JP WHITAKER
HONOLULU HAWAII

Side project

Water Shader

A water-caustic lighting effect

This experiment recreates the shifting light cast when sunlight refracts through the ocean surface.

The first version used a looping video as a spotlight filter. I replaced it with a procedural WebGL shader rendered onto a full-screen quad, then passed that render texture to a spotlight—the digital equivalent of a stage-light gobo.

Technologies used

  • Next.js
  • React Three Fiber
  • Drei
  • GLSL
The procedural texture that drives the underwater spotlight.
HONOLULU HAWAII