Adobe After Effects CS3 - Manual (Page 519)

AFTER EFFECTS CS3
User Guide
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Note: The custom shatter map determines the shapes of the pieces a layer shatters into, but not when the pieces shatter.
The timing is determined by the Force controls and can be further controlled by a gradient layer.
Wave World effect
Use this effect to create a grayscale displacement map for use with other effects such as Caustics or Colorama. This
effect creates waves based on a simulation of the physics of liquids. Waves emanate from an effect point, interact with
each other, and realistically reflect off their environment. Use Wave World to create a top-down view of a logo, with
waves reflecting off the logo and the sides of the layer.
This effect works with 8-bpc color.
Wireframe view (top left), Height Map view (bottom left), and resulting image (bottom right). Result is used as Water Surface source for
Caustics effect example.
Wireframe view (left), Height Map view (center), and resulting image (right). Result is used as Input Phase for Colorama effect example.
To understand how this effect works, consider the following information about the physics of waves: A wave consists
of a peak and a trough. The amplitude of a wave is the height, or distance, between the peak and trough. The
wavelength is the distance from one peak to the next. Frequency is the number of waves per second passing a fixed
point.
View controls
View controls specify the method used to preview the Wave World effect. Choose one of the following views:
Height Map Displays the highest points as bright pixels and the lowest points as dark pixels. Use this view when
creating a displacement map.
Wireframe Preview Provides a visual depiction of how the wave is being created. The grayscale output represents a
height map: White represents the highest possible wave, and black represents the lowest. The two rectangular
outlines represent these two extremes: The cyan rectangle represents pure white, and the violet rectangle represents
pure black. The green grid represents the ground layer; it is flat by default but can be distorted by using a grayscale
image. The white grid represents the surface of the water.