I have a question to all those POV-Ray-Cracks:
I'd like to render a scene which contains a lake. My problem is I have no
idea how to produce natural looking waves. Has anyone ideas how to do? With
heightfields or the ripples pattern?

Dominik Herrmann

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Dominik Herrmann wrote in message <6gn6l7$60q$1@oz.aussie.org>...
>I have a question to all those POV-Ray-Cracks:
>I'd like to render a scene which contains a lake. My problem is I have no
>idea how to produce natural looking waves. Has anyone ideas how to do? With
>heightfields or the ripples pattern?
>
>Dominik Herrmann
>
>


Both work - but in different circumstances. Ripple pattern works and are
easy to do - not so much with the pigment, but you might try rippling the
normals. However this only LOOKS like ripples. If you render close to the
water, it becomes obvious that the water is really flat. Height fields is
something I haven't tried - although I don't see why it wouldn't work - and
it would actually produce 3D ripples.
     All this only makes ripples however. If you want WAVES - that's a whole
new kettle of fish, and one I'm not sure how you'd crack. Waves are pretty
complex shapes really

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"Charles Krause" <osi### [at] cheerfulcom> wrote:

>
>Dominik Herrmann wrote in message <6gn6l7$60q$1@oz.aussie.org>...
>>I have a question to all those POV-Ray-Cracks:
>>I'd like to render a scene which contains a lake. My problem is I have no
>>idea how to produce natural looking waves. Has anyone ideas how to do? With
>>heightfields or the ripples pattern?
>>
>>Dominik Herrmann
>>
>>
>
>
>Both work - but in different circumstances. Ripple pattern works and are
>easy to do - not so much with the pigment, but you might try rippling the
>normals. However this only LOOKS like ripples. If you render close to the
>water, it becomes obvious that the water is really flat. Height fields is
>something I haven't tried - although I don't see why it wouldn't work - and
>it would actually produce 3D ripples.
>     All this only makes ripples however. If you want WAVES - that's a whole
>new kettle of fish, and one I'm not sure how you'd crack. Waves are pretty
>complex shapes really
>
>

I've read somewhere that some of the computer animated oceans in James
Cameron's "Titanic" were based on some pretty complicated algorithms
which the military developed - apparently they made a detailed study
of the physical characteristics of water, and then converted them into
complex mathematical formulae. (sp?). This probably doesn't help your
problem, but it's some interesting trivia...  :)
 /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
|               A Message From Andy  (and### [at] melbpcorgau)            |
|                   No stupid proverbs or sayings inc.                |
 \.................................................................../

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Here's some code that I used that made a nice smooth sea.  It might help.

   #declare SeaHeight = -16.3
   plane
   {
      y, SeaHeight
      texture
      {
         T_Chrome_2D          // This is in one of the standard include
files:
                                            // METALS.inc maybe.
         normal
         {
            waves 0.07
            frequency 50.0
            scale 600.0
         }
      }
   }

Dominik Herrmann wrote in message <6gn6l7$60q$1@oz.aussie.org>...
>I have a question to all those POV-Ray-Cracks:
>I'd like to render a scene which contains a lake. My problem is I have no
>idea how to produce natural looking waves. Has anyone ideas how to do? With
>heightfields or the ripples pattern?
>
>Dominik Herrmann
>
>

Post a reply to this message

Dominik Herrmann wrote:
> 
> I have a question to all those POV-Ray-Cracks:
> I'd like to render a scene which contains a lake. My problem is I have no
> idea how to produce natural looking waves. Has anyone ideas how to do? With
> heightfields or the ripples pattern?

Both work but what do you mean by realistic? Waves near shore are
different than far out and conform to the shoreline. If that is
the problem, that is almost undoable. 

Undoable is a standard form of challenge so that someone will do
it.

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