From 06e3dd90c8f8a73b0c45596807b1b89605d0b9f3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dejan Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:14:51 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Added a new page - Custom Water Materials for Non-Naval Scenes --- ...om_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md | 134 ++++++++++++++++++ ...om_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md | 134 ++++++++++++++++++ ...om_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md | 134 ++++++++++++++++++ 3 files changed, 402 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/content/english/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md create mode 100644 docs/content/russian/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md create mode 100644 docs/content/schinese/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md diff --git a/docs/content/english/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md b/docs/content/english/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..affd7ea --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/content/english/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md @@ -0,0 +1,134 @@ ++++ +title = "Custom Water Materials for Non-Naval Scenes" +description = "" +weight = 1 ++++ + +This guide explains how to give a scene its own water look when the Naval DLC macro-displacement renderer is **not** in use — for example, a river ford, a lake, or any land battle with a water body in it. + +--- + +## Overview + +By default every non-naval scene shares a single engine water material called `base_water_scene_default`. That material controls the colour of the water, how light scatters through it, and what the surface looks like. + +You can replace it per-scene with any material that uses the `water_surface` shader. When you do, the engine uses your material instead — and the wave simulation parameters (strength, choppiness, wind direction influence) are no longer overridden by gameplay code, so you can tune them directly in the Scene Inspector. + +> **Naval DLC note:** This override only applies when the Naval DLC macro-displacement renderer is **inactive**. In naval combat missions the override is ignored and the naval pipeline takes over as usual. + +--- + +## Step 1 — Create a Water Material + +1. Open the **Resource Browser** and find `base_water_scene_default`. +2. Duplicate it and give it a clear name, for example `my_module_lake_water`. +3. Open the duplicate in the **Material Inspector**. +4. Verify that the **Shader** field shows `water_surface`. Only materials with this exact shader will appear in the scene's water material picker. + +--- + +## Step 2 — Set the Material on the Scene + +1. Open your scene in the editor. +2. In the **Scene Inspector**, expand the **Water** group. +3. Find the **Non-Naval Water Material Override** field. +4. Click the picker and choose your material. + - The list is filtered to show only `water_surface` materials. + - Leave the field empty to revert to the engine default (`base_water_scene_default`). +5. Save the scene. The override is stored in the scene file and loaded automatically every time the scene is opened in-game or in the editor. + +> +> **Editor preview:** If the Naval DLC is active in your editor session, the **Visibility Manager** panel will show a **"Preview Naval Water Renderer"** checkbox. Make sure this is **unchecked** while working on non-naval water — when it is checked the naval macro-displacement renderer is active and your material override will not be visible. Uncheck it to switch the viewport to the non-naval path and see your material changes live. + +--- + +## Step 3 — Tune the Material + +The two fields that have the most visual impact are in the Material Inspector. Everything else (wave animation, displacement, caustics) is driven by the simulation and cannot be changed per-material. + +### Factor Color — Water Body Color + +This controls how light is absorbed as it travels down through the water. Think of it as the colour the water takes on when it is deep. + +| Channel | What it controls | +| :---- | :---- | +| **R (red)** | How much red light survives at depth. Low \= reds disappear quickly, giving a blue-green tint. | +| **G (green)** | How much green light survives. | +| **B (blue)** | How much blue light survives. High \= clear blue water. | +| **A (alpha)** | How quickly the scattered haze takes over with depth. Low values make the haze appear almost immediately; higher values (0.5–2.0) give a natural depth gradient. | + +**Starting points to try:** + +| Water type | Factor Color (R, G, B, A) | +| :---- | :---- | +| Clear