Soul_Surfer & RenderJunkie
Hey, ever tried to capture the way light dances on surf, like that quick shimmer on a wave at sunset? It’s all about balancing physics and that chill vibe, right?
Hey, yeah, I’ve been chasing that quick shimmer for ages. The trick is treating the surf as a dynamic Fresnel surface. Start with a physical‑based water shader, set the IOR to 1.33, and drive the specular roughness with a wave normal map so the highlight just jumps on the crest. Use a high‑dynamic‑range sun light and a low‑intensity, slightly chromatic sky‑HDR to keep that sunset glow. Don’t forget to bake a low‑res cube‑map for the reflections – the waves only need a few high‑frequency samples. Finally, tweak the gamma on your output so the specular stays sharp without turning the whole frame into a glare. That’s the balance between hard physics and the chill vibe you’re after.