Faking Large scale ocean caustics help

[flipbook]

Hello

I was wondering the best route to faking large scale ocean caustics. I am starting a project which will have wide shots of Islands. Shall be using phoenix for the ocean and after initial tests having a huge caustic radius on the vray sun would work nice for still images. For animation not so good! Flickers like nuts

Anyway would it best to place geometry under the ocean surface and set it to a green colour for example to fake this. Volume fog doesn't work so well without caustics enabled. Here is a real world example (I won't be having it that complex but to give an idea).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cawjkq2pyy...8cf0a.jpg?dl=0

Initial test result is here (This is done have light blue/green geometry under the water which become deeper away from the islands etc.)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qqt9ep9qo6...olume.JPG?dl=0

Thanks!

[flipbook]

Hmm just noticed I was supposed to post in vray general! Anyway testing going ok, playing with Houdini new terrain tools... getting there!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/493v1t2evp...ume2_.JPG?dl=0

[Ivaylo Katev]

i think if the caustic patterns are invisible, and you need them just to lit the underwater geometry, just allow the "affect shadows".
if you need the caustic patterns, you can fake them by a procedural texture (suppose internet is full of recipes based on noise)

[flipbook]

Thanks for the tips Ivaylo.. The current test is modelling the underwater crevices etc to create depth areas and also textured the underwater geo with light blue/green swirl patterns. I think it could work.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/56ij8ye64o...ume3_.JPG?dl=0

[Steve_Green]

If you just want to fake it, could try the standalone caustics generator pro by dualheights.se - It can create looping tiled caustic sequences. Maybe two tiled maps with a noise map to break up the repeats would be your best bet?

[flipbook]

Thanks Steve, I think the approach I'm using is enough, dont need the caustic look I dont think... If any shots go in quite close then yes I should look at that just a realistic depth/shading to the water. I think this modelling/texturing I'm doing should work