Oceanology NextGen - Foam

🌊 Flow-Based

💨 Wave Crests

🎨 Procedural

Configure flow-based foam generation for wave crests, shorelines, and object interactions.

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Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Engine	UE5.x (latest release)
Plugin	Oceanology NextGen installed and configured
Scene	Water body placed in your level
Skills	Basic Material Instance familiarity

About Foam

Foam parameters are exposed through the OceanologyInfiniteOcean material instance under the Foam category. Foam appears where waves crest, along shorelines, and around interacting objects.

• The system uses three texture channels: Diffuse (color and transparency), Height (displacement detail), and Normal (surface micro-detail).
• Foam rendering combines procedural wave data with texture mapping to create realistic coastal patterns, wave crests, and dynamic foam movement.
• Proper configuration of foam parameters significantly impacts visual quality and performance.

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Step-by-step

1. Access the Foam parameters in OceanologyInfiniteOcean

Select the OceanologyInfiniteOcean actor in your level. In the Details panel, scroll to locate the Foam category. This section contains all parameters controlling foam appearance and behavior.

You will find parameters organized into several groups:

Basic Foam Properties:

• BumpOffset - Vertical position offset of foam relative to water surface.
• BumpPlane - Blending factor between foam and water surface.
• FoamOpacity - Overall foam transparency.
• FoamRoughness - Surface roughness of foam material.
• FoamContrastLevel - Contrast adjustment for foam visibility.

Texture Mapping:

• FoamMapping - UV scale for foam texture tiling.
• FlowSpeed - Speed of foam texture scrolling animation.
• FlowPower - Intensity of foam flow animation.

Depth Control:

• FoamDepthMin - Minimum water depth where foam appears.

Wave Integration:

• FoamWaveNormalZ - How foam follows wave surface normals.
• WaveDistortion - Procedural distortion applied to foam patterns.

Distance Fading:

• FadeLengthScattering - Distance over which foam fades from view.
• FadeOffsetScattering - Starting distance for foam fade.

Color Properties:

• FoamEmissive - Emissive color gradient for foam glow effects.
• FoamScattering - Scattering color that affects how light disperses through foam.

Texture Channels:

• T_FoamDiffuse - Diffuse color and alpha texture.
• T_FoamHeight - Height displacement texture.
• T_FoamNormal - Normal map for surface detail.

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Foam Parameters Reference

The following sections provide detailed information about each foam parameter category.

Basic Foam Properties

Parameter	Default Value	Range	Description
BumpOffset	0.1	0.0 - 1.0	Vertical offset of foam relative to the water surface. Higher values lift foam above the waves, creating a floating appearance.
BumpPlane	0.6	0.0 - 1.0	Blending factor between foam and water surface. Lower values create softer, more transparent edges. Higher values create sharper foam boundaries.
FoamOpacity	0.75	0.0 - 1.0	Overall transparency of foam. 1.0 = fully opaque, 0.0 = invisible. Primary control for foam visibility.
FoamRoughness	0.2	0.0 - 1.0	Surface roughness of foam material. Higher values create a matte appearance suitable for thick foam. Lower values create shinier, wetter-looking foam.
FoamContrastLevel	0.05	0.0 - 0.5	Contrast adjustment for foam appearance against water. Higher values make foam more pronounced and easier to see.

Texture Mapping and Animation

Parameter	Default Value	Range	Description
FoamMapping	16.0	1.0 - 100.0	UV scale for foam textures. Lower values stretch foam patterns over larger areas. Higher values create tighter tiling. Adjust based on world scale and desired foam size.
FlowSpeed	0.25	0.0 - 2.0	Speed of foam texture scrolling. Controls how quickly foam appears to move across the surface. 0.0 disables animation.
FlowPower	0.05	0.0 - 1.0	Intensity of foam flow animation. Higher values create more dramatic directional flow effects based on wave movement.
WaveDistortion	0.25	0.0 - 2.0	Amount of distortion applied to foam patterns. Creates organic, irregular foam edges. Higher values add visual complexity at the cost of performance.

Depth and Wave Integration

Parameter	Default Value	Range	Description
FoamDepthMin	500.0	0.0 - 2000.0	Minimum water depth where foam appears in Unreal units. Foam is visible in water shallower than this value. Lower values restrict foam to very shallow coastal areas.
FoamWaveNormalZ	2.0	0.0 - 5.0	Intensity of wave normal influence on foam placement. Higher values make foam follow wave peaks and crests more closely, creating concentrated foam on wave tops.

