Interesting vinyl players are not always about their tech prowess; for me, the looks matter. A recent entrant, the Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 was an instant winner in this department. Departing from the standard matte or wood finish, Audio Technica introduced a fully transparent form factor, a design not seen before. Now taking things back to the basics, yet with a charisma of its own: MoFi Electronics has teamed with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to introduce the MoFi x Fender American Vintage Turntable that redefines craftsmanship and the good old turntable fashion for the retro-modern enthusiasts. This collaboration isn’t just about design; it is a tribute to American audio heritage that blends MoFi’s acoustic know-how with Fender’s signature guitar-making genius. Born and brought up in America, by two native legacy brands, the American Vintage Turntable has a visual swag courtesy of the hand-finished sunburst alder-wood plinth, a 10-inch precision tonearm, and MoFi’s audiophile ethos within the iconic Stratocaster-inspired looks. To the accord, the turntable boasts the same three-color sunburst finish adorned by the ‘50s Fender Stratocaster (one of the most iconic electric guitar designs), catapulting the new turntable into a different, unmatchable league. Designer: MoFi x Fender The Fender American Vintage Turntable is more than a curved body’s eye candy, built from a similar solid alder used in Stratocaster bodies. It is designed to offer low resonance so that you can hear clearly what’s in the vinyl grooves. The tri-color sunburst finish with a urethane seal, and the 10-inch aluminum tonearm featuring gimbaled bearings ensure low friction in the vertical and horizontal plane, made possible by mounting the turntable on advanced isolation feet that ensures the vibrations do not reach the plinth and tonearm. The turntable features a precision electronic speed-controlled motor to let the user swap between 33 1/3 and 45 RPM at the touch of a button, which runs on a massive 6.8 lbs. Delrin platter (Delrin is a modern polymer developed by DuPont), adding durability and low friction to keep unwanted noise from reaching the stylus. The belt drive turntable has a compact 20.75-inch x 6-inch x 15.5-inch design, weighs 25.5 lbs., and is especially built for audiophiles and collectors who appreciate the warmth of analog sound without compromising style.   With only a limited number of examples for release, the American Vintage Turntable is slated to begin shipping in June 2025. Of course, when it does, it is not going to come cheap. The basic American Vintage Turntable without the cartridge starts at $2,995. If you have a little more to shell out, $3,495 can get you a turntable with MoFi MasterTracker Moving Magnet cartridge. For $4,000 you can get your vinyl collection the top-of-the-line Fender turntable with UltraGold Moving Coil cartridge from MoFi. The post Limited Edition MoFi x Fender American Vintage Turntable has visual swag reminiscent of iconic Stratocaster first appeared on Yanko Design.

The new RØDE NTH-50 headphones have Sennheiser's evergreen HD25 Pro headphones in their sights. The ... More Sennheisers are a firm favourite with DJs and the NTH-50 could be popular thanks to their specs and build quality.RØDE Australian mega microphone and audio brand RØDE has launched a new and affordable pair of on-ear headphones designed with DJs, podcasters and audio engineers in mind. The brand-new RØDE NTH-50 headphones join the company’s award-winning headphone lineup which includes the RØDE NTH-100. These new headphones have an uncanny resemblance to the classic and much-loved Sennheiser HD25 Pro; a classic pair of headphones that has been a firm favorite with sound engineers and DJs over the years. The RØDE NTH-50 headphones are aimed at audio professionals who need precision sound, a comfortable fit and a high level of passive noise isolation. The NTH-50’s lightweight design feels more durable than the HD25 Pro but is still light enough to wear while operating a news-gathering camera or DJing. The new RØDE NTH-50 headphones have an uncanny resemblance to Sennheiser's HD25 Pro. RØDE RØDE describes the sound quality produced by the NTH-50 as “Natural and balanced with ultra-low distortion and effective passive noise isolation.” It’s a sonic signature that’s been tailored for DJs, sound engineers and content creators who need premium sound as well as all-day comfort and rugged durability. To create the new NTH-50, RØDE developed custom-matched 40mm drivers and then housed them in a resonant chamber that provides a deep and balanced bass while still keeping hold of a detailed midrange and clear treble. There’s very little coloration in the overall tone. The innovative acoustic design serves up an accurate frequency response alongside ultra-low distortion. The frequency range encompasses an impressive 5Hz – 35KHz. The effective passive noise isolation of -21dB cuts out a lot of unwanted noise, almost as much as some headphones with Active Noise Cancelation on board. The NTH-50 eschews the spilt headband of the Sennheiser HD25 Pro and instead offers a generously ... More padded headband and ear pads.RØDE Unlike Sennheiser’s HD25 Pro, the new RØDE NTH-50 headphones don’t have the split headband. Instead, RØDE