As part of my ongoing exploration of 3D rendering and shader programming, I embarked on an experiment to create realistic water effects using custom shaders in React Three Fiber. My goal was to simulate Gerstner waves for dynamic ocean movement while also adding a reflective water surface to enhance realism. This project served as both a technical challenge and a chance to push the limits of what’s possible in browser-based 3D rendering.
Water surfaces are notoriously difficult to simulate in real-time 3D applications due to their complexity. Not only do they require dynamic movement to feel natural, but they also need to interact with light, reflections, and surrounding objects. For this experiment, I chose to model the water using Gerstner wave simulations, a well-known mathematical model for ocean waves, and create a shader that could also handle reflections based on the scene’s environment and lighting.