Quick Start
The fastest way to get water on screen is to let Tidal create everything for you. While it’s possible to assemble components manually, the recommended workflow for new users is to start from the example Ocean or Lake presets.
Create an Ocean or Lake
In the Unity Hierarchy, right-click and choose:
Create → Tidal → OceanOr
Create → Tidal → Lake
This creates a fully wired TidalBody and
TidalCompute pair with sensible defaults. From here, only a
few required fields need to be filled in.
Required Setup
After creating an Ocean or Lake, Tidal will highlight any missing requirements directly in the Inspector. These appear as errors with one-click fix buttons for convenience.
1. Viewer Camera
Tidal requires a camera reference to correctly evaluate level-of-detail
and wave displacement. If a Main Camera exists, a
Fix button will appear to assign it automatically.
If no main camera is detected, you can manually assign any camera. Currently, Tidal supports a single primary camera.
2. Surface Material
Each water body requires a TidalSurface material. If none is assigned, the Inspector will show an error with a Create & Assign fix button.
You can also create materials manually from the Project window:
Create → Tidal → Surface MaterialThe default surface settings are designed to look good out of the box and can be refined later.
3. Simulation Profile
TidalCompute requires a TidalProfile to
define wave behavior, scale, and simulation parameters. If missing,
an error will appear with a fix button to create and assign one.
Profiles can also be created manually:
Create → Tidal → Water ProfileDefault profiles are suitable for most scenes and can be tuned later for performance or artistic direction.
Enter Play Mode
Once all errors are resolved, enter Play Mode to begin simulation. Waves, foam, and lighting will respond in real time based on the assigned profile and surface settings.