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Beaufort Scale

Oceanology uses the Beaufort Scale to simulate realistic wave dynamics through a combination of Gerstner Waves and FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) spectral waves. This hybrid approach allows for both visually convincing large waves and detailed surface turbulence, providing a more immersive ocean experience.

Overview of Beaufort Scale in Oceanology

The Beaufort Scale is used to control the intensity and behavior of waves based on wind force. In Oceanology, you can adjust this scale to represent a range of ocean states, from calm to stormy. The system dynamically generates waves using a combination of Gerstner Wave calculations and FFT spectral analysis to simulate the complexity of ocean conditions.

Gerstner Waves and FFT

  • Gerstner Waves are ideal for creating visually plausible wave formations with defined directions, adding rolling movements to the ocean surface.
  • FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) is used to add a higher level of detail to the waves, providing smaller ripples and chaotic water surface interactions to enhance realism.

Configuring the Beaufort Scale

The Beaufort Scale in Oceanology provides a flexible way to adjust the ocean state, ranging from calm waters to intense waves:

  • Beaufort Scale: This parameter can be set to a value between 0 (calm water) and higher numbers, which increase wave strength and turbulence.

  • Directional Variance: Control the uniformity of wave direction. A higher value introduces more variation, simulating chaotic wave movements.

  • Max Wave Height and Length: Set the upper limits for wave size, impacting how dramatic the ocean surface appears.

  • Wind Direction: Adjust the Wind Direction setting to control the main direction of the wave patterns, reflecting environmental wind conditions.

  • Min Wave Height and Length: Define the minimum size for waves, ensuring that even in calmer conditions, some wave activity is present.

  • Wave Spectrum Resolution: Controls the resolution of the wave spectrum, affecting the level of detail in wave formations.

  • Wave Energy Distribution: Determines how energy is spread across different wave frequencies, influencing wave diversity.

  • Folding Threshold: Sets the steepness at which waves begin to "fold" over, creating white caps.

Spectral Wave Settings

  • WaveComponentCount: Defines the number of wave components used to generate the water surface. Increasing this can create more detailed waves but at a performance cost.

  • WaveEnergyDistribution: Controls how energy is distributed across different wave components, affecting how wave heights vary.

  • Folding Threshold: Determines how steep the waves can become before they begin to "fold" over, creating white caps or breaking waves.

Configuring Waves for Performance

If you want to achieve better performance while maintaining a realistic ocean look, you can adjust the following settings:

  • Beaufort Scale: Set the Beaufort Scale to a lower value, such as 2 or 3, to reduce the overall intensity of waves. This will reduce the number of calculations needed for wave movement.

  • WaveComponentCount: Decrease the WaveComponentCount to reduce the number of wave components being calculated. A value of 64 instead of 128 can significantly improve performance without a major loss in visual quality.

  • Max Wave Height and Length: Lower the Max Wave Height and Max Wave Length values to reduce the complexity of the waves, which helps to save processing power.

  • Directional Variance: Set a moderate Directional Variance to avoid too many overlapping wave directions, which can be computationally intensive.

  • Wave Spectrum Resolution: Lower the Wave Spectrum Resolution to simplify the wave details, providing a smoother performance at the cost of some visual fidelity.

  • Disable Small Wave Threshold: If small wave details are not essential for your scene, increase the SmallWaveThreshold to filter out minor wave components.

Summary

The Beaufort Scale implementation in Oceanology allows creators to simulate a wide variety of ocean conditions, from tranquil seas to turbulent, storm-driven waves. By combining Gerstner Waves with FFT spectral analysis, Oceanology delivers a dynamic and flexible wave system that enhances the visual fidelity of aquatic environments. Adjusting the Beaufort Scale and related parameters lets you create unique ocean scenes tailored to your project's needs, balancing realism and performance.

For more tips and support on configuring wave dynamics in Oceanology, consider joining our Discord community, where additional resources and expert advice are available.