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apowell1_M_03 Water Material2.mp4Let's go swimming
Let's go swimming
I've been thinking about water non-stop. Not because I'm thirsty or anything... but because this project was way cooler than I expected! Who knew there were so many ways to manipulate water?!
Reference Summary
Reference Summary
I kind of wanted an Australian outback setting but with clear water so I could really show off what I have been working on.
I figured if I could find an environment like that to download but swap the water material out I could make something cool happen. I think it worked!
Source: https://depositphotos.com/photos/crystal-clear-river-water.html
Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Murray-River
Making Water Properties
Making Water Properties
Off the bat I had to add a few nodes that wouldn't normally come with the default Unreal material package. Here, you can see the Scatter and Absorption nodes which have specific properties to help the water look well...more like water!
Normal Maps
Normal Maps
Next up we have our trustee UVs to layer up and make our material look a bit more interesting! Here I blended two normal maps and added those to the refraction instance that I'll speak more on later.
Adding Refraction
Adding Refraction
Ripples on the outer edge of everything the water touches. Too easy, right? Below I took the actual water refraction light value and combined it with the refraction values of the ripple itself, and blended the two by a very special function that allows you to fully customize the ripple's distance from the shoreline and it's speed.
Bring In The Waves (Ripples)
Bring In The Waves (Ripples)
Next up we have our trustee UVs to layer up and make our material look a bit more interesting! Here I blended two normal maps and added those to the refraction instance that I'll speak more on later.
How About Foam And A Dirty Surface?
How About Foam And A Dirty Surface?
Realism requires some flavor. Mind you, taste testing this foam and dirt might not be the best flavor..but it does look good!
Final Build
Final Build
Here is what everything should look like put together.
Feature Demonstration
Feature Demonstration
apowell1_M_03 Water Material.mp4Conclusion
Conclusion
Although it was a challenge for me, I'm happy with the results. I was able to achieve the effect I wanted and make it look half-decent. I'm excited to see how I can apply the lessons learned on this to other water-type materials. Let's make... a waterfall!
apowell1_M_03 Water Material2.mp4Page updated
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