Animated Waves in V3

[sgreen91 182]

I heard LM is buying ship simulator series. This should make the water lovers happy. That's why they don't make wave animation, they want you to buy the ship series for wave animation.

[snglecoil 1,828]

I'm sorry, I mean the FSX water animation that is so beloved

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

I'm sorry, I mean the FSX water animation that is so beloved

 

Well it looks like FSX is nothing to write home about - this is all I could find that was half way decent and it looks pretty stag-nit to me - if an FSX user can provide something that would be nice - I thought it was better but been so long since I have used Fsx - P3D looking much better to me after my search

 

[Slayer 190]

I assume that everyone that is complaining has checked that they have tessellation turned on, water set to ultra and enough wind to actually make the waves? because you wont see it otherwise. If you are lamenting the crummy fake whitecaps that FSX had, well those are gone forever and won't be coming back. 

[irrics 1,517]

Waves/ocean/water in general still looks very unrealistic at altitude.  

 

Sucks for the PNW flying (among many other spots obviously)

[Guest]

Surface winds specifically are needed (winds can be layered) ... maybe one's weather engine of choice isn't generating the surface winds that governed much of their movement?

 

Also the wave height is governed by depth, for example in the SF Bay a 24Kts surface wind will show less wave activity than if I'm 30 miles out in the Pacific ocean.

 

I'm seeing wave motion all the way up to 18,000 feet, it's difficult to see but if you zoom in to the ocean you can see the motion.

 

As far as REX 3 ... I didn't think it supported P3D waves ... I thought you needed REX 4 for that ... maybe REX folks can chime in?

 

But I found this video (not mine) of what you can do with waves in P3D: 

 

 

I'd like to say more ... but well, I can't.

 

Anyway, waves do work as expected in V3, suggest those having issues check:

 

1.  Wave textures you're using

2.  Weather engine you're using (make sure it's generating surface winds)

3.  Be sure to have Water = Ultra

4.  As I recall Bathemetry option may also impact wave motion/heights

 

Cheers, Rob.

[snglecoil 1,828]

Ok that FSX video jogged my memory. Thanks for digging that up Richard! 

 

So in my real-world flying, I agree with Bob. You just don't get much apparent movement once you get a couple thousand feet up.  However...on a windy day you do see white caps come and go. While P3D does a good job with sun reflections, I think what the water animation is missing are those white caps.  FSX does it (and REX does a lot to help the stock animation), but my eyes really pick up on the repeating pattern in the effect. Still, it's not bad. I'm betting if P3D could implement a white cap effect in the wave animation that would really satisfy a lot of people.

[WarpD 824]

As I don't have FSX installed, could someone post a video that shows off its water animation at altitude?

Here is in Prepar3D at ~2500ft:

 

[stufer 30]

This is something I mentioned on the ORBX forums yesterday but if you are using REX4 then try the very last wave animation which is called Photo Realistic. In P3D I think this looks stunning - far better than anything I ever had in FSX under DX9 or DX10. Something to try if you use REX4.

[Christopher Low 5,353]

 

Having lived and flown very close to the Atlantic ocean ( I lived 300 feet from the beach for years) , and seeing waves and swells that maybe average say 5-10 feet typically, how visible is that going to be when you are flying at say 2500 feet or about 1/2 mile above  the surface?

 

It isn't the wave height that I am bothered about. It's the movement of the water (and the light reflections due to that motion) that are important. I appreciate that some people are probably tired of reading my comments about the water, but it matters to me.

 

 

Here is in Prepar3D at ~2500ft:

 

OMG, Ed! That is unbelievable! Now I really know that something is wrong with my water in P3D. I have it set to Ultra, but changing the wind speed has no effect whatsoever. My water textures (even at 500 feet) are completely static.

 

If I could only be sure that REX4 would solve this problem for me, I would buy it in a heartbeat!

 

 

EDIT: Apologies for my first post in this thread. I was in "frustrated mode" last night :blush:

[ErichB 3,642]

Let's just wait it out until 3.1 as LM have indicated that there will be significant improvements to water.   

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

Good stuff Guys thanks for the info

[MikeT707 1,181]

 

OMG, Ed! That is unbelievable! Now I really know that something is wrong with my water in P3D. I have it set to Ultra, but changing the wind speed has no effect whatsoever. My water textures (even at 500 feet) are completely static.

 

Do you have tessellation all the way up? 

[Christopher Low 5,353]

I have Tessellation set to HIGH. However, I have tried all settings, and it does not make any difference.

[Jim Young 2,356]

Special effects have to be turned up too.