tropical blue | 0.05, 0.35, 0.80, 1.0 | +| Deep dark ocean | 0.02, 0.10, 0.25, 1.5 | +| Murky river | 0.10, 0.50, 0.30, 0.8 | +| Shallow lagoon | 0.15, 0.60, 0.70, 0.5 | +| Swamp / bog | 0.20, 0.35, 0.10, 0.4 | + +> The colour values are in linear space. The Material Inspector displays them converted to sRGB for readability — what you see in the colour picker is approximately what you will see in-game in bright sunlight. + +### Factor2 Color — Underwater Haze / Scatter Color + +This is the tint of the murky glow you see when looking through shallow water at a lit surface below. Think of it as the colour of the water itself rather than what is behind it. + +| Channel | What it controls | +| :---- | :---- | +| **R, G, B** | The haze colour. A good starting point is a lighter, slightly greenish version of your Factor Color. | +| **A (alpha)** | How strongly the haze colour appears near the surface. 0.1–0.3 is a natural range. | + +**Starting points to try:** + +| Water type | Factor2 Color (R, G, B, A) | +| :---- | :---- | +| Clear tropical blue | 0.10, 0.60, 0.50, 0.2 | +| Deep dark ocean | 0.05, 0.20, 0.40, 0.1 | +| Murky river | 0.15, 0.40, 0.20, 0.3 | +| Swamp / bog | 0.20, 0.30, 0.08, 0.35 | + +> Set Factor2 Color to a colour in the same family as Factor Color but lighter and slightly more green or cyan. Very saturated values can look unnatural. + +--- + +## Step 4 — Tune the Scene Wave Settings + +When a custom water material override is active, the gameplay code no longer forces fixed wave parameters onto your scene. The sliders in the **Scene Inspector Water group** now have full effect. + +| Slider | What it does | Suggested range | +| :---- | :---- | :---- | +| **Strength** | Controls how energetic and tall the waves are. Higher \= choppier surface, more foam at the edges. | 0.5–3.0 for rivers and lakes; up to 6–8 for stormy coasts | +| **Choppiness** | Controls the shape of wave peaks. 0 \= smooth rolling waves, 1 \= sharp peaked waves. | 0.3–0.7 for most water bodies | +| **Wind Dependency** | How strongly the waves align with the wind direction. 0 \= waves travel in all directions equally, 1 \= waves strongly follow the wind. | 0.0–0.5 for enclosed water; 0.5–1.0 for open water | + +> Without a material override, **Strength** is forced to 10 and **Wind Dependency** to 0 by the engine regardless of what you set here. The sliders only take effect when a custom material override is assigned. + +--- + +## What Cannot Be Changed per Material + +The following are driven by the engine simulation or the global render pipeline. They are the same for every non-naval water surface in every scene and cannot be overridden by changing the water material. + +- Wave normal maps and displacement (these come from the FFT water simulation) +- Caustics +- Refraction of the scene behind the water + +--- + +## Hot-Reloading in the Editor + +When you save changes to your water material while the scene is open in the editor, the engine detects the change and refreshes the water automatically within a few seconds. You do not need to reload the scene. + +If the water does not update after saving the material, try toggling the **Non-Naval Water Material Override** picker off and back on to force a refresh. + +--- + +## Quick Checklist + +- [ ] Material shader is exactly `water_surface` +- [ ] Override field is set in the Scene Inspector Water group +- [ ] Scene is saved after setting the override +- [ ] Factor Color alpha is above 0.1 (very low values make all water look uniformly hazy) +- [ ] Factor2 Color is in the same colour family as Factor Color but lighter +- [ ] Strength and Choppiness sliders are set to the values you want (they now matter) + diff --git a/docs/content/russian/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md b/docs/content/russian/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..affd7ea --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/content/russian/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md @@ -0,0 +1,134 @@ ++++ +title = "Custom Water Materials for Non-Naval Scenes" +description = "" +weight = 1 ++++ + +This guide explains how to give a scene its own water look when the Naval DLC macro-displacement renderer is **not** in use — for example, a river ford, a lake, or any land battle with a water body in it. + +--- + +## Overview + +By default every non-naval scene shares a single engine water material called `base_water_scene_default`. That material controls the colour of the water, how light scatters through it, and what the surface looks like. + +You can replace it per-scene with any material that uses the `water_surface` shader. When you do, the