Tidal Compute
The GPU FFT simulation that drives every wave.
TidalCompute runs the FFT cascades that generate the water's motion and owns the
active TidalProfile asset. It is typically the
most expensive part of Tidal, so in most projects you should use one TidalCompute and share it across all bodies.
What TidalCompute does
- Runs the three FFT cascades (large swells, mid waves, ripples) on the GPU each frame.
- Owns and applies the active
TidalProfile(Local + Swell spectra). - Feeds the surface shading, mesh displacement, and the physics-field readback.
Fields
| Field | Type · Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | TidalProfile · required | The water profile asset describing the wave
spectrum. Create one via Assets → Create → Tidal 2 → Water Profile. |
| Is Dynamic | bool · on | Re-initialises the cascades when profile values change live. Turn off for static water that never changes its spectrum at runtime; you can toggle it from code when needed. |
| Size | int (FFT texture size) | Resolution of the FFT simulation textures (e.g. 64 / 128 / 256). The single biggest simulation quality / cost knob. Changing it at runtime rebuilds GPU resources safely. |
Live resolution changes
- FFT Size can be changed at runtime. All GPU resources rebuild and every dependent system - mesh, shading, and the physics field - rebinds automatically.
- No manual re-wiring is needed; the rebuild is safe mid-play.
Note: Because
TidalCompute owns the profile, sharing one compute
across bodies means those bodies share the same wave spectrum. To give a region calmer water without
a second simulation, use a Damping Zone instead.