Node Wake! – Documentation

TUTORIAL

Overview

Node Wake! is a Blender add-on that provides 16 stackable shader node groups for creating realistic, procedural water materials quickly and intuitively.
The system is designed to be drag-and-drop, fully non-destructive, and highly customizable, allowing artists to build everything from calm ponds to dynamic shoreline water without complex node graphs or simulations.

Most node groups are modular and can be used individually or layered together in any order.

Key Features

• 16 water-focused shader node groups

• Designed for Shader Editor (Cycles & Eevee compatible*)

• Drag-and-drop workflow

• Clean, readable node interfaces

• Works with existing water materials

• Non-destructive and performance-friendly

*Some advanced effects may vary slightly between Cycles and Eevee depending on Blender limitations.

Installation

1. Download the Node Wake! add-on .zip

2. Open Blender

3. Go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons

4. Click Install…

5. Select the downloaded .zip

6. Enable Node Wake!

Once enabled, Node Wake! node groups become available in the Shader Editor.

• Keep noise scales reasonable for scene size

Compatibility

• Blender 4.x+

• Cycles: Fully supported

• Eevee: Supported (some effects may differ visually)

Intended Use Cases

• Lakes and ponds

• Rivers and streams

• Shorelines

• Environmental water for games

• Cinematic water surfaces

• Fast prototyping of water materials

Non-Goals

Node Wake! is not intended to:

• Replace fluid simulations

• Generate geometry

• Perform physics-based water dynamics

It is a shader-first solution focused on realism, speed, and control.

Support & Updates

Node Wake! is designed to be expandable.
Future updates may include:

• Additional node groups

• Geometry node integration

• Preset systems

• Expanded shoreline interaction