Shader Recipes: Rendering Underwater Caustics in Maya
In this series of lessons, we will discuss different methods for simulating the effect of caustic patterns created by moving water. Software required: Maya 2010 or higher.
What you'll learn
In this series of lessons, we will discuss different methods for simulating the effect of caustic patterns created by moving water. We will begin by exploring caustic photons in mental ray, and how they can realistically interact with a water surface to create refracted bands of light. From there, we will explore an alternative method for simulating caustics which is much more efficient, especially when working with large, open bodies of water. Software required: Maya 2010 or higher.
Table of contents
About the author
Kyle was one of the first authors for Digital-Tutors, now a Pluralsight company. and has been a part of the team for over 10 years. Kyle began his career in computer graphics education as a college instructor and worked as a Digital-Tutors rendering tutor and curriculum manager since 2002. Kyle has contributed to many of the most popular projects and helped the Digital-Tutors team win awards throughout the company's history. Kyle has had the honor of having his art exhibited at the New York ... more