Step 1: Setting Up Your Environment
Start by opening your Blender project and navigate to the World Properties tab in the right-hand panel. Here, click on the 'Color' drop-down and select 'Environment Texture'. Next, choose your HDR image for the environment texture. The website Polishaven.com offers a fantastic selection of high-quality HDR images that are perfect for this task.
Step 2: Adding Sunlight
For a touch of realism, you'll need to simulate sunlight. On the right-hand panel, go to the Light Properties tab and click on the '+' sign to add a new light source. Select 'Sun', and adjust the color and strength settings to your liking. You can rotate the sunlight using the rotation tools in the tool panel on the left.
Step 3: Creating the Water Shader
For the water shader, start by adding a cube to your scene (press SHIFT + A, then select 'Mesh' > 'Cube'). Scale it up to suit your scene by pressing 'S'. You also need to scale it along the Z-axis (press 'S' followed by 'Z'). Don't forget to apply the scale (CTRL + A > 'Scale').
Step 4: Setting Up the Material
In the Material Properties tab, create a new material for the cube. Delete the default 'Principal BSDF' shader (press 'X') in the Shader Editor. Add a 'Glass BSDF' shader and a 'Transparent BSDF' shader (SHIFT + A > Shader). Connect these with a 'Mix Shader' node.
Step 5: Creating Small Waves
To simulate small waves on the water surface, add a 'Noise Texture' node and a 'Bump' node to the Shader Editor. Connect the 'Factor' output of the Noise Texture to the 'Height' input of the Bump node. Now, connect the 'Normal' output of the Bump node to the 'Normal' input of the Glass Shader.
Step 6: Adjusting the Scale and Appearance
Set the scale of the Noise Texture node to around 120 (or experiment to get the look you want). Next, add a 'Volume Absorption' node and connect it to the 'Volume' input of the Material Output node. Create an 'Add Shader' node and connect the Absorption node to the second slot of the Add Shader. Connect a 'Principled BSDF' to the first slot of the Add Shader. Now you can pick a color for your water.
Step 7: Setting Emission Properties and Absorption
In the Principled BSDF node, set the 'Emission Strength' to 0.1 and choose a color that suits your water. Pick a color for the Volume Absorption node too. Set the 'Density' (which controls the absorption intensity) to around 0.3. Lower values will make the water clearer.
Step 8: Refining the Water Texture
In the Bump node, adjust the 'Strength' to get the right look for your water surface. For this tutorial, a value of 0.05 was used. Finally, set the 'IOR' (Index of Refraction) in the Glass node to 1.33, the standard value for water.
With that final tweak, you've created a realistic water shader in Blender. Remember, this guide is just a starting point - the real magic happens when you start experimenting with different settings to fit your unique project requirements.
