Multi-Band Fourier Synthesis of Ocean Waves

Abstract

We present an algorithm for generating animations of the ocean surface under deep-water conditions. The approach is based on statistical ocean wave models and relies on Fourier synthesis. We divide the range of wave numbers into several relatively narrow bands and perform the final synthesis in the spatial domain. The algorithm incurs only a small fraction of the computational costs of previous approaches but achieves a comparable level of visual fidelity, making it suitable for generating realistic animations in realtime.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).