Distance Fading and Performance

Parameter	Default Value	Range	Description
FadeLengthScattering	600000.0	10000.0 - 1000000.0	Distance over which foam fades due to atmospheric scattering in Unreal units. Larger values extend foam visibility at distance. Reduce for performance optimization.
FadeOffsetScattering	1000.0	0.0 - 10000.0	Starting distance for foam scattering fade in Unreal units. Foam begins fading beyond this distance from the camera.

Color Properties

Parameter	Default Value	Description
FoamEmissive	Color gradient	Emissive color applied to foam. Creates subtle glow effects, useful for bioluminescent water, magical effects, or stylized visuals. Left color represents minimum intensity, right color represents maximum.
FoamScattering	Color gradient	Controls how light scatters through foam. Affects the perceived color of foam when backlit or when light passes through thin foam areas. Useful for achieving realistic subsurface scattering in foam.

Foam Texture Channels

Parameter	Default Texture	Purpose	Recommended Format
T_FoamDiffuse	T_FDiffuse	Color and alpha texture defining base foam appearance and transparency mask.	RGB + Alpha, sRGB enabled
T_FoamHeight	T_FHeight	Height map for foam displacement. Adds 3D surface detail to foam geometry.	Grayscale, sRGB disabled
T_FoamNormal	T_FNormal	Normal map for foam surface micro-detail. Creates fine surface variation and highlights.	RGB Normal Map, sRGB disabled

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Foam Configuration Guidelines

Use these guidelines to achieve specific visual styles and optimize performance.

Foam Intensity Presets

The following presets provide starting points for different ocean conditions:

Scenario	FoamOpacity	FoamContrastLevel	FoamMapping	FoamDepthMin	FlowSpeed	WaveDistortion
Calm Ocean	0.5	0.03	20.0	300.0	0.15	0.15
Moderate Waves	0.75	0.05	16.0	500.0	0.25	0.25
Storm Conditions	0.9	0.08	12.0	800.0	0.4	0.4
Shallow Beach	0.85	0.06	18.0	200.0	0.2	0.2
Deep Ocean (Minimal)	0.4	0.02	24.0	1000.0	0.1	0.1

Coastal Foam Configuration

Coastal foam appears in shallow water where waves interact with shorelines. Control it with these parameters:

Goal	Parameter	Recommended Value	Notes
More coastal foam	FoamDepthMin	200.0 - 400.0	Lower values extend foam further from shore
Less coastal foam	FoamDepthMin	600.0 - 1000.0	Higher values restrict foam to very shallow areas
Sharper coastal edge	BumpPlane	0.7 - 0.9	Creates defined foam line along beach
Softer coastal blend	BumpPlane	0.4 - 0.6	Creates gradual foam transition
Brighter beach foam	FoamContrastLevel	0.06 - 0.1	Increases foam visibility against sand

Wave Crest Foam Configuration

Foam that appears on top of waves is controlled independently:

Goal	Parameter	Recommended Value	Notes
More wave foam	FoamWaveNormalZ	2.5 - 4.0	Increases foam on wave peaks
Less wave foam	FoamWaveNormalZ	1.0 - 1.5	Reduces foam concentration on crests
Elevated foam caps	BumpOffset	0.15 - 0.3	Lifts foam above wave surfaces
Integrated foam	BumpOffset	0.0 - 0.1	Keeps foam flush with water
Thick foam bands	BumpPlane	0.6 - 0.8	Creates wider foam strips on waves

Foam Animation Configuration

Control foam movement and flow with these parameters:

Animation Style	FlowSpeed	FlowPower	WaveDistortion	Result
Static	0.0	0.0	0.0	No animation, foam is fixed
Subtle drift	0.1 - 0.2	0.03 - 0.05	0.1 - 0.2	Gentle movement
Moderate flow	0.25 - 0.35	0.05 - 0.08	0.25 - 0.35	Noticeable scrolling
Rapid turbulence	0.5 - 0.8	0.1 - 0.15	0.5 - 0.8	Fast, chaotic motion

