Oceanology Next-Gen — Presets

Last updated: 2025-12-13

Prerequisites

• Unreal Engine 5.5 or newer.
• Oceanology installed and configured (see the Setup page).
• At least one OceanologyInfiniteOcean actor placed in your level.
• Basic familiarity with Data Assets and the Details panel in Unreal Engine.

Notes

• The Preset system in Oceanology allows you to save, load, and combine ocean configurations without manually adjusting dozens of individual parameters. This dramatically speeds up iteration and enables quick switching between different ocean looks.
• Oceanology uses a two-tier preset system: a Master Ocean Preset that controls the overall look, and Grouped Water Presets that let you override specific aspects (waves, color, foam, etc.) independently.
• Presets are stored as Data Assets, making them easy to share between projects, version control, and organize in your Content Browser.

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Step-by-step

1. Access the Preset system on the ocean actor

Select the OceanologyInfiniteOcean actor in your level. In the Details panel, locate the Preset category. Here you will find the main preset controls:

Master Preset:

• Preset — The primary ocean preset that defines the overall ocean appearance. Default is DefaultOceanPreset. Click the thumbnail to select a different preset or create a new one.

Grouped Water Presets: Below the master preset, you will find individual preset slots for each ocean aspect:

• Waves — Wave animation and behavior presets.
• Wave Buffer — Wave buffer rendering settings.
• Shore Waves — Coastal and breaking wave presets.
• Color — Water color and transparency presets.
• Caustics — Underwater light caustic patterns.
• Detail — Surface detail and normal map settings.
• Foam — Ocean foam appearance and behavior.
• Wetness — Surface wetness effect settings.
• Underwater — Underwater rendering and fog presets.

Each slot shows None by default, meaning it inherits settings from the master preset. You can override any category by selecting a specific preset.

Additional Options:

• Preset Mode — Apply Preset to Current Settings. Determines how presets are applied.
• Preset Inclusion Groups — 23 Array elements. Controls which parameter groups are affected when applying presets.

2. Understand Preset Inclusion Groups

Expand the Preset Inclusion Groups array to see all 23 parameter groups that presets can control. Each group can be individually enabled or disabled to fine-tune which settings are affected when applying a preset.

Available Inclusion Groups:

Index	Group Name	Description
0	SpectralGerstner	Gerstner wave spectrum settings
1	WaveBufferSettings	Wave buffer rendering configuration
2	ShoreWaves	Coastal wave behavior
3	SurfaceScattering	Light scattering on the surface
4	Caustics	Underwater caustic patterns
5	EnableCausticsOnGround	Ground caustic projection toggle
6	GroundCaustics	Ground caustic settings
7	Refraction	Water refraction settings
8	HorizonCorrection	Horizon line adjustments
9	Flipbook	Flipbook animation settings
10	ComputeNormals	Normal map computation
11	CameraOffset	Camera-relative adjustments
12	Foam	Foam generation and appearance
13	Procedural	Procedural generation settings
14	WaterProjection	Water projection mapping
15	GGX	GGX specular reflection model
16	EnableWetness	Wetness effect toggle
17	Wetness	Wetness appearance settings
18	UnderwaterMode	Underwater rendering mode
19	UnderwaterFog	Underwater fog density and color
20	UnderwaterDistortion	Underwater visual distortion
21	VolumetricFog	Volumetric fog integration
22	BubblesSettings	Underwater bubble effects

Each group has a dropdown to enable/disable it when applying presets. This allows selective preset application — for example, applying only wave settings while preserving your custom color configuration.

3. Select Grouped Water Presets for specific aspects

To override a specific aspect of the ocean, click the dropdown for any Grouped Water Preset slot. A picker window appears with the following options:

Create New Asset:

• Oceanology Water Waves Preset — Creates a new preset asset for the selected category.

Current Asset:

• Copy — Copies the current preset reference.
• Paste — Pastes a previously copied preset.
• Clear — Removes the override, reverting to the master preset.

Browse: Use the search field to find existing presets. For the Waves category, Oceanology includes several pre-built presets:

• DA_Wave_Calm — Gentle, smooth ocean waves ideal for calm seas and harbors.
• DA_Wave_SevereGale — Intense, dramatic waves for stormy weather conditions.
• DA_Wave_Tsunami — Extreme wave heights for catastrophic ocean events.

Select a preset to override the master preset for that specific category. The ocean will update immediately to reflect the new wave behavior.

4. Explore the Ocean Preset Data Asset

To view or edit the master preset, double-click the DefaultOceanPreset thumbnail or navigate to the preset asset in the Content Browser. The preset editor displays all configurable categories:

Preset Categories:

• Default — Base configuration and general settings.
• Waves — Wave amplitude, frequency, direction, and animation.
• Wave Buffer — Wave buffer resolution and rendering quality.
• Shore Waves — Breaking wave behavior near coastlines.
• Color — Water color, absorption, and scattering.
• Caustics — Caustic pattern intensity and animation.
• Detail — Surface normal maps and micro-detail.
• Foam — Foam generation, coverage, and appearance.
• Wetness — Surface wetness effects on nearby objects.
• Underwater — Underwater fog, tint, and post-processing.

Each category can be expanded to reveal its individual parameters. Modifying values here will affect all ocean actors using this preset.

Asset Type: OceanologyOceanPreset

To create variations, right-click the preset in Content Browser and select Duplicate. This creates an independent copy you can modify without affecting the original.

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Included Wave Presets

Preset Name	Wave Height	Best Use Case
DA_Wave_Calm	Low	Harbors, lakes, calm weather
DA_Wave_SevereGale	High	Storms, dramatic scenes
DA_Wave_Tsunami	Extreme	Disasters, cinematic events

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Configuration Guidelines

Task	Approach
Quick ocean look change	Switch the master Preset
Test different wave intensities	Use Grouped Waves presets
Preserve custom colors with new waves	Set Waves preset, leave Color as None
Create project-specific looks	Duplicate DefaultOceanPreset and customize
Share presets between levels	Reference the same Data Asset
Selective preset application	Disable unwanted Preset Inclusion Groups

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem	Likely Cause	Solution
Preset changes not visible	Preset not applied	Verify Preset Mode is set correctly
Only some settings change	Inclusion groups disabled	Check Preset Inclusion Groups array
Grouped preset has no effect	Master preset overriding	Ensure the specific category slot is not None
Can't find preset in picker	Wrong asset type	Verify asset is OceanologyOceanPreset type
Changes affect other levels	Shared preset modified	Duplicate the preset for level-specific changes
Preset reverts on play	Runtime preset loading issue	Apply preset in Construction Script or BeginPlay

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Summary

In this guide, you learned how to:

1. Access the Preset system — Locate and understand the master preset and grouped preset slots on the ocean actor.
2. Control Preset Inclusion Groups — Selectively enable or disable which parameter groups are affected by presets.
3. Apply Grouped Water Presets — Override specific ocean aspects like waves, color, or foam independently.
4. Explore Ocean Preset assets — View, edit, and duplicate preset Data Assets for custom ocean configurations.

With the Preset system, you can rapidly iterate on ocean looks, create weather variations, and maintain consistent water styles across your project without manually adjusting dozens of individual parameters.