Devlog #2 - How to create a Smoke Cloud for VFX using Blender

Note: This is written with the assumption that you are somewhat familiar with Blender

Modeling

In Modeling Window, create the smoke cloud with the following steps:

1. use Shift A –> create a Ico sphere –> set the subdivisions to 1
2. Add a subdivision modifier to the Ico sphere to make it rounder
3. Shift + D to duplicate the ico sphere to create a cloud shape by moving the shapes around with G
4. Once you have the shape you want, select all the ico spheres, and Ctrl + J to join the mesh together
   • rename the object to SmokeSphere
   • Note: if you want to edit, go to Edit Mode, and with vertex select mode, click on a vertex and press L and then G to move the object, to adjust the shape to your liking
5. Add a remesh modifier to smooth the shape
   • Use Voxel
   • Voxel Size = 0.2
   • Adaptivity = 0
6. Apply the modifiers in order –> subdivision –> remesh so that we can edit the UVs
7. In Object mode, select the object and Ctrl + A to apply all the transform

UV Map

In UV Editing Window, create the uv map with the following steps:

1. Go to Edit Mode, Vertex Select Mode and Select All
2. With the sphere selected, press U to bring up UV menu, and select Sphere Projection to automatically unwrap. You should get the shape below
3. It’s abit too big, so select the UV with a, scale it in X axis (s –> x) and fit it in the box. For those extruding points, select them by pressing b, box select, and use g to move them till it fits into the image
   • This is a quick way to edit the UV, but still looks good

Export & Import

Lastly, export the FBX with the following settings:

1. Under Include, check selected objects
2. File name SmokeSphere.fbx

When Importing to Unity

1. Under model, set the scale factor to 100 and apply

That’s All!

That should be all you need to create a smoke cloud mesh. This is a technique which I picked up after attending a course by Gabriel Aguiar. Check out his courses if you are interested to learn about VFX.