I read FXGuide's Assassin's Creed III tech article. Loved it - but nothing really goes in depth to currently one of the best looking oceans for the PC platform in the shape of Black Flag.

Question for the experts -

How did they do the water? I read several SIGGRAPH papers and stuff on fluid dynamics. Did they use a "mesh" which had physics based wave frequency equations built in? If no one knows - mind telling me the most common way one makes a realistic ocean with beautiful colors like Black Flag?

Also what exactly are "shaders". I'm guessing it's a programmed script that draws pixels in a specific way...but can someone explain how "shallow water shaders" are more "advanced" in the next-gen version of this game?

Thank you,

Michael

Can you link to the article? Would love to read it

Sure...

Here it is

http://www.fxguide.com/featured/assassins-creed-iii-the-tech-behind-or-beneath-the-action/

Bump. can anyone help me out ?

I read FXGuide's Assassin's Creed III tech article. Loved it - but nothing really goes in depth to currently one of the best looking oceans for the PC platform in the shape of Black Flag.

Question for the experts -

How did they do the water? I read several SIGGRAPH papers and stuff on fluid dynamics. Did they use a "mesh" which had physics based wave frequency equations built in? If no one knows - mind telling me the most common way one makes a realistic ocean with beautiful colors like Black Flag?

Also what exactly are "shaders". I'm guessing it's a programmed script that draws pixels in a specific way...but can someone explain how "shallow water shaders" are more "advanced" in the next-gen version of this game?

Thank you,

Michael

Haven't seen this assasin creed yet but the most realistic water/water physics i've ever seen was in the watchdogs physics demo . . .
Omg, ubisoft owns watchdogs so that means disrupt engine may have been involved and they said they made some sort of world physics/wind implementation that affects clothing (Aiden Pierce's coat), water (in watchdogs), vegetation, effects like explosions, cars etc.

At the end oft the demo they showed some kinda really long lines that showed the movement of the wind.

Good to know...but not exactly answering my topic =D

Also what exactly are "shaders". I'm guessing it's a programmed script that draws pixels in a specific way...but can someone explain how "shallow water shaders" are more "advanced" in the next-gen version of this game?

Shaders are like scripts, yes, but they have a very cut down language without alot of features, and they run lightning fast on the videocards instead of the CPU.

There are multiple places in graphics APIs where you can plug in a shader to do custom work, and depending on where you plug them in, the shaders have different names. Geometry shaders work with meshes of polygons (I think), Vertex shaders work on each corner of triangles, and Fragment shaders work on each 'fragment' of triangles (where 'fragment' can kinda be thought of as a pixel, but not exactly).

I'm not sure if there were any talks yet about AC4's oceans, but GDC is in two weeks, so you might get some details then.

G D C wont have the ocean stuff...

anyone mind helping on how oceans are created?

Yeah, currently thats a big issue form me.