

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Tint High	_TintHigh	Color for the brighter end of the storm surface. Tune with Tint Low and Detail Pow.
Tint Low	_TintLow	Color for the darker end of the storm surface. Use it to keep cloud relief visible under lightning.
Detail Pow	_DetailPow	Contrast exponent for storm detail. Tune before Detail Boost to keep a readable cloud pattern.
Detail Boost	_DetailBoost	Strength of the storm detail contribution. Excessive values can hide the difference between low and high tints.

Lighting and rim

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
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.
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.
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.

Lightning

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Lighting Mask Map	_LightingMaskMap	Mask pattern restricting lightning regions. Both A/B samples and their motion shape the combined result.
Lighting Map	_LightingMap	Fine lightning pattern sampled in two layers. Their tiling and frequency controls create variation over time.
Lighting Mask A Tiling	_LightingMaskATiling	Texture repetition for lighting mask a. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Lighting Mask B Tiling	_LightingMaskBTiling	Texture repetition for lighting mask b. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Lighting Mask A UV Speed	_LightingMaskAUVSpeed	Animation rate for lighting mask a uv. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Lighting Mask B UV Speed	_LightingMaskBUVSpeed	Animation rate for lighting mask b uv. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Lighting A Tiling	_LightingATiling	Texture repetition for lighting a. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Lighting B Tiling	_LightingBTiling	Texture repetition for lighting b. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Lighting A Frequency	_LightingAFrequency	Cadence of jumps in the A lightning texture offset. Inspect over time in Play Mode, not in a still frame.
Lighting B Frequency	_LightingBFrequency	Cadence of jumps in the B lightning texture offset. Tune against A for a less uniform flash pattern.
Lightning Sine Mult	_LightningSineMult	Time multiplier for the lightning pulse. Inspect several pulses after changing it.
Lignting Mask Pow	_LigntingMaskPow	Exponent shaping the lightning mask. Lower values can reveal broader lightning areas; compare 10.2 and 2 below.
Lightning Boost	_LightningBoost	Emission multiplier for lightning. It cannot reveal areas removed by the lightning masks.
Lightning Color	_LightningColor	Tint of lightning emission. Tune with Lightning Boost after establishing a visible mask.

Advanced settings

Normal distortion and cloud-color distortion have separate maps, scales and motion controls. Match them visually without assuming identical numeric values produce identical movement. Lightning uses two mask/detail layers; retain the source maps while learning frequency and pulse controls. For mapping and rendering details, see Technical reference.

Practical example

Duplicate Planet_Thunderstorm_01.mat. Compare Lignting Mask Pow = 10.2 and 2 to reveal broader lightning regions. Keep the source maps, then tune Lightning Color and Lightning Boost while watching the animation.

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.

Lignting Mask Pow comparison

Before: 10.2; After: 2

Look at the broader visible lightning regions with the lower mask exponent.

Before — Lignting Mask Pow = 10.2

After — Lignting Mask Pow = 2

Related topics

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