Creating Animated Clouds
From Valve Developer Community
Contents
Example models
Moving Clouds are a simple prop_dynamic away, below are some of the models of animated clouds:
Some models available in CS:S are:
-
models/props/cs_office/clouds.mdl
-
models/props/de_tides/clouds.mdl
-
models/props/de_port/clouds.mdl
Copying models to another Source game
Looking at Mod Content Usage it defines that we can only use these models "if available"; therefore, it must be done via mounting the GCF. If you don't have access to code or don't wish to mount the GCF you must make your own instead.
Making your own
- Create the top of a sphere as a model or brushwork. You could even do a flat surface, but its best to turn the edges downwards so its edges get covered by other things in the sky.
- Create a cloud material and don't forget to make it transparent.
- Animate the material using the following paramters in its VMT, where X and Y are numbers of your choice.
"Proxies" { "TextureScroll" { "texturescrollvar" "$baseTextureTransform" "texturescrollrate" X "texturescrollangle" Y } }
4. Copy the models and materials into the correct directories for your mod.

Placing the model
- Make a 3D skybox
- Place the model in the map as a prop_dynamic or func_brush if its brushwork
- Put the prop_dynamic by the center of your sky_camera in the skybox.
- Be sure to make it so the entities Shadow Property is set to Off else it might block the sunlight in your skybox.