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Water
 
 
 

Simulates linear water waves, concentric water ripples (like an object falling into water), or a combination of waves and ripples. Use as a bump or displacement map to simulate water, or as a color map to simulate light reflections or refractions from a water surface.

Find this texture in the Create bar. To apply this texture as a texture map, see Map a 2D or 3D texture.

Number Of Waves

The number of linear waves in the texture. The valid range is 0 to 100. The slider range is 0 to 32. The default is 8.

Tip
  • For water ripples with no linear waves, set Number Of Waves to 0.
  • To combine linear waves with concentric ripples, set Number Of Waves to a low number (1 to 3).
Wave Time

Controls the appearance of the waves over time. The range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.

The wave effect is similar to the waves produced from a boat—the waves start at a point with a certain velocity and amplitude. This is time zero. As time increases, the waves travel to shore and the appearance changes (velocity and amplitude decrease). To simulate moving waves, animate the Wave Time value. The waves move as this value increases. Maya determines the wave speed by the Wave Velocity value and the rate at which you animate the Wave Time value.

Wave Velocity

The wave speed. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The range is 0 to 1. The default is 1.

Wave Amplitude

Scales the wave height. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.05.

Fast

An optimization for the Water texture. When on, Maya computes the color tables once per frame. When off, Maya computes the color tables for every sample.

TipThe only time you might turn this off is when water is viewed close-up in the final scene.
Wave Frequency

Controls the distance between primary waves. The higher the value, the shorter the distance. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 20. The default is 4.

Sub Wave Frequency

Controls the distance between secondary waves that ride on top of primary waves (for example, white caps). The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.125.

Smoothness

Controls the intensity of secondary waves. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 5. The default is 2.

Wind UV

The strength of wind in the U and V directions (which determines the overall direction of the linear wave pattern). The range is from -1 to 1. The default for U is 1. The default for V is 0.

Concentric Ripple Attributes

Control the appearance of concentric water ripples. The Concentric Ripple attributes do not affect the linear wave component of the texture.

Ripple Time

Controls the appearance of ripples over time. The range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.

For example, imagine a water droplet falling into a glass of still water—at time 0 there is no ripple since the droplet has not touched the surface of the water. As the time attribute increases to a value greater than 0, the droplet has fallen onto the water surface and the ripple wave effect simulates the effect on the water in the glass at that point in time. When time has reached a value of 1, the effect of the droplet on the water surface is nearly complete and the water in the glass becomes still again.

To simulate moving water ripples, animate the Ripple Time value. The ripples move as this value increases. The actual speed of the ripples is determined by the Group Velocity value and the rate at which you animate the Ripple Time value.

Ripple Frequency

Controls the distance between individual ripples. The higher the value, the shorter the distance. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 20. The default is 25.

Ripple Amplitude

Scales the height of the ripples. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.05.

Drop Size

The mass of the droplet that starts the water ripples. A Drop Size value of 0 produces no ripple effect because the droplet has no mass. As the Drop Size value increases, the mass of the drop increases, causing a greater ripple effect. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.3.

Ripple Origin

The location of the center of the ripples along U and V directions. The range is from 0 to 1. The default is 0.5.

Group Velocity

The speed of the primary ripple. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default is 1.

Phase Velocity

The speed of sub-ripples. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 10. The default is 2.5.

Spread Start

Degree of effect a droplet has on a still water surface at time 0. A concentric ripple starts as a point of disturbance in space (defined by the Ripple Origin values) when the Ripple Time value is 0. The size of the disturbance at time 0 is determined by the Spread Start value. The greater the value, the greater the effect of the disturbance at time 0. The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.005.

Spread Rate

Rate at which the primary ripple breaks into sub-ripples. (As a ripple expands outward, it breaks up into sub-ripples.) The valid range is 0 to infinity. The slider range is 0 to 1. The default is 0.3.

Reflection Box

Activates an imaginary reflective bounding box ripples can reflect off. Reflection Box is off by default. (This effect can slow down the render speed.)

Box Min, Box Max

Defines the bounding box in the U and V directions. If Reflection Box. is off, these attributes have no effect. The range is 0 to 1. The default for Box Min is 0; the default for Box Max is 1.

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