3D Fog

[Ben Griggs]

Riccardo,

I got pretty good 3D fog results using Trapcode Form. It will allow you to adjust Z depth of particles and use displacement maps for optimal positioning. Besides that, the use of masks and several fog layers will add nice depth. Form is good stuff.

[Darby Edelen]

There are a few ways to achieve the look of 3D fog. You could get an image of clouds/fog/cotton balls torn up and create several 3D layers that sit at different depths. It may sound cheesy, but if you’re careful about your implementation then it gets the job done (this technique is used professionally, so don’t overlook it).

You could also do the same thing with Fractal Noise, or even better use some animated fractal noise to distort/modify your ‘real’ fog from the previous example. You could even consider using the liquify effect to add some movement to the fog.

You could use a 3rd party plug-in like Trapcode’s Particular or Form.

There are most definitely other options, but these are probably the most commonly used.

Darby Edelen
Lead Designer
Left Coast Digital
Santa Cruz, CA