opted for a more durable single-contoured headband that reduces wearing fatigue, particularly during extended mixing and listening sessions. Despite the robust build quality, which addresses some of the criticisms of early versions of RØDE’s NTH-100, these lightweight headphones have a contemporary look but they are solid enough to endure the kind of punishment studio headphones often receive. The NTH-50’s cable is detachable and features a custom-lock fitting that can be slotted into either the left or right ear cup, depending on the user’s preference. The cable is partly straight and partially coiled, measuing 1.7m, which is long enough for working at a large mixing desk. Designed and manufactured at RØDE’s factory in Sydney, Australia, the NTH-50 come with a lifetime warranty, which is a measure of the company’s confidence in its new headphones, especially for those of us who know how much abuse the average pair of cans suffer. The ear pads for the NTH-50 are fully wipeable, offering a more hygienic solution than velour material, an important factor where a single pair of headphones could be worn by many people and liable to pick up sweat, grease and makeup.The detachable cable of the RØDE NTH-50 can be plugged into the left or right ear-cup. There is also ... More color coding for easy orientation.RØDE “At RØDE, we are committed to developing innovative audio solutions to meet the ever-evolving needs of creators,” says Damien Wilson, RØDE’s CEO. “The NTH-50s embody this philosophy, offering a level of sonic accuracy, comfort and durability that marks a new gold standard for on-ear headphones.” “Engineered from the ground up by our dedicated headphone innovation team in Germany, we’ve crafted a pair of premium headphones at an affordable price point that delivers an incredibly detailed and immersive listening experience in any environment. Once again, RØDE has over-achieved in the pursuit of delivering world-class monitoring technology.” At the heart of the NTH-50s are the custom-engineered 40mm dynamic drivers which are housed inside an innovative resonant chamber. The chamber provides clarity and an accurate frequency response, ultra-low distortion and a balanced sound with a natural bass and detailed midrange while keeping crisp highs.Although the new RØDE NTH-50 headphones are designed for podcasting, mixing and other studio use, ... More they will appeal to DJs.RØDE The RØDE NTH-50s come with a passive noise isolation rating of -21 dBA, enough to reduce external distractions and, more importantly, stop any sound from bleeding out during recording and being picked up by the microphone. The high SPL capabilities and sensitivity of the headphones make them particularly suitable for live performances and studio monitoring. Anyone who uses a pair of studio headphones for more than a few minutes knows that comfort is every bit as important as the sound quality The RØDE NTH-50’s contoured headband, with its integrated fontanel recess, relieve pressure on the wearer’s skull, reducing fatigue during extended listening times in the studio, on stage or when recording on location. Although they are lightweight and fully adjustable, the NTH-50s are designed to distribute pressure evenly no matter the size of the wearer’s head. The headphones also better accommodate glasses wearers.The RØDE NTH-50 feature detachable cables, replaceable ear pads and headband for a long service ... More life.RØDE The on-ear design has ear pads lined with memory foam padding that conforms to the contours of the ears. The fit is snug but still breathable, promoting an airflow that reduces the chance of heat buildup while still providing high levels of passive noise dampening. The NTH-50s are made from lightweight and durable materials including aluminum faceplates that can withstand daily punishment in the studio. The modular design has replaceable components such as the headband, ear cushions and cables for a longer service life. The ear cups are color-coded for left and right channels so users can quickly and easily orientate them in low light, a nice touch. Finally, the headphones have a scratch-resistant and matte black coating. They ship with a 1.7m double coiled cable, storage pouch plus 3.5mm to ¼-inch adapter. RØDE has also included color-coded ID rings for simplified cable management and full compatibility with the existing accessories for RØDE’s NTH-100 headphones, including modular cable options. For greater versatility, RØDE’s optional NTHMic can turn the NTH-50 into a broadcast-quality headset that’s suitable for podcasting, streaming, sports commentary and content creation. Pricing and Availability: The new RØDE NTH-50 on-ear headphones will be available from RØDE distributors from May 20, 2025, priced at $99. Tech Specs: Transducer diameter: 40mm Transducer type: Dynamic. Operating principle: Closed. Ear coupling: Supra-Aural/On-Ear. Frequency response: 5Hz – 35KHz. Impedance: 32Ω. Sensitivity @1mW / 500Hz: 102dB SPL. Sensitivity @1V (RMS) / 500Hz: 117dB SPL. Total Harmonic Distortion @1mW: < 0.2 % @100Hz / < 0.03% @500Hz. Total Harmonic Distortion @100Hz: 0.05% @100dB SPL / 0.5% @120dB SPL. Short-term max input power: 100mW. Long-term max input power: 50mW. Max SPL: 124dB SPL. Ambient Noise Attenuation: 21dBA. Connection type: Dual TRRS cable attachments.

