water_mesh_base

States#

In the States tab, you can set rendering passes and available options. Enabling some states activates additional textures and parameters in the Textures and Parameters tabs respectively.

Material window, States tab

Default#

The Deferred Buffers state specifies if deferred buffers of the material should be filled.

Options#

FieldSpacer Interaction

Enables the effect of FieldSpacer object on the Water Mesh object.

Additional Details

Provides additional detail layers for more detailed ripple effect. Enabling the option activates additional detail layers in the Waves Animation set of parameters.

Additional Details state disabled.	Additional Details state enabled.

Caustics

Enables the effect of light rays refraction by the water surface. Enabling the option activates the Caustics set of parameters.

Caustics state disabled	Caustics state enabled

Caustics Distortion

Removes pixelation and makes caustics look smoother. When smoothing is not required, you can disable this option to gain performance.

Caustics Distortion state disabled	Caustics Distortion state enabled

Planar Reflection

If enabled, this state allows using planar reflections on the water surface instead of SSR.
Enabling the option activates a set of Planar Reflection states and Planar Reflection parameters.

Post Processing#

Post processing options activate post processing effects for the material.

DOF — enables the depth of field effect.
Motion blur — enables the motion blur effect.
Sun shafts — enables sun shafts.

Planar Reflection#

This set of states is enabled by toggling on the Planar Reflection option.

Map Size	The size of the planar reflection map, in pixels: the higher the value, the better the quality is. Available sizes of the map are: 128 — creates a reflection image with 128x128 resolution. 256 — creates a reflection image with 256x256 resolution. 512 — creates a reflection image with 512x512 resolution. 1024 — creates a reflection image with 1024x1024 resolution. 2048 — creates a reflection image with 2048x2048 resolution. 4096 — creates a reflection image with 4096x4096 resolution. Quart height — creates a reflection image with the resolution height/4 x height/4, where height is an application window height. Half height — creates a reflection image with the resolution height/2 x height/2, where height is an application window height. Height — creates a reflection image with the resolution height x height, where height is an application window height.
Show Pivot	Displays the pivot plane that shows the direction of reflective surface. By specifying the direction of planar reflection, you can create a reflection surface even if it was exported at an angle.

Map Size

The size of the planar reflection map, in pixels: the higher the value, the better the quality is.
Available sizes of the map are:

128 — creates a reflection image with 128x128 resolution.
256 — creates a reflection image with 256x256 resolution.
512 — creates a reflection image with 512x512 resolution.
1024 — creates a reflection image with 1024x1024 resolution.
2048 — creates a reflection image with 2048x2048 resolution.
4096 — creates a reflection image with 4096x4096 resolution.
Quart height — creates a reflection image with the resolution height/4 x height/4, where height is an application window height.
Half height — creates a reflection image with the resolution height/2 x height/2, where height is an application window height.
Height — creates a reflection image with the resolution height x height, where height is an application window height.

Show Pivot

Displays the pivot plane that shows the direction of reflective surface. By specifying the direction of planar reflection, you can create a reflection surface even if it was exported at an angle.

Textures#

Material window, Textures tab

Foam

This texture specifies foam on water. The engine samples the foam texture twice to create plausibility of the real world foam behavior.
The texture is 3-channeled:

RGB values store the color.

Normal Detail

The Normal Detail map stores normal information required to achieve an additional (detail) effect of Normal Mapping. Normal map helps to create ripples (cat's-paw effect) on the water surface. The texture is 2-channeled: RG values store two components of a surface normal. B value is calculated based on the R and G values in run-time.

With absolutely white normal map	With ripple-simulated normal map

Depth LUT

LUT texture that shows the color of the bottom. Depending on the depth, the engine chooses the color of the water and multiplies it by the depth LUT texture. This generated LUT shows how deep the photon goes through water until completely scattered.
The texture is 4-channeled:

RGB values store color.
A value is used to create "transparent" water near the shore. In other words, it defines the fog density.

Caustic

The 3D Caustic texture determines the pattern of light rays refracted by the water surface.
The texture is 1-channeled:

R value defines the caustics pattern.

Parameters#

Waves Radius#

The Waves Radius parameter sets the radius of waves on the water surface.

Waves Animation#

Waves for the water_mesh material are created by using the Normal Detail map. The engine performs sampling from the map and creates ripples using several detail layers.

There are two base detail layers (Detail 0 and 1), additional ripples (Detail 2-4) are enabled by toggling on the Additional Details parameter.

Each detail layer has the following parameters:

Detail UV Transform	This parameter specifies the transformation of the detail map sampling. The first two values are the scale texture coordinates along the X and Y axes. The third and forth specify the wind force and direction for the U and V axes.
Detail Intensity	This parameter sets the intensity of the sample of the detail normal map.

Foam Parameters#

Patch 0 UV Size	Size of the first foam texture patch.
Patch 0 UV Speed	Speed of the first foam patch.
Patch 1 UV Size	Size of the second foam texture patch.
Patch 1 UV Speed	Speed of the second foam patch.
Shoreline Intensity	Foam intensity near shores or different objects in water.

Subsurface Scattering Parameters#

Color

The water Subsurface Scattering (SSS) color.

Ambient Intensity

Intensity of subsurface scattering for ambient lighting. The lower the value, the faster the light rays dissipate in water.

Intensity Through Waves

Intensity of light rays passing through waves. The lower the value, the faster the light rays dissipate in water.

Intensity Around Foam

Intensity of subsurface scattering near the foam areas.

Diffuse Intensity

Intensity of subsurface scattering for diffuse lighting.

Underwater Parameters#

The Underwater parameters adjust the underwater part of the water_mesh_base material.

The final color of underwater is calculated using the following formula:

Final Color Formula

FinalColor = FogColor * SunLighting^(1/FogSunLighting) + FogColor * EnvLighting^(1/FogEnvLighting)

FogColor, FogSunLighting, and FogEnvLighting are specified in the material. The other parameters (Sun and Environment lighting) are calculated according to the sun lighting and environment lighting of the scene. In fact, this formula defines how the sun and the environment lights affect the final underwater color.

Fog Transparency

The transparency of the underwater fog. The higher the value, the more transparent the underwater fog is.

Fog Transparency: 5.0	Fog Transparency: 30.0

Fog Lighting Depth

The distance from the water surface, in units, up to which the light affects the underwater color.

Lighting Offset

Height offset for lighting.

Fog Color

The underwater fog color. The Sun and Environment lighting affect this parameter to create the final underwater fog color.

Fog Environment Lighting

Degree of impact of the environment lighting on the final underwater color.

Fog Sun Lighting

Degree of impact of the sun lighting on the final underwater color.

Shafts Intensity

Intensity of the underwater sun shafts.

Planar Reflection#

This group of parameters contains Planar Reflection Parameters.

Default#

Material Mask	The material bit mask. The decal can be projected onto the water surface only if the material mask of the decal material matches this mask.

Other#

Reflection Roughness

The environment reflection roughness of the water surface. This parameter helps to tweak reflections on the water surface relative to the environment.

Reflection Occlusion

The occlusion factor for environment reflections on parts of the water surface with negative normals. Using this parameter enables simulation of reflection of waves on the water surface removing too bright areas on waves close to the horizon.

By the minimum value of 0, no occlusion is performed for reflections of waves, no matter what normals the water surface has.
By the higher values, occlusion is performed for reflections on parts of the water surface with negative normals that have a certain slope. The higher the value, the less intensive reflections are on the surface parts with negative normals.