dynamic waveset ripples

[Jojon]

Unless I misunderstand, your depth is decided by the unseen waveset geometry -- the less it is offset on the Z-axis, from the object centre, the shallower the water is and the more transparent it will get (unless you swap start and end values ;), so you will need to make it more or less follow the ground, rather than using a simple plane - the depth could be seen as an alpha here.. :P

A bit of clarification, would be appreciated, if anyone feels inclined/confident: does this mean that opacity/reflectivity/wave_height is decided by the geometry strictly perpendicular to the surface, rather than distance travelled dependent on viewing angle, as one might expect for the first two?

Ah, also: what is the terms regarding Z-sorting here? During my first and only attempt so far, I would see through all the way down to ZOffs=0, for stuff on the opposite side of the surface, regardless of the ZOffs of the material I slapped onto the waveset object...

[Nadnerb]

D'lanor: you misunderstand completely. The mesh you make in blender is supposed to be not flat. The difference between waterheight and the actual location of the vertex in Z is the "depth" I'm speaking of. Smaller depth means more transparent. More transparent carries over to the decals. The decals will always appear above waterheight by a small amount. You cannot change that. You can make them transparent at the edges of the waveset so you can't tell, if you follow the instructions and make your waveset transparent at the edges by varying it's depth.

Varying depth is not a default. It doesn't work like that. You want it, and you have to put it there yourself in order to get transparent edges.

Jojon:
WaterHeight = Object Center Z
Depth = WaterHeight - Vertex Z
Alpha (or refl or waveheight) = (Depth - start) / (end - start)

[D'Lanor]

D'lanor: you misunderstand completely. The mesh you make in blender is supposed to be not flat.

Any non-flat waveset mesh fails to show up on my GPU. And I am not the alone in that. Now what is that Cyan magic that makes their non-flat wavesets work on my system? Or are the wavesets implemented incorrectly in PyPRP?

Or do you mean by not-flat that I have to put the object center above the geometry? That I have done.

[Nadnerb]

I don't know. Why don't you go poke them and find out.

All I'm pointing out is that the Z distance between the geometry and the object center determines the transparency of the waveset surface, and that this transparency value affects the ripple decals that are applied to it.

For one thing, it would be very hard for this to be implemented wrong in pyprp. The mesh that the waveset modifies is the same as any other, and is exported no differently. (except for being placed in a span where shadows won't be cast on it) All that is happening is you are plugging in all the object variables that are written directly to the file in that enormous alcscript. That is the entirety of the object. Any problems are most likely caused by strange values. We haven't tested every possible combination, ever. You're welcome to.

[Jojon]

Any non-flat waveset mesh fails to show up on my GPU. And I am not the alone in that. Now what is that Cyan magic that makes their non-flat wavesets work on my system?

Maybe it is just so shallow you don't get visibility? In that case, either decreasing the effect values (start - end), or lowering the vertices further down, right through the ground, if necessary, might give you results...

Thanks for the answer Nad! -Vertical, regardless of viewing angle it is, then.

EDIT: DE-crease - depth, not "strength"... :7

[Nadnerb]

Yes... Mostly. the Vertex depth determines the vertex alpha, reflectivity, and waveheight, but an additional factor is applied to alpha. When viewed from above, the waveset should become transparent, and when viewed from an oblique angle, it should become more opaque. (up to it's depth alpha value)

[Jojon]

Yes... Mostly. the Vertex depth determines the vertex alpha, reflectivity, and waveheight, but an additional factor is applied to alpha. When viewed from above, the waveset should become transparent, and when viewed from an oblique angle, it should become more opaque. (up to it's depth alpha value)

Ah, goodie! Stubbornly wish-thinking, I'll still check next time I go age-a-visiting, whether there might not also be the inverse effect on reflectivity, after all... :7