In today’s audio landscape, turntables have evolved beyond their utilitarian roots to become expressive, design-forward components of home sound systems. While many modern turntables blend retro appeal with high-tech performance, few manage to challenge conventional aesthetics in the way Audio-Technica’s transparent AT-LPA2 does. Departing from the standard matte or wooden finishes commonly seen in analog systems, this model introduces a fully transparent construction that reimagines what a high-end turntable can look like without compromising performance. The AT-LPA2 is the production version of Audio-Technica’s previously released limited-edition AT-LP2022 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Tokyo-based audio expert. While maintaining the core design principles of its predecessor, the AT-LPA2 incorporates structural and functional refinements aimed at delivering reliable, high-fidelity analog playback. What sets this turntable apart immediately is its visual impact. The body is made from 30 mm-thick high-density transparent acrylic, while the platter is constructed from 20mm acrylic of the same type. These materials not only give the AT-LPA2 its minimalist, modern appearance but also serve a technical purpose: the density of the acrylic aids in vibration damping, helping to reduce unwanted resonance and maintain sonic clarity. Designer: Audio Technica The unit features a belt-drive system supported by an optical sensor that ensures accurate platter rotation at 33⅓ and 45 RPM. This technology helps minimize pitch inconsistencies that can arise from rotational instability, thereby preserving the integrity of the audio signal. By integrating this level of rotational precision, Audio-Technica ensures that users receive a playback experience that meets the expectations of audiophiles and casual listeners alike. A distinctive element of the AT-LPA2’s design is the external housing for the power supply and playback controls. By relocating these components away from the main chassis, Audio-Technica reduces potential electrical interference with the audio signal while also keeping the visual lines of the turntable clean and uninterrupted. The result is both functional and aesthetically coherent, enhancing the turntable’s appeal as a centerpiece in any listening environment. Equipped with a carbon-fiber tonearm, the AT-LPA2 supports interchangeable counterweights, giving users the flexibility to use a variety of cartridges suited to their preferences. This feature allows for a tailored listening experience, with the tonearm’s lightweight yet rigid construction contributing to precise tracking and minimal distortion. It reflects a commitment to adaptability and performance, appealing especially to those who value customization in their analog setups. Priced at $2,000, the AT-LPA2 is positioned in the premium tier of the consumer turntable market. While its transparent design makes a clear visual statement, its engineering supports serious listening. Audio-Technica has balanced form and function effectively, delivering a product that is as technically competent as it is visually innovative. In a time when analog audio continues to grow in popularity, the AT-LPA2 stands out as a symbol of how tradition and modernity can coexist in a single device. It turns vinyl playback into both a sonic and visual experience, catering to users who expect their audio equipment to perform exceptionally while complementing contemporary interior design. The post Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 turntable redefines analog audio with a transparent design first appeared on Yanko Design.