engine uses your material instead — and the wave simulation parameters (strength, choppiness, wind direction influence) are no longer overridden by gameplay code, so you can tune them directly in the Scene Inspector. + +> **Naval DLC note:** This override only applies when the Naval DLC macro-displacement renderer is **inactive**. In naval combat missions the override is ignored and the naval pipeline takes over as usual. + +--- + +## Step 1 — Create a Water Material + +1. Open the **Resource Browser** and find `base_water_scene_default`. +2. Duplicate it and give it a clear name, for example `my_module_lake_water`. +3. Open the duplicate in the **Material Inspector**. +4. Verify that the **Shader** field shows `water_surface`. Only materials with this exact shader will appear in the scene's water material picker. + +--- + +## Step 2 — Set the Material on the Scene + +1. Open your scene in the editor. +2. In the **Scene Inspector**, expand the **Water** group. +3. Find the **Non-Naval Water Material Override** field. +4. Click the picker and choose your material. + - The list is filtered to show only `water_surface` materials. + - Leave the field empty to revert to the engine default (`base_water_scene_default`). +5. Save the scene. The override is stored in the scene file and loaded automatically every time the scene is opened in-game or in the editor. + +> +> **Editor preview:** If the Naval DLC is active in your editor session, the **Visibility Manager** panel will show a **"Preview Naval Water Renderer"** checkbox. Make sure this is **unchecked** while working on non-naval water — when it is checked the naval macro-displacement renderer is active and your material override will not be visible. Uncheck it to switch the viewport to the non-naval path and see your material changes live. + +--- + +## Step 3 — Tune the Material + +The two fields that have the most visual impact are in the Material Inspector. Everything else (wave animation, displacement, caustics) is driven by the simulation and cannot be changed per-material. + +### Factor Color — Water Body Color + +This controls how light is absorbed as it travels down through the water. Think of it as the colour the water takes on when it is deep. + +| Channel | What it controls | +| :---- | :---- | +| **R (red)** | How much red light survives at depth. Low \= reds disappear quickly, giving a blue-green tint. | +| **G (green)** | How much green light survives. | +| **B (blue)** | How much blue light survives. High \= clear blue water. | +| **A (alpha)** | How quickly the scattered haze takes over with depth. Low values make the haze appear almost immediately; higher values (0.5–2.0) give a natural depth gradient. | + +**Starting points to try:** + +| Water type | Factor Color (R, G, B, A) | +| :---- | :---- | +| Clear tropical blue | 0.05, 0.35, 0.80, 1.0 | +| Deep dark ocean | 0.02, 0.10, 0.25, 1.5 | +| Murky river | 0.10, 0.50, 0.30, 0.8 | +| Shallow lagoon | 0.15, 0.60, 0.70, 0.5 | +| Swamp / bog | 0.20, 0.35, 0.10, 0.4 | + +> The colour values are in linear space. The Material Inspector displays them converted to sRGB for readability — what you see in the colour picker is approximately what you will see in-game in bright sunlight. + +### Factor2 Color — Underwater Haze / Scatter Color + +This is the tint of the murky glow you see when looking through shallow water at a lit surface below. Think of it as the colour of the water itself rather than what is behind it. + +| Channel | What it controls | +| :---- | :---- | +| **R, G, B** | The haze colour. A good starting point is a lighter, slightly greenish version of your Factor Color. | +| **A (alpha)** | How strongly the haze colour appears near the surface. 0.1–0.3 is a natural range. | + +**Starting points to try:** + +| Water type | Factor2 Color (R, G, B, A) | +| :---- | :---- | +| Clear tropical blue | 0.10, 0.60, 0.50, 0.2 | +| Deep dark ocean | 0.05, 0.20, 0.40, 0.1 | +| Murky river | 0.15, 0.40, 0.20, 0.3 | +| Swamp / bog | 0.20, 0.30, 0.08, 0.35 | + +> Set Factor2 Color to a colour in the same family as Factor Color but lighter and slightly more green or cyan. Very saturated values can look unnatural. + +--- + +## Step 4 — Tune the Scene Wave Settings + +When a custom water material override is active, the gameplay code no longer forces fixed wave parameters onto your scene. The sliders in the **Scene Inspector Water group** now have full effect. + +| Slider | What it does | Suggested range | +| :---- | :---- | :---- | +| **Strength** | Controls how energetic and tall the waves are. Higher \= choppier surface, more foam at the edges. | 0.5–3.0 for rivers and lakes; up to 6–8 for stormy coasts | +| **Choppiness** | Controls the shape of wave peaks. 