Tornado

Tornado puts a single twister in your scene. A grey condensation funnel hangs from the sky toward the ground, its axis wandering and bending like a rope, while streaks wind around it and climb, and ground dust spirals inward and rises in a sheath around its foot. Its top simply dissolves into the sky.

How it works

The spin follows the classic model of a vortex: the core turns like a solid wheel, and outside it the wind slows with distance. The inside spins faster than the outside, so streaks wind into spirals as the updraft lifts them. The funnel only forms where the pressure drops far enough, which is why Reach can lower it until it touches down. The funnel is lit on its sunny side and takes the storm shade on the other.

Settings

• Rotation and Lift: how fast the vortex spins, and how quickly the streaks and dust climb.
• Core Radius: the width of the funnel.
• Reach: how far down the funnel reaches; 1 is a touchdown.
• Dust and Dust Spread: how much ground dust it pulls in and how far it swirls.
• Color, Shade Color and Dust Color: the funnel in light and in shadow, and the dust.

The cursor can steer the foot of the tornado, feed more dust into its inflow, or bend it with a gust.

Use it for

Storm scenes, dramatic reveals and games. Add a Thunderstorm behind it, or set it over Dunes.