NimueIntroductionFor three semesters, our student team has been hard at work on the prototype for Nimue, a 3D platformer in which you play an enchanted princess who lost her memories. She needs to find her way through the castle ruins on a misty lake to uncover her past. Water is a visual core element of this game prototype, so we took extra care in its development. In this article, we will take an in-depth look at the design and technical implementation of a lake water material.The first prototype of Nimue can be played on itch.io soon. A link to our shader for use in your own projects can be found at the end of this article.Taxonomy of WaterBefore we dive into the design decisions and technical implementation, we present a simplified taxonomy of visual water components to better understand the requirements of its representation:RiMEWind WavesWaves generated by wind, which form on an open water surface, can be divided into capillary waves and gravity waves. Capillary waves, or ripples, are small, short-wavelength waves caused by weak winds affecting surface tension in calm water. They can overlap longer and larger gravity waves. How these physically complex wave types are represented in stylized video games varies depending on the respective style. Both types are usually heavily simplified in form and motion, and capillary waves are sometimes omitted entirely to reduce detail.Sea of ThievesFoam PatternsFoam patterns refer to white foam crests that form on a water surface without breaking against an obstacle or shoreline. In reality, this effect occurs when different water layers collide, and waves become steeper until their peaks collapse, and the resulting bubbles and drops scatter the sunlight. Stylized foam patterns can be found in many video game water representations and can easily be abstracted into patterns. Such patterns contribute to a cartoon look and can sometimes even replace waveforms entirely.The Legend of Zelda: The Wind WakerFoam LinesFoam lines are a very common water element in video games, represented as white graphical lines surrounding shorelines and obstacles like rocks. They typically reference two different water phenomena: foam forming around obstacles due to wave breaking, and foam along shorelines, resulting from wave breaking and the mixing of algaes with organic and artificial substances.Foam lines can have different visual appearances depending on the surface angle: The shallower the angle, the wider the foam effect. Due to the weaker waves, distinctive foam lines are rarely observed on natural lakes, but they can be included in a stylization for aesthetic purposes. Animal Crossing: New HorizonsReflectionsWhen light hits a water surface, it can either be reflected (specular reflection) or transmitted into the water, where it may be absorbed, scattered, or reflected back through the surface. The Fresnel effect describes the perceived balance between reflection and transmission: at steep angles, more transmitted light reaches the eye, making the water appear more translucent, while at shallow angles, increased reflection makes it appear more opaqueIn stylized video games, implementations of water reflections vary: RiME, for example, imitates the Fresnel effect but does not reflect the environment at all, only a simple, otherwise invisible cube map. Wind Waker, on the other hand, completely foregoes reflection calculations and renders a flat-shaded water surface.RiMETranslucencyAs an inhomogeneous medium, water scatters some of the transmitted light before it can be reflected back to the surface. This is why water is described as translucent rather than transparent. Some scattered light is not reflected back but absorbed, reducing intensity and shifting color toward the least absorbed wavelengths, typically blue, blue-green, or turquoise. Increased distance amplifies scattering and absorption, altering color perception. Modern real-time engines simulate these effects, including absorption-based color variation with depth. However, stylized games often simplify or omit transmission entirely, rendering water as an opaque surface.RiMERefractionAn additional aspect of water transmission is refraction, the bending of light as it transitions between air and water due to their differing densities. This causes light to bend toward the normal upon entering the water, creating the apparent distortion of submerged objects. Refraction effects also commonly appear in stylized water rendering. Kirby's Forgotten Land, for example, showcases two key visual characteristics of refraction: distortion increases with steeper viewing angles and is amplified by ripples on the water's surface.Kirby and the Forgotten LandCausticsCaustic patterns form when light rays are focused by a curved water surface (caused by waves and ripples), projecting bundled light patterns onto underwater surfaces or even back to surfaces above water. These patterns are influenced by the clarity of the water, the depth of the water, and the strength of the light source. They contribute greatly to the atmosphere of virtual worlds and are often found in stylized games, although only as simplistic representations.The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DDesign DecisionsDue to the fact that the setting of Nimue is a lake with a calm overall atmosphere, the decision was made to use very reduced gravity waves, as a calm water surface underlines this atmosphere. Capillary waves have too high a level of detail for the stylistic requirements of Nimue and were, therefore, not implemented.NimueShapesThe mood in Nimue can be summarized as calm and mystical. The design language of Nimue is graphic, rounded, and elegant. Shapes are vertically elongated and highly abstracted. Convex corners are always rounded or have a strong bevel, while concave corners are pointed to prevent the overall mass of objects from becoming too rounded.ColorsNimue uses mostly broken colors and pastels to create a serene, reflective mood and highlight the player's character with her saturated blue tones. Platforms and