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Best water shader/packages for mobile and high-end?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by VisCircle, Jun 15, 2015.

  1. VisCircle

    VisCircle

    Joined:
    May 4, 2015
    Posts:
    43
    Hi!

    We need a water shader for a mobile project and - later on - for a high quality PC project.
    All we need are simple/plain shaders that allow us to easily create different settings. We're not looking for a complex water system! The mobile one has the highest priority.

    The Unity water packages do not meet our requirements. The simple water shader doesn't support a cubemap.
    We didn't have any luck in the Asset Store either so far. Most of the time our technical requirements and our visual needs weren't fulfilled.

    Mobile:
    • Fast(!)
    • Easy to tweak
    • Cubemap support
    • Fresnel reflections
    • Multiple lights
    High-End:
    • Pretty
    • Realistic waves (That do not tile visibly on large areas)
    • Visible depth
    • Edge fade-out
    • DirectX 9 compatible
    • Easy to tweak
    Any suggestions and experience reports are much appreciated! :)


    Edit: We came up with our own solution for the mobile water. (continue here).
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2015
  2. VisCircle

    VisCircle

    Joined:
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    Looks like this is more of a problem than we thought...

    Thanks to everybody who looked into this matter. We will have to work on our own solution.
     
  3. Yash987654321

    Yash987654321

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    Posts:
    729
    I bet the best shader will be in someone's mind
     
  4. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    Well, we can only hope we're pretty close to that with our shader. ;)

    Still work-in-progress though. We made sure to keep it as simple as possible for mobile and low-end devices.
    Currently supports up to 8 lights with almost no drop in performance!

    VisWater_01.jpg

    VisWater_02.jpg

    VisWater_03.jpg

    We're also working on additional preset, so we can use it in other projects.

    VisWater_04.jpg
     
    ilmario, TooManySugar, Ryiah and 5 others like this.
  5. Deleted User

    Deleted User

    Guest

    Looks good to me..

    Could do with caps and foam though ;).
     
  6. Dustin-Horne

    Dustin-Horne

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2013
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    4,568
    On an unrelated note, I love the terrain look you have. Is that RTP or another triplanar shader you're using on the cliffs?
     
  7. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    May 4, 2015
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    @ShadowK
    Thanks! We're still working on the high-end version. That will feature mesh deformation and probably foam.


    @Dustin Horne
    Actually the Terrain is unwrapped by hand. A bit more work-intensive, but it gave us more control.

    Edit: Thanks to everybody who looked into this matter. I think we found our solution. ;)
    I'll put more pictures into the showcase sub-forum, where they belong.

    http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/mobile-low-end-water-package.338196/
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2015
  8. Yash987654321

    Yash987654321

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    are you planning to sell this on asset store? This looks great
     
  9. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    We did not plan to publish it on the Asset Store, but if enough people are interested in it I don't see why we shouldn't publish it.
     
    derkoi and schmosef like this.
  10. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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  11. ttdrom

    ttdrom

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    Jul 29, 2015
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    Hi,

    this looks great for mobile!
    Do you also working on the high end water? I had no luck in the asset store for now. :(

    regards
     
  12. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    Hi! We're done with the High-End water for our project now. Next thing is to make it more flexible for future projects. Maybe add a few features. We still have a bunch of options to improve the current version.

    This is our current version:
    high-end_water_dx9_01.jpg

    high-end_water_dx9_02.jpg
     
  13. Slyder

    Slyder

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    Oct 17, 2013
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    270
    Damn...that makes me want to dive in
     
    mrtkhosravi and VisCircle like this.
  14. ttdrom

    ttdrom

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    WOW this looks great!
    I would like to sse it in motion.
     
  15. Whippets

    Whippets

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    1,775
    wave cap foam, edge foam + splash particles, smooth beach edge, and caustics for underneath - other than that it looks great. If it's still low load after all of that, it'll be a winner :)


    I should add, LOVE the colour drop as the water gets deeper.
     
    Benni_S likes this.
  16. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    Since the terrain was not intended for a closer view, we have not been adding foam to the coastline yet. As for the water surface the main goal was open but kind of calm water. Foam would not work that good on this type of water. But as said before, if there is an interest for this water we may think about a further development including your suggestions.

