A free real-time procedural cloud shader for Blender that works in both Cycles and EEVEE, giving you volumetric-looking skies without running an actual volume simulation.
The Problem It Solves
Real volumetric clouds are expensive. A proper volume shader with enough step resolution to look convincing can dominate your render time, and in EEVEE it often will not hold up at all.
The alternative most people reach for is an HDRI, which is fast and looks great — until you need the camera to move through the sky, or need clouds in a specific place for composition. An HDRI is a fixed backdrop; you cannot art-direct it.
A procedural shader sits between the two: adjustable, animatable, and far cheaper than true volumetrics.
What You Get
- Works in both Cycles and EEVEE — the EEVEE support is the notable part, since that is where volume approaches usually fail
- Adjustable coverage, density and shape
- Animatable — clouds can drift and evolve over a shot
- No external textures or HDRIs required
Where It Works Best
Stylised and semi-realistic work, motion graphics, game cinematics and any shot where the sky needs to be directed rather than photographed. It is also useful for previs, where you want the right mood without committing render time.
Where It Will Not
Photoreal hero shots of clouds themselves. If the sky is the subject and the camera flies through it, you want real volumetrics or plates. Procedural shaders approximate the look of depth rather than actually having it, and close-ups expose that.
A Note on Render Cost
Cheaper than volumetrics is not the same as free. Sky shaders still cost samples, and it is one of the things worth checking if renders slow down unexpectedly — see our guide to why Blender renders get slow.
For free CC0 HDRIs as an alternative, Poly Haven is the standard source.
Creator: thomas_marcos · Price: Free · Get it: Gumroad