obstacles are depicted with a lower tonal value (darker) to increase their visibility. Overall, the game world is kept in very unsaturated shades of blue, with the atmospheric depth, i.e., the sky and objects in the distance, falling into the complementary orange range. Shades of green and yellow are either completely avoided or extremely desaturated. The resulting reduced color palette additionally supports the atmosphere and makes it appear more harmonious.Color gamut & value/tone tests Hue, Tone & SaturationSince the color of the water, with its hue, tone, and saturation, is technically achieved by several components, a 2D mockup was first designed to more easily compare different colors in the environment. Here it could be observed that both the low and the high tonal value formed too great a contrast to the rest of the environment and thus placed an undesirable focus on the water. Therefore, the medium tone value was chosen.The hue and saturation were tested in relativity to the sky, the player character, and the background. Here, too, the color variant that harmonizes the most with the rest of the environment and contrasts the least was chosen.Foam LinesFor the design of the foam lines, we proceeded in the same way as for the color selection: In this case, a screenshot of the test scene was used as the basis for three overpaints to try out different foam lines on the stones in the scene. Version 3 offers the greatest scope in terms of movement within the patterns. Due to this, and because of the greater visual interest, we opted for variant 3. Following the mockup, the texture was prepared so that it could be technically implemented.ReflectionThe reflection of the water surface contributes to how realistic the water looks, as one would always expect a reflection with natural water, depending on the angle. However, a reflection could also contribute to the overall appearance of the water becoming less calm. The romantic character created by the reflection of diffuse light on water is more present in version 1.In addition, the soft, wafting shapes created by the reflection fit in well with the art style. A reflection is desirable, but the reflections must not take up too much focus. Ideally, the water should be lighter in tone, and the reflections should be present but less pronounced. Reflection intensityRefraction & CausticsEven though most light in our water gets absorbed, we noticed an improvement in the believability of the ground right underneath the water's surface when utilizing refraction together with the waveforms. When it comes to caustics, the diffuse lighting conditions of our scene would make visible caustic patterns physically implausible, but it felt right aesthetically, which is why we included it anyway (not being bound to physical plausibility is one of the perks of stylized graphics).Technical Realization in Unreal Engine 5When building a water material in Unreal, choosing the right shading model and blend mode is crucial. While a Default Lit Translucent material with Surface Forward Shading offers the most control, it is very costly to render. The more efficient choice is the Single Layer Water shading model introduced in Unreal 4.27, which supports light absorption, scattering, reflection, refraction, and shadowing at a lower instruction count. However, there are some downsides. For example, as it only uses a single depth layer, it lacks back-face rendering, making it less suitable for underwater views. And while still quite expensive by itself, its benefits outweigh the drawbacks of our stylized water material.WaveformsStarting with the waveforms, we used panning normal maps to simulate the rather calm low-altitude gravity waves. The approach here is simple: create a wave normal map in Substance 3D Designer, sample it twice, and continuously offset the samples' UV coordinates in opposing directions at different speeds. Give one of the two samples a higher speed and normal intensity to create a sense of wind direction. This panning operation does not need to run in the fragment shader, you can move it to the vertex shader through the Vertex Interpolator without quality loss and thereby reduce the instruction count.Texture RepetitionTo reduce visible tiling, we used three simple and fairly efficient tricks. First, we offset the UVs of the Wave Samplers with a large panning noise texture to dynamically distort the wave patterns. Second, we used another sampler of that noise texture with different tiling, speed, and direction to modulate the strength of the normal maps across the surface. We sampled this noise texture four times with different variables in the material, which is a lot, but we reused them many times for most of the visual features of our water. Third, we sampled the pixel depth of the surface to mask out the waves that were far from the camera so that there were no waves in the far distance.Vertex DisplacementWhile these normal waves are enough to create the illusion of altitude on the water surface itself, they are lacking when it comes to the intersections around objects in the water, as these intersections are static without any actual vertex displacement. To fix that, two very simple sine operations (one along the X-axis and the other on the Y-axis) were added to drive the World Position Offset of the water mesh on the Z-axis. To keep the polycounts in check, we built a simple blueprint grid system that spawns high-res plane meshes at the center in a variable radius, and low-res plane meshes around that. This enables the culling of non-visible planes and the use of a less complex version of the water material for distant planes, where features like WPO are not needed.ColorThe general transmission amount is controlled by the opacity input of the material output, but scattering and absorption are defined via the Single Layer Water material output. The inputs Scattering Coefficients and Absorption Coefficients, which are responsible for reproducing how and how far different wavelengths travel through water, are decisive here. We use two