In the last post I mentioned how my shaders crashed under the new version of Houdini. I'm glad to report that I have re-worked them to work with H12, and in the process deepened my understanding of VEX shader networks. I've also managed to remove the rendering artifacts and shader errors, mainly by not assuming that unconnected inputs will have the correct default values applied. Subsequently, I have also refined various aspects and added new features to my Earth shaders.
The two most significant additions are the simulation of forward scattering in the atmosphere and anisotropy in the specular highlight of the ocean, as seen in the following work-in-progress snapshots:
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| The atmosphere scatters more light as the Sun gets behind it, an effect attributed to Mie scattering of light by particles in the air |
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| The specular reflection of the Sun is stronger at more glancing angles, a behavior called the Fresnel effect. The shape of the highlight also elongates as the Sun nears the horizon, mimicking how the Sun reflected in the ocean looks during sunsets |
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