I am making a sequence where the player falls into Earth's atmosphere and I need to simulate said atmosphere to blindside them as they get teleported into the actual map with the same effects being faded in and out again.
Unfortunately it is my understanding that cloud or fog entities cannot fade in and out so easily.

I imagine this isn't the first time environmental fading has been brought up, with little success. So any and all results that can be shared would be appreciated

I suppose you could use a logic_timer with a math_counter to get a steadily increasing number and feed that into your fog volume. But I would just use an env_fade.

I was using fade, but it doesn't give off that feel of falling into a cloud.

Though, I was tinkering with fog_volume and I couldn't get it to do diddly squat. Maybe I applied the wrong texture or had the wrong properties or something.

cough dense particle system cough

...you need a cough drop? o_+

EDIT: well I managed to find several mist particles, but I will have to put in dozens or so unless I can find something thicker

Maybe the env_ar2explosion-entity can help you. But it's very dirty and not very cloud-like. TopHatWaffle did make an awesome tutorial about particles that you should watch as well. I think creating your own particles would be the best thing to do. But keep in mind that you cannot pack them within the bsp-file (not good for a workshop release).

Fracture wrote:
EDIT: well I managed to find several mist particles, but I will have to put in dozens or so unless I can find something thicker

You could try to make a particle effect... Good luck though.

Sprowl wrote:
Maybe the env_ar2explosion-entity can help you. But it's very dirty and not very cloud-like. TopHatWaffle did make an awesome tutorial about particles that you should watch as well. I think creating your own particles would be the best thing to do. But keep in mind that you cannot pack them within the bsp-file (not good for a workshop release).

cannot pack!? that defeats the purpose

You could try with cloudy textures and Env_sprites. (Although it may a tad look crappy)

very

Well there aren't many possible things left for you. The last idea I have is the env_steam-entity.
You can make it start huge with a low emission rate. Also you can specify the color which is neat too. Play around with it, I belive it can look quite nice .

i never thought about steam, I will look into it

Fracture wrote:
i never thought about steam, I will look into it

How are you using the Authoring Tools then?

FelixGriffin wrote:
Fracture wrote:

i never thought about steam, I will look into it

How are you using the Authoring Tools then?

He means he never thought about using the env_steam entity.

Dr.Toaster Waffles wrote:
FelixGriffin wrote:

Fracture wrote:

i never thought about steam, I will look into it

How are you using the Authoring Tools then?

He means he never thought about using the env_steam entity.

I think that was not meant to be serious.

In my timetravel (concept) map, for the portal opening and closeing effect, I placed several brush behind eachother, textured with a homogen glass (one that has the highest transparency) so each of them reduce the visibility of things behind them by 25-30%. And then I activated them one-by-one so it faded the things behind them into almost full invisibility, but only there, so looking to other directions everything was clear. I dont know if it can be uses withing clouds (if you want it to fall with the player and act as a fog, or just when you enter some fog particle (or floating textures with a fog and transparency) but if you turn several brush with glass on (brushes also can be nonsolid so you can fall into them etc) you may get a cool effect. Or just a glass-brush falling with the player (surrounding him). However since most glass use cubemap reflections, it can be tricky (unless you place cubemaps into small cubes with 0 light or something).
You want the player to see clouds under them in a horizontal cloud-line, and when he falls into one you want some fog-effect? Can the player turn around and look freely, or fixed view?

well its going to be a fixed view, but the player essentially starts the map off being worm-holed to earth. Now that I think about it, I forgot to put that wormhole element in. At any rate, the fading effect is just going to be an env_fade, but it only comes into play after a cloud of particles and steam show up. So I think I got what I need now. I just got to experiment with orientation and volume control.

Thanks for the help