scattering colors as parameters, which are interpolated depending on the camera distance. Close to the camera, the blue scattering color (ScatteringColorNear) dominates, while at a distance, the orange scattering color (ScatteringColorFar) takes over. The advantage is a separation of the water's color from the sky's color and, thus, higher artistic control.Reflections & RefractionReflections in the Single Layer Water shading model are as usual determined by the inputs for Specular (reflection intensity) and Roughness (reflection diffusion). In our case, however, we use Lumen reflections for their accuracy and quality, and as of Unreal 5.4, the Single Layer Water model’s roughness calculation does not work with Lumen reflections. It forces mirror reflections (Roughness = 0), no matter the value input, leaving the specular lobe unaffected. Instead, it only offsets the reflection brightness, as the specular input does.For our artistic purposes, this is fine, and we do use the roughness input to fine-tune the specular level while having the specular input as the base level. A very low value was set for the specular value to keep the reflection brightness low. We further stylized the reflections by decreasing this brightness near the camera by using the already mentioned masking method via camera to interpolate between two values (RoughnessNear and RoughnessFar). For refraction, the Pixel Normal Offset mode was used, and a scalar parameter interpolates between the base refraction and the output of the normal waves.CausticsFor the caustic effect, we created a Voronoi noise pattern by using Unreal's Noise node and exporting it with a render target. In Photoshop, the pattern was duplicated twice, rotated each, colored, and blended. This texture is then projected on the objects below by using the ColorScaleBehindWater input of the Single Layer Water Material output. The pattern is dynamically distorted by adding one of the aforementioned panning noise textures to the UV coordinates.FoamlinesWe started by creating custom meshes for foam lines and applied the earlier texture pattern, but quickly realized that such a workflow would be too cumbersome and inflexible for even a small scene, so we decided to do it procedurally. Two common methods for generating intersection masks on a plane are Depth Sampling and Distance Fields. The first works by subtracting the camera's distance to the water surface at the current pixel (i.e., the "PixelDepth") from the camera's distance to the closest scene object at that pixel (i.e., the "SceneDepth"). The second method is to use the node "DistanceToNearestSurface" which calculates the shortest distance between a point on the water surface and the nearest object by referencing the scene's global distance field. We used both methods to control the mask width, as each alone varies with the object's surface slope, causing undesirable variations. Combining them allowed us to switch between two different mask widths, turning off "Affect Distance Field Lighting" for shallow slopes where narrower lines are wanted.The added mask of all intersections is then used for two effects to create the foam lines: "edge foam" (that does not depart from the intersection) and "edge waves" (which go outwards from the edge foam). Both are shaped with the noise samplers shown above to approximate the hand-drawn foam line texture.Foam PatternsThe same noise samplers are also used to create a sparkling foam effect, loosely imitating whitecaps/foam crests to add more visual interest to the water surface. Since it only reuses operations, this effect is very cheap. Similarly, the wave normals are used to create something like fake subsurface scattering to further distinguish the moving water surface. Interactive RipplesA third type of foam is added as interactive waves that ripple around the player character when walking through shallow water. This is done through a Render Target and particles, as demonstrated in this Unity tutorial by Minions Art. The steps described there are all easily applicable in Unreal with a Niagara System, a little Blueprint work, and common material nodes. We added a Height to Normal conversion for better visual integration into our existing wave setup. Finally, here are all those operations combined for the material inputs:NimueBest PracticesUse Single Layer Water for efficient translucency, but note it lacks back-face rendering and forces mirror reflections with Lumen;For simple low-altitude waves, pan two offset samples of a normal map at different speeds; move panning to Vertex Shader for better performance;Break up texture tiling efficiently by offsetting UVs with a large panning noise, modulating normal strength, and fading distant waves using pixel depth;Sampling one small noise texture at different scales can power this and many other features of a water shader efficiently;If high-altitude waves aren't needed, a simple sine-based WPO can suffice for vertex displacement; implement a grid system for LODs and culling of subdivided water meshes;Blend two scattering colors by camera distance for artistic watercolor control and separation from sky reflections;Combining depth sampling and distance fields to derive the foam lines allows for more flexible intersection widths but comes at a higher cost. Further ResourcesHere are some resources that helped us in the shader creation process:General shader theory and creation: tharlevfx, Ben Cloward;Interactive water in Unity: Minions Art;Another free stylized water material in Unreal by Fabian Lopez Arosa;Technical art wizardry: Ghislain Girardot.ConclusionWe hope this breakdown of our water material creation process will help you in your projects.If you want to take a look at our shader yourself or even use it for your own game projects, you can download the complete setup on Gumroad. We look forward to seeing your water shaders and exchanging ideas. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to connect.Kolja Bopp, Academic SupervisorLeanna Geideck, Concept ArtistStephan zu Münster, Technical Artist