SOFTWARE: BLENDER
HOW CAN I CREATE AMAZING SKIES IN BLENDER?
Fleur Flavell, Saguenay
Blender Studio created a hazy sky for their desert scene
©CC0
Paul Hatton replies
Realistic skies can be hard to achieve. There are just so many different factors that contribute to the overall look and quality.
In my early days as a 3D artist, I remember applying images to planes that would sit at the back of my scene. This produced okay results, but it could be a challenge to get the orientation and exposure of the sky correct. At other times, I also utilised the alpha channel, enabling me to insert sky images in postproduction. This came with the downside of the extra time required to set these skies up and integrate them realistically into the rendered part of the image.