Luke Penry originally created the Ripple Pro modifier after hitting limitations when creating water surface physics in 3ds Max. Compared to the legacy one, it adds a lot more control and realism with five ripple sources, two evaluation modes, wave simulation, procedural rain splashes, and better performance with caching for both previews and final renders.

There are two modes: Pattern mode, which is fast and predictable like the original modifier but improved, and Simulation mode, running a real wave-equation solver for wakes, interference, and edge reflections without the cost of a full simulation. You can create ripples from almost anything: a point, an object’s waterline, splines, particles, or even a texture. Animated textures can also drive directional ripples using optical flow, creating waves that follow the movement.

Ripple Pro is built for production with multithreaded performance, RAM caching for fast playback, accurate motion blur, and no need for keyframes. Every download also includes a complete HTML user guide. It’s compatible with 3ds Max 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027.

You can purchase Ripple Pro here. The developer is already working on a new CUDA-accelerated modifier based on a shallow water solver. The goal is to fill the gap between simple ripple effects and full FLIP simulations, making things like running rivers or gentle waves much easier to create.