GPU Gems: Programming Techniques, Tips and Tricks for Real-Time Graphics

Chapter 2. Rendering Water Caustics

Juan Guardado NVIDIA

Daniel Sánchez-Crespo Universitat Pompeu Fabra/Novarama Technology

Introduction

There is something hypnotic about the way water interacts with light: the subtle reflections and refractions, the way light bends to form dancing caustics on the bottom of the sea, and the infinitely varied look of the ocean surface. See Figure 2-1. These phenomena and their complexity have attracted many researchers from the fields of physics and, in recent years, computer graphics. Simulating and rendering realistic water is, like simulating fire, a fascinating task. It is not easy to achieve good results at interactive frame rates, and thus creative approaches must often be taken.

Courtesy of Jos Stam

Figure 2-1. Examples ...