Corona 1.4 & Caustic

[nicolasZ]

Hi guys,

I'm tring to render pool with caustic but it does works !
I read some theards about that and if I understand well experimental features like VCM or BIDIR are not any more on the 1.4 version.

So if you know how to achive this effect, please tell me how to do that.

Many thanks !!!

[TomG]

For a pool, my thought would be to fake it by projecting the caustic pattern using a light - as an example in 3ds Max, add a spotlight, set to rectangular, open the Advanced Effects tab, drop a texture that represents the colours of swimming pool caustics (should be plenty of free ones out there on the web) into the Projector Map box, then to make setting it up easy I'd ensure the walls and floor of the pool are separate objects and use an Include / Exclude list under General Parameters so that the light only affected those.

Hope this helps!

[PROH]

Hi. Theres a couple of threads in the forum about "fake" caustic, but if you're searching for textures, then here's a link to 8 animated sets of caustic:
http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/stam/reality/Research/PeriodicCaustics/index.html

[cecofuli]

Unfortunately, Corona in Progressive isn't able to render Caustics. Only with PPM (Corona v1.4 - Experimental rollout)
But, PPM doesn't support A LOOOOT features of regular Corona (for example, Absorption). In fact, it's only an experimental engine.
We must to wait Ondra and a better caustics optimization for Progressive engine =(
You can render with PPM and mask the pool.

PS: these are real caustics, not a fake. And they are very fast!

[romullus]

I read some theards about that and if I understand well experimental features like VCM or BIDIR are not any more on the 1.4 version.

Those experimental engines wasn't removed, but hidden from casual users. You can find them in devel/debug rollout. But first you have to unhide debug rollout itself, you can do that in performance tab.

Also you may want to read some user guides about various approach at caustics:

https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php/topic,3093.0.html
https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php/topic,5431.0.html
https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php/topic,10343.0.html
https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php/topic,10779.0.html
https://forum.corona-renderer.com/index.php/topic,11630.0.html

[cecofuli]

Yes romullus, but in the v1.4, we haven't this rollout.



And, if you select Bidir/VMC in the v1.4, I think that it's set as [PT+MIT] and you cannot create caustics with Bidir anymore, right now.
But, with a sting, I think that you can select  [VCM] (good for pool caustics)

In conclusion, with the v1.4, you can generate caustics only with PPM.

[PROH]

Hi cecofuli. That's some really nice caustic you made there (PPM). I had to try that myself, but I can't get anything as nice as yours - not even close. So I wondered if you would share some tricks or maybe even a sample file?

Regards

[cecofuli]

It's real 3D water, with closed volume, a lot of subdivision and a little bit bigger than the pool,
The top part = noise modifier.
The shader, you must to check  "Caustics (slow)"
I cannot send you the file, sorry.

[PROH]

Thanks! I used displaced water, might be that.... I'll try with noise mod.

Thanks again.

[Frood]

but in the v1.4, we haven't this rollout.

It´s still there. Have another look.

Good Luck

[cecofuli]

Are you sure? O_O

[Frood]

1.4 Build timestamp: May 16 2016 11:07:17 (final). Or did you mean 1.5?

Good Luck

[cecofuli]

Honestly, I never saw this rollout, after A6...  O_O I'm shocked... how can be possible? =)

[Frood]

how can be possible? =)

Maybe you have never scrolled since A6 :)

Good Luck!

[cecofuli]

No no... as you can see with my screenshot, our rollout title is the same, but mine is gray-out...
Does anyone have the same bahevior?