Wave Warp Effect

The Wave Warp effect applies sine wave distortion along a configurable axis, creating ripple, wave, and undulation effects. It is time-dependent — the output changes automatically with the current frame.

Parameters

Axis

ValueEffect
HorizontalDisplaces cells along the horizontal axis (rows ripple left/right)
VerticalDisplaces cells along the vertical axis (columns ripple up/down)

Frequency

RangeDefaultUnit
0.1–5.01.0Waves per canvas width/height

Higher values produce more wave cycles across the canvas.

Amplitude

RangeDefaultUnit
-30 to +305Cells

Controls how far cells are displaced from their original position. Negative values invert the wave direction.

Speed

RangeDefaultEffect
-50 to +505Wave travel speed per frame. Negative values reverse direction.
Info

Speed is time-dependent — the wave animates automatically during playback without keyframing. Set speed to 0 for a static wave.

Phase

RangeDefaultUnit
0–3600Degrees

Initial phase offset of the wave. Use to control where the wave cycle begins.

Keyframing

All parameters support numeric interpolation. Keyframe amplitude to fade the effect in/out, or animate frequency for accelerating wave density.

Use Cases

  • Water ripple — Horizontal axis, low frequency (0.3–0.5), moderate amplitude (3–5)
  • Heat haze — Vertical axis, high frequency (2–3), low amplitude (1–2)
  • Waving flag — Horizontal axis, animate phase with speed
  • Transition effect — Keyframe amplitude from 0 to max and back

Technical Notes

  • Time-dependent: uses perFrameBake when baking — generates unique output per frame
  • Cells displaced beyond canvas bounds are clipped to the canvas width/height