How to create good looking water texture?

heyas... im trying to get a decent spec map going for water,

Ok i know btb/rbr dosent do reflections..etc.. but im trying to get this effect
http://habibs.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/specular_40.jpg
Ignore the reflections, its the highlights on the water i want.

I have already made a decent looking water texture, using alpha transparency, with a diffuse texture, and bumpmap.. the only thing its missing are those highlights.
I have made a spec map.. but its looking.. um, not sure how to describe it.. kinda flat and matt looking.. its certainly not reflecting the way i want it.

here are a few things ive tried in ps:
http://www.fractalscapes.net/designs/btb/island/45.jpg

and an example of the best i can get it looking in rbr
http://www.fractalscapes.net/designs/btb/island/46.jpg

Ive done spec for general 3d work before, but I haven't done this in a while and I forget the best way of making a spec map.. Im not sure if its my spec map or a btb/rbr thing.

anyway, if anyone has any good methods, it would be great.
In fact, if anyone has any good suggestions to get a nice looking ocean in general it may be helpful also. Im finding it a challenge to get it looking just as good high up on terrain looking out onto the horizon, but have it look just as good upclose.. (without getting those distance tiling distortions)...
Right now, i have a 2046map spanning the whole ocean object (so when looking into the distance it gives detail.. and a 2nd water plane with the near detail (wave bump and spec).. Both objects have 40% opacity for the diffuse.
 
Can you not use a modifcation of your sky texture as the env / spec map?

Adjust the levels in Photoshop so that that highlights stand out and the bump map should take care of the rest.
 
Yeah, I have the same problem, just I still didn't get to my water.. But I was looking the great textures, however the first shot you posted of what you want it to look like, actually that one has cube map assigned to it.. It's evident, and that's the catch! As I hear it's not possible to do it in BTB, then its not =( It's all apparently done in 3dsimed..

I think I'll do something similar to yours, cause I don't really care about quality that much.. Maybe in some later graphics improvement release =)

I mean... This is crazy..

Another question.. Does anyone know how to make texture like that moving, animated?
 
Hi folks
.
Nice suggestions, but unfortunately i wasn't talking about actual reflections per-say, RBR cant do that.
My aim was to make the spec (aligned with bump) give off highlights (on the crests of the bumps).. to give the impression of reflection.. however I realise now after trying to many things that RBR must simply have a weak spec shader. There is spec being generated, but its flat and matt, there are no sharp highlights with rbr (ive also looked at other ppls tracks, and ive never seen spec highlights like the pic i showed you above"

heres another example of what i wanted
3716139.jpg

please note, im not talking about actual reflection.. of sky. objects..etc I just mean specular



I tried exaggerating the "white" streaks in my spec map right up to 255,255,255 and the non spec areas at 0,0,0 .. there is a spec effect but its so subtle its hardly worth using.

I think i will get rfactor soon, im getting tired of all these rbr limitations :p (but i still love the game)



EDIT .. um, well ya know, perhaps i know why im not getting the sharp highlights.. the material is actually on a semi transparent water plane (so im using alpha in my diffuse map 64% opacity).. perhaps the specular is effected by alpha of diffuse?..
I wanted it semi-transparent beacuse when you are close to the coast.. i wanted you to be able to see the terrain under the water, but at 64% opacity. .. But its only the diffuse that has alpha.. not bump or spec
 
Hard lol,i can only think on one thing,take pictures of real water surface and animate it...Or make your own in PS...BUT,how big is the area you want to cover?If you look to the sea from water level it is ok,but if you go higher,you need to see more water=bad for fps...And you should put 10000 LOD in BTB.Il try to make something to look atleast BIT better lol.In a couple of days...Some stuff to do -_-
 
One trick that I've seen used is to have two layers to the water. Top layer is translucent and has the reflections, but the bottom layer provides most of the water color.

For rFactor, I'm not sure if that would work with a BINK animation to generate wave motion.
 
Did you get anywhere with the water / ocean material?

heyas.. well sort of, but not really.. heh... i was tying to make it for rbr, so most of this thread is in context to rf. rbr dosent have thoses sorts of texture options im afraid. But I did find something that will work, its no way as good as what you can do with rf, but im happy with what i have.

Anyway I recently got rfactor so plan to make some tracks for it soon enough.
No doubt this thread will come in useful then., and thanks for the suggestions everyone :)



amazing looking water ehrelc, I am thinking though, is it necessary to use so many frames since its only a tile loop?
 

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