    Caustics are already working.
    screen31-07-2015_10-34-41.jpg

    The smooth beach edge also works fine already.
    screen31-07-2015_11-44-20.jpg

    screen31-07-2015_10-37-14.jpg

    We are working on a video of the actual project so there is a animation preview yet to come.
     
    erenaydin likes this.
  17. Whippets

    Whippets

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    I'm almost sold on this sea/lake product. It's looking very good indeed.
     
  18. AdamGoodrich

    AdamGoodrich

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    Fantastic!
     
  19. I am da bawss

    I am da bawss

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    This looks very interesting indeed. Will keep an eye out for this.
     
    VisCircle likes this.
  20. Reanimate_L

    Reanimate_L

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    This one need a detailed WIP thread :D just as your mobile ocean
     
    VisCircle likes this.
  21. Zac-Yeates

    Zac-Yeates

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    Jan 23, 2015
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    Reminds me of when I was in Hawaii. Do you plan on adding waves?
     
    VisCircle likes this.
  22. lebo47

    lebo47

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    are you going to publish this?
     
    VisCircle, Gua and Whippets like this.
  23. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    Sorry for the long delay.

    We've gotten a lot of requests to release the water and are now working on it. Starting with the mobile water shader.
    There are still a few improvements we want to include.
     
    Whippets likes this.
  24. Whippets

    Whippets

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    Cracking guys, good water is something we all need XD
     
    VisCircle likes this.
  25. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    Then we shall deliver just that. ;)

    Is a version for Unity 4 still interesting?

    There will be a Unity 5 package anyway.
     
  26. Whippets

    Whippets

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    What's Unity 4?
     
    Enrico Monese and hippocoder like this.
  27. hippocoder

    hippocoder

    Digital Ape

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    Don't know, some sort of rubbish antique plastic thing?
     
  28. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    Some people like to stick to the good old Unity 4, no? ;)

    Well, I don't mind supporting Unity 5 only.
     
  29. joshua-lyness

    joshua-lyness

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    is there any hope of this getting released? I suck at making water and I need some high-end mobile oceans! I just have no idea how to make anything like that. Crie :_(
     
  30. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    The mobile/fast version of the water shader has been released and is generating a lot of downloads!
    We have gotten a lot of requests for the next version and will implement the most requested features with the next version.

    If you think something is still missing, feel free to request it in the forum, via message, or by mail.
    We are collecting every bit of feedback.

    Link to the asset:
    https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/shaders/uwater-fast-water-shader-63706

    If you use uWater in your game or application, please consider sending us a screenshot. :)
     
  31. angrypenguin

    angrypenguin

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    Sweet. Any word on the high end version?
     
    VisCircle likes this.
  32. VisCircle

    VisCircle

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    It is basically ready and just needs to be cleaned-up. There may be a few final tweaks required when we import it into the latest version of Unity.

    We will get back to it, but probably not in April. For now we focus on the uWater mobile/fast package to make it as perfect as it can be.
     
  33. h111030nehs

    h111030nehs

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    Great asset, is there going to be an oval shaped one?
     
  34. Migueljb

    Migueljb

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    Any news on this working in mobile VR with single pass rendering in 2017.3 or above?
     
  35. zhuoliang233

    zhuoliang233

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    Amazing! And could i get this material ?
     
  36. jh2

    jh2

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    Feb 21, 2018
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    87
    Hello. I purchased this asset and it works very well. The performance of my app has improved drastically. I have one problem though. The edge of the water, when it meets the shore, shakes violently, or flickers a lot. I attempted to e-mail the developer but received no response.

    Edit: could this be related to z-fighting? I notice where the water meets some areas of the shore there is no flickering, maybe that part of the shore is just higher than the water? The problem only occurs when I build and run the app on the mobile device, not in the Unity editor.
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2019
  37. ROBYER1

    ROBYER1

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    Did you ever figure this out?
     
  38. tree_arb

    tree_arb

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    Dec 30, 2019
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    This shader asset still working? Im looking for a fast water shader for mobile
     
  39. tree_arb

    tree_arb

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    I bought this and yes, its still excellent and fast on mobile (im using old render pipline)