by Daro Source·VFX
Images © Daro Source. Used for product review; image policy.
This one stands out in the superhive library for its academic pedigree — a Bachelor's Thesis awarded the highest grade with honors and the Best Full Paper Award at CEIG 2022. Worth knowing before you commit: it does not generate lighting, so you'll rely on standard Blender lighting, and Eevee's volume rendering limitations apply.
Volumetric Clouds Generator by Daro Source adds clouds and cloudscapes to a Blender scene through a simple workflow. Rather than building or editing materials, you adjust the cloud's properties to shape its appearance. The add-on supports both Cycles and Eevee and requires Blender 2.83 or newer.
Clouds come in a few forms — simple cumulus and cloudscapes made from cumulus and cirrus — and stay flexible thanks to parameters covering density and color, size and shape, wind, coverage, roundness and detail effects. You add a cloud from View3D > Add > Volume, then edit it in Object Properties. Two render presets are included: a fast, lower-quality one for real-time editing and a high-quality one for final renders.
The tool carries some notable recognition, including the Best Full Paper Award at CEIG 2022, the highest grade with honors as a Bachelor's Thesis, publication on 80 Level and a recommendation from the official Blender Market account. Note that it does not generate lighting — you use Blender's standard lighting — and Eevee's volume rendering limitations apply.
Volumetric Clouds Generator is best for blender artists adding cumulus clouds and cloudscapes to scenes in Cycles or Eevee without building cloud materials by hand.
Volumetric Clouds Generator is completely free to download and use.
Volumetric Clouds Generator works in both Cycles and Eevee and requires Blender 2.83 or newer. If you use Eevee, be aware of its volume rendering limitations before relying on it for final output. When a cloud doesn't appear in the Eevee viewport, zooming to the object usually helps; if the far clipping plane is set too low you may not see it, so increase the End value under Render Properties > Volumetrics. The included render settings are starting points and may need adjusting to your setup and hardware.
Volumetric Clouds Generator adds clouds through the View3D menu: go to Add > Volume and choose the cloud type you want. To adjust a cloud, select the object and edit its parameters in Object Properties. One thing to watch: don't resize a cloud with the scale gizmo — use the size parameter or the domain property instead. The add-on ships as a zip file, and its two render presets can be set under Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > Clouds generator > Preferences.
Volumetric Clouds Generator is listed as free in this catalog. Pricing and licensing can change over time, so check the developer's page for current terms before downloading. What you receive is the add-on zip file for use in Blender 2.83 or newer. It supports both Cycles and Eevee and includes two render presets, one tuned for fast real-time editing and one for high-quality final renders.
Volumetric Clouds Generator does not generate lighting for its clouds — you light them using Blender's standard lighting, as you would any other object in the scene. The add-on handles the cloud volume itself, exposing parameters like density and color, size and shape, wind, coverage, roundness and detail effects, while lighting stays with your scene setup. If a cloud isn't visible in Eevee, checking your zoom level and raising the far clipping plane can help bring it back into view.
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