It used to be quite hard to form objects from smoke - not any more! The way this works - basic FumeFX sim with just smoke emitting from a simple source in the bottom, rising up, and some turbulence - nothing else. FFX sim is loaded into a PRT FFX object, and the rest is done with Magma. Zero to one gradients are created for distance to closest point on the geometry, smoke density, and animation. These gradients are multiplied and the result is used to blend values. Position is blended between original and closest point on geometry surface. Color is blended between original and red. Density is blended between original and a higher one. Optionally, the Velocity and Normal channels can be blended, too. Takes about 10 min to set up. Might make a tut about this :) Enjoy!
