Tidal Body
TidalBody is the main scene component that represents a single
water surface. It owns mesh generation (Ocean or Lake), references a shared
TidalCompute, and coordinates subsystems such as zones, volumes,
planar reflections, and underwater rendering.
Responsibilities
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Mesh Generation | Creates either an infinite clipmap ocean or a bounded lake mesh. |
| Rendering | Applies the assigned Tidal Surface material. |
| Simulation | References a TidalCompute that drives FFT waves. |
| LOD Control | Uses the viewer camera to position and scale LOD rings. |
| Subsystems | Manages Zones, Volumes, Underwater, and Planar Reflection subsystems. |
| Queries | Provides water height and normal queries to gameplay code. |
Where to Edit
| Component | TidalBody |
|---|---|
| Inspector Section | Mesh Settings (TidalMeshSharedSettings) |
Mesh Settings
The settings below control how the water surface is generated and displayed. These options affect mesh density, LOD layout, and how the simulation is applied.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Mesh Mode | Ocean (infinite clipmap) or Lake (bounded surface). |
| Surface Material | The Tidal Surface shader used for rendering. |
| TCompute | FFT simulation container, typically shared across bodies. |
| Viewer Cam | Camera used to calculate LOD positioning and scale. |
| Update Material Properties | Synchronizes material values every frame. |
| Length Scale | Controls world-space spacing of LOD rings. |
| Vertex Density | Resolution of each LOD ring. |
| LOD Levels | Number of LOD rings generated. |
Note: Disabling
Update Material Properties can save
some CPU work, but may behave unexpectedly with planar reflections.
If planar reflections are enabled, this is usually best left on.
Recommended Defaults
| Goal | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| General usage | Share a single TidalCompute across all bodies. |
| Lower geometry density | Reduce Vertex Density first. |
| Reduce far detail | Lower the number of LOD Levels. |
| Smoother LOD transitions | Increase Length Scale. |
Tip: To create calmer regions without adding another simulation,
use a Tidal Zone set to Damping instead of creating a
second
TidalCompute.