0 \= smooth rolling waves, 1 \= sharp peaked waves. | 0.3–0.7 for most water bodies | +| **Wind Dependency** | How strongly the waves align with the wind direction. 0 \= waves travel in all directions equally, 1 \= waves strongly follow the wind. | 0.0–0.5 for enclosed water; 0.5–1.0 for open water | + +> Without a material override, **Strength** is forced to 10 and **Wind Dependency** to 0 by the engine regardless of what you set here. The sliders only take effect when a custom material override is assigned. + +--- + +## What Cannot Be Changed per Material + +The following are driven by the engine simulation or the global render pipeline. They are the same for every non-naval water surface in every scene and cannot be overridden by changing the water material. + +- Wave normal maps and displacement (these come from the FFT water simulation) +- Caustics +- Refraction of the scene behind the water + +--- + +## Hot-Reloading in the Editor + +When you save changes to your water material while the scene is open in the editor, the engine detects the change and refreshes the water automatically within a few seconds. You do not need to reload the scene. + +If the water does not update after saving the material, try toggling the **Non-Naval Water Material Override** picker off and back on to force a refresh. + +--- + +## Quick Checklist + +- [ ] Material shader is exactly `water_surface` +- [ ] Override field is set in the Scene Inspector Water group +- [ ] Scene is saved after setting the override +- [ ] Factor Color alpha is above 0.1 (very low values make all water look uniformly hazy) +- [ ] Factor2 Color is in the same colour family as Factor Color but lighter +- [ ] Strength and Choppiness sliders are set to the values you want (they now matter) + diff --git a/docs/content/schinese/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md b/docs/content/schinese/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..affd7ea --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/content/schinese/Authoring Mission Scenes/custom_water_materials_for_non_naval_scenes.md @@ -0,0 +1,134 @@ ++++ +title = "Custom Water Materials for Non-Naval Scenes" +description = "" +weight = 1 ++++ + +This guide explains how to give a scene its own water look when the Naval DLC macro-displacement renderer is **not** in use — for example, a river ford, a lake, or any land battle with a water body in it. + +--- + +## Overview + +By default every non-naval scene shares a single engine water material called `base_water_scene_default`. That material controls the colour of the water, how light scatters through it, and what the surface looks like. + +You can replace it per-scene with any material that uses the `water_surface` shader. When you do, the engine uses your material instead — and the wave simulation parameters (strength, choppiness, wind direction influence) are no longer overridden by gameplay code, so you can tune them directly in the Scene Inspector. + +> **Naval DLC note:** This override only applies when the Naval DLC macro-displacement renderer is **inactive**. In naval combat missions the override is ignored and the naval pipeline takes over as usual. + +--- + +## Step 1 — Create a Water Material + +1. Open the **Resource Browser** and find `base_water_scene_default`. +2. Duplicate it and give it a clear name, for example `my_module_lake_water`. +3. Open the duplicate in the **Material Inspector**. +4. Verify that the **Shader** field shows `water_surface`. Only materials with this exact shader will appear in the scene's water material picker. + +--- + +## Step 2 — Set the Material on the Scene + +1. Open your scene in the editor. +2. In the **Scene Inspector**, expand the **Water** group. +3. Find the **Non-Naval Water Material Override** field. +4. Click the picker and choose your material. + - The list is filtered to show only `water_surface` materials. + - Leave the field empty to revert to the engine default (`base_water_scene_default`). +5. Save the scene. The override is stored in the scene file and loaded automatically every time the scene is opened in-game or in the editor. + +> +> **Editor preview:** If the Naval DLC is active in your editor session, the **Visibility Manager** panel will show a **"Preview Naval Water Renderer"** checkbox. Make sure this is **unchecked** while working on non-naval water — when it is checked the naval macro-displacement renderer is active and your material override will not be visible. Uncheck it to switch the viewport to the non-naval path and see your material changes live. + +--- + +## Step 3 — Tune