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Performance Optimization

Foam rendering impacts GPU performance through texture sampling, shader complexity, and overdraw. Use these strategies to optimize:

Texture Resolution Optimization

Optimization Level	T_FoamDiffuse	T_FoamHeight	T_FoamNormal	Performance Gain
High Quality	2048x2048	2048x2048	2048x2048	Baseline (0%)
Medium Quality	1024x1024	1024x1024	1024x1024	~15% faster
Low Quality	512x512	512x512	512x512	~30% faster
Mobile	512x512	256x256	512x512	~40% faster

Shader Complexity Optimization

Reduce shader instruction count by disabling expensive features:

Parameter	High Performance Value	Quality Impact	Performance Gain
WaveDistortion	0.0 - 0.1	Reduced organic variation	~10% faster
FadeLengthScattering	200000.0	Foam disappears sooner	~5% faster
FlowPower	0.0 - 0.03	Less dynamic flow	~3% faster
FoamMapping	24.0 - 32.0	Tighter tiling (fewer samples)	~8% faster

Level of Detail (LOD) Strategy

Implement distance-based foam quality reduction:

Distance Range	FoamOpacity	FadeLengthScattering	WaveDistortion	Notes
0 - 5000 units	0.75	600000.0	0.25	Full quality near player
5000 - 20000	0.6	400000.0	0.15	Reduced detail at medium range
20000+	0.4	200000.0	0.05	Minimal foam at far distances

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Custom Foam Textures

Replace default foam textures to achieve unique visual styles.

Preparing Custom Textures

Texture Requirements:

Texture Type	Resolution	Channels	Compression	sRGB
Diffuse	1024x1024 - 2048x2048	RGB + Alpha	BC3 (DXT5)	✓ Enabled
Height	1024x1024	Grayscale	BC4	☐ Disabled
Normal	1024x1024	RGB Tangent Space	BC5	☐ Disabled

Foam Texture Styles

Style	Diffuse Characteristics	Height Characteristics	Use Case
Fine bubble foam	Many small foam clusters	Low height variation	Calm seas, gentle waves
Thick froth	Large connected foam areas	High height variation	Storm conditions, turbulent water
Coastal surf	Irregular foam bands	Medium height, edge emphasis	Beach shorelines
Ice/slush	Solid foam areas with cracks	Sharp height transitions	Cold water environments
Polluted/algae	Greenish/brownish tint	Minimal height	Industrial or swamp water

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem	Likely Cause	Solution
Foam not visible	FoamOpacity too low	Increase FoamOpacity to 0.5 or higher
Foam only in shallow water	FoamDepthMin too low	Increase FoamDepthMin value
Foam appears flat	T_FoamNormal not assigned or FoamRoughness too high	Assign normal texture and reduce roughness
Foam flickering at distance	FadeLengthScattering too low	Increase FadeLengthScattering value
Foam animation too fast	FlowSpeed too high	Reduce FlowSpeed to 0.1 - 0.2
Foam edges too harsh	BumpPlane too high	Reduce BumpPlane to 0.4 - 0.5
Foam not following waves	FoamWaveNormalZ too low	Increase FoamWaveNormalZ to 2.0 or higher
Performance issues	WaveDistortion and FlowPower too high	Reduce both values and increase FoamMapping
Foam color looks wrong	FoamScattering misconfigured	Adjust scattering color gradient
No foam glow effect	FoamEmissive not configured	Set emissive color gradient values

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Summary

In this guide, you learned how to:

1. Access foam parameters - Locate and understand the Foam category in OceanologyInfiniteOcean material instance.
2. Control foam appearance - Adjust opacity, contrast, roughness, and surface offset for different visual styles.
3. Configure coastal and wave foam - Use depth parameters and wave normal influence to control where foam appears.
4. Animate foam - Control flow speed, power, and distortion for realistic foam movement and organic variation.
5. Customize foam colors - Use FoamEmissive and FoamScattering to achieve stylized or realistic color effects.
6. Optimize performance - Adjust texture resolution, mapping scale, and fade distances to balance quality and performance.
7. Replace textures - Import and assign custom foam textures for unique visual styles and artistic direction.
8. Troubleshoot issues - Diagnose and fix common foam visibility, animation, and performance problems.

With this knowledge, you can fine-tune foam appearance to match your ocean environment's artistic direction, performance requirements, and gameplay needs.