I want to apply a soft glow effect similar to this to a planet: Realistic Glowing Neptune Planet Isolated Glow With Transparency Space-vektorgrafik och fler bilder på Andlighet - iStock
With fresnel and emmission the effect is applied to the entire surface, so how do I apply only to the edge?
Not really:
Every (?) tut you’ll find will either use Fresnel or Sphere Gradient 3d (often both). And there’s a lot of tuts on that. And a lot of stuff on the marketplace.
Also, you will get more control if you start working with 2 spheres, one larger (atmo) than the other (planet).
I already have that. It’s just a way to create the appearance of an atmosphere. But I want the glow to be outside the edge, like when you increase emission a lot. I’ll link a video where the effect is more visible: https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/74006341-rotating-dream-earth-blue-aura-space-fantasy-seamless-loop-b
As above, 2 spheres - you use an additional mesh for this. Apply the atmospheric effect to the larger one.
Marketplace if you want a paid shortcut:
Or free YT tuts in the previous post. Or so many results on the forums if only you searched:
I’ve been using the above since ever. The thread has numerous links and ideas, worth the read.
It’s a different story if you need to enter the atmosphere:
Scroll down to: Planetary Atmospheres Viewed from Space for a vid demonstrating the effect:
It might be an overkill if you’re only after the effect as seen from outer space.
And finally, if you need to get serious about it, do look into Rayleigh Scattering. Understanding how the phenomenon works makes it easier to work towards a goal.
Hope this is enough.
