Height Ripples adds a wave effect parallel to the shoreline, as well as adding extra ripples to the TG's water, which can look quite effective. Unlike the other plugins, this was actually written by Matt Fairclough, as sample code for the PDK. However I thought it would appeal to a lot of people, so I've taken it and repackaged it in WaterWorks.
The results of Height Ripples are somewhat unpredictable, but generally look pretty good. Height Ripples certainly isn't the last word in adding waves ( well, waves approaching the shore ) and the like to TG images, but for such an easy to use plugin, it can certainly enhance images.
The Interface
Mac version Windows version Height Ripples is very easy to use, as it just has the one setting :
- Scale Value
The Scale Value setting lets you control the height of the ripples. The Scale Value acts as a multiplier. The default setting is 1.0, this basically leaves the height unmodified and gives the same results as the previous version of Height Ripples which didn't have an interface. This is because any number multiplied by one is the same, i.e. 1.5 x 1 = 1.5. To make the ripples twice as high, use a value of 2, as of course multiplying something by 2 doubles it, i.e. 1.5 x 2 = 3. To make them half as large you would use a value of 0.5, i.e. 1.5 x 0.5 = 0.75.
Tips for using Height Ripples
Here are some hints and tips to help you get the most out of Ripples :
- Height Ripples tends to give pretty poor results with water roughness and size settings that are near the upper and lower ends of their ranges. Lower settings tend to give what someone has described as a "shattered" appearance. With rougher water settings, Height Ripples can start to make the water surface look blocky, especially if you're looking down on the water from quite high. From a lesser angle it isn't so noticeable, but you may see some straight edges in the water.
Requirements
WaterWorks needs the TGPGuiLib to run. This file provides cross platform interface functionality. To find out more about the TGPGuiLib and download the latest version, visit it's website.
© Jo Meder 2000, all rights reserved
