How do you create a parabolic ripple (boat wake) for use with caustics?

[Brian Charles]

Have you tried using 2 producer points and an angled line wave shape? Since WW’s perpective is always from above, I assume that you are looking down on the boat.

[Matthew Woods]

Hi Brian,

I have been experimenting with your suggestion, but can’t seem to get it to do anything. The “Line” wave shapes seem to me to be pretty similar to the “Ring” shapes, just with a slightly elongated center. Using two emiters doesn’t seem to do anything for me either. They just create weird interfierance patterns between them. The best results I have gotten, have been by moving the emitter. This would be fine for a locked background with the boat moving through it, but in this case, the camera is locked on the boat, and the background is moving past. The angle isn’t top down, but I have a 3d layer in perspective to simulate the water surface.

-Matt

[Brian Charles]

Perhaps Wave World isn’t the appropriate effect. Have you tried Psunami?

[Mike Clasby]

This might work for you. Effect > CC Lightsweep, with half the screen masked of (say left half), then animate the center so you get half you “V” boat wake going bottom to top (for my example). The light intensity/width is adjustable for a future displacement map. Make another layer, masking the other side, changing the angle, and even linking centers (via pickwhip expression). You can change the straight edge hard “V” with Wave Warp on an adjustment layer above (interesting results). Pull this comp into your water surface comp and use it as a displacement map (Distort > Displacement Map). It seems to work.

[Jeff Memmer]

Did you create a triangle gradient and use that as your “ground” source file for the waves to interact with??

Once you place the ground source file in wave world, be sure to increase the steapness so that the water actually interacts with the ground shape. They create a very similar effect in the Total Training video for waveworld using various gradients as the ground file, then moving the “producer” around on the screen.

[Chris Zwar]

Hi Matt,

I had to do this recently, but it didn’t need to be photo-real. I tried using WaveWorld but gave up. I ended up drawing a parabola on a 50% grey solid and then applied several warping effects such as turbulent displace and wave warp. It worked fine for my needs, and is quick enough for you to give it a go, but may be a bit too cartoony.

-Chris

Motion Graphics Designer
Will animate for food