For one of our levels in TANKHEAD we required a blowing dust/ash setup that was level wide.
For this i created a volumetric shader volume that follows the player around. Built up with a couple of noise textures, supporting world mesh SDF's, and variable thickness, this achieved the look we wanted for a low cost.
I initially experimented with Niagara's fluid system to create a dynamic dust cloud effect. While the results were visually impressive, the solution did not scale well for our needs, as we required a level-wide implementation.
I then utilized a volumetric shader, layering two sets of noise textures to create a moving cloud effect. In this video, I am evaluating the lighting and density of the cloud.
I created a dynamic material to control various parameters, which was integrated into our weather system. This allows the user to adjust the dust color based on its thickness. Incorporating world mesh SDF to make the dust naturally clump around objects