Shaders¶
Effects Shaders¶
Effects shaders use bitmap masks for Transparency, meaning some parts of the mesh with assigned
mask are visible and some are not. This approach is useful because it enables to have a lot of detail
with simple geometry and is often used in game development. It comes with some disadvantages though,
for example if you see the geometry from an angle you can see the flatness of the polygons. This can be
resolved for example by using Constraints that would copy the rotation of the camera.
Effects need volume for correct refraction
Refraction can be incorrect with effect shaders unless the effect has volume. This is not very
noticeable in most cases, that's why by default effects do not have volume - it is more demanding
on transparency samples. If you need correct refraction, add Solidify modifier to the effect.
Cycles and transparency
By default Cycles render engine has maximum amount of Transparent Bounces set to 8.
Meaning you can have up to 9 transparent polygons behind each other and still see through them.
However, if you exceed this limit remaining polygons will render black.
If you ever need to have multiple aquatiq effects in a row, you may need to
increase the number of bounces in the Light Paths settings.