the Material + +The two fields that have the most visual impact are in the Material Inspector. Everything else (wave animation, displacement, caustics) is driven by the simulation and cannot be changed per-material. + +### Factor Color — Water Body Color + +This controls how light is absorbed as it travels down through the water. Think of it as the colour the water takes on when it is deep. + +| Channel | What it controls | +| :---- | :---- | +| **R (red)** | How much red light survives at depth. Low \= reds disappear quickly, giving a blue-green tint. | +| **G (green)** | How much green light survives. | +| **B (blue)** | How much blue light survives. High \= clear blue water. | +| **A (alpha)** | How quickly the scattered haze takes over with depth. Low values make the haze appear almost immediately; higher values (0.5–2.0) give a natural depth gradient. | + +**Starting points to try:** + +| Water type | Factor Color (R, G, B, A) | +| :---- | :---- | +| Clear tropical blue | 0.05, 0.35, 0.80, 1.0 | +| Deep dark ocean | 0.02, 0.10, 0.25, 1.5 | +| Murky river | 0.10, 0.50, 0.30, 0.8 | +| Shallow lagoon | 0.15, 0.60, 0.70, 0.5 | +| Swamp / bog | 0.20, 0.35, 0.10, 0.4 | + +> The colour values are in linear space. The Material Inspector displays them converted to sRGB for readability — what you see in the colour picker is approximately what you will see in-game in bright sunlight. + +### Factor2 Color — Underwater Haze / Scatter Color + +This is the tint of the murky glow you see when looking through shallow water at a lit surface below. Think of it as the colour of the water itself rather than what is behind it. + +| Channel | What it controls | +| :---- | :---- | +| **R, G, B** | The haze colour. A good starting point is a lighter, slightly greenish version of your Factor Color. | +| **A (alpha)** | How strongly the haze colour appears near the surface. 0.1–0.3 is a natural range. | + +**Starting points to try:** + +| Water type | Factor2 Color (R, G, B, A) | +| :---- | :---- | +| Clear tropical blue | 0.10, 0.60, 0.50, 0.2 | +| Deep dark ocean | 0.05, 0.20, 0.40, 0.1 | +| Murky river | 0.15, 0.40, 0.20, 0.3 | +| Swamp / bog | 0.20, 0.30, 0.08, 0.35 | + +> Set Factor2 Color to a colour in the same family as Factor Color but lighter and slightly more green or cyan. Very saturated values can look unnatural. + +--- + +## Step 4 — Tune the Scene Wave Settings + +When a custom water material override is active, the gameplay code no longer forces fixed wave parameters onto your scene. The sliders in the **Scene Inspector Water group** now have full effect. + +| Slider | What it does | Suggested range | +| :---- | :---- | :---- | +| **Strength** | Controls how energetic and tall the waves are. Higher \= choppier surface, more foam at the edges. | 0.5–3.0 for rivers and lakes; up to 6–8 for stormy coasts | +| **Choppiness** | Controls the shape of wave peaks. 0 \= smooth rolling waves, 1 \= sharp peaked waves. | 0.3–0.7 for most water bodies | +| **Wind Dependency** | How strongly the waves align with the wind direction. 0 \= waves travel in all directions equally, 1 \= waves strongly follow the wind. | 0.0–0.5 for enclosed water; 0.5–1.0 for open water | + +> Without a material override, **Strength** is forced to 10 and **Wind Dependency** to 0 by the engine regardless of what you set here. The sliders only take effect when a custom material override is assigned. + +--- + +## What Cannot Be Changed per Material + +The following are driven by the engine simulation or the global render pipeline. They are the same for every non-naval water surface in every scene and cannot be overridden by changing the water material. + +- Wave normal maps and displacement (these come from the FFT water simulation) +- Caustics +- Refraction of the scene behind the water + +--- + +## Hot-Reloading in the Editor + +When you save changes to your water material while the scene is open in the editor, the engine detects the change and refreshes the water automatically within a few seconds. You do not need to reload the scene. + +If the water does not update after saving the material, try toggling the **Non-Naval Water Material Override** picker off and back on to force a refresh. + +--- + +## Quick Checklist + +- [ ] Material shader is exactly `water_surface` +- [ ] Override field is set in the Scene Inspector Water group +- [ ] Scene is saved after setting the override +- [ ] Factor Color alpha is above 0.1 (very low values make all water look uniformly hazy) +- [ ] Factor2 Color is in the same colour family as Factor Color but lighter +- [ ] Strength and Choppiness sliders are set to the values you want (they now matter) +