Droplets simulates a sheet of clear glass placed in front of the stage, covered in condensation and sliding rain streaks. The effect combines flowing rain rivulets with tiny static beads, naturally refracting the scene behind each drop while catching crisp specular highlights.
Each droplet includes its own specular highlight calculation, keeping rain clearly visible even over transparent backgrounds and floating windows.
OriginalEffectControls
| Control | Range | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intensity | 0 – 1.25 | 0.5 | Overall rain density and drop count, from drizzle to downpour |
| Speed | 0 – ×3 | ×1 | Global animation speed; 0 freezes all droplet motion |
| Scale | 0.4 – 2.5 | 0.4 | Droplet density; higher values produce smaller, finer drops |
| Drop Width | 0.4 – 1.5 | 1 | Horizontal width of drops and the rivulets left behind |
| Drop Length | 0.4 – 2.5 | 1 | Elongation of sliding drops under gravity |
| Refraction | 0 – 3 | 0.2 | Distortion strength bending the background image |
| Fall Speed | 0 – ×3 | ×1 | Downward speed of running droplets |
| Direction | −180° – 180° | 0° | Slide angle; 0° is downward, ±90° is crosswind, ±180° is upward |
| Wiggle | 0 – 2 | 1 | Horizontal meandering sway as drops slide down |
| Static Drops | 0 – 3 | 0.2 | Density of stationary micro-droplets adhering to the glass |
| Glints | 0 – 1 | 0.6 | Specular highlight intensity reflecting off droplet surfaces |
Droplets do not slide immediately upon appearing. They pause in place, gathering moisture until enough weight accumulates to break surface tension and slide downward, recreating the physical behavior of real rainwater on glass.
Simulating Environmental Direction
Adjusting Direction changes more than tilt: ±90° simulates driving crosswinds with sideways streaks; ±180° drives rain upward to replicate a moving vehicle windshield or surreal, gravity-defying scenes.
When adjusting direction, fine-tune Wiggle and Fall Speed to match the desired fluid motion.
Specular Glints and Transparent Stages
Glints adds specular edge highlights that preserve droplet visibility across transparent canvas areas. Without an opaque background to refract, pure distortion cannot render droplets clearly; specular glints ensure droplets remain crisp during live streaming or in floating desktop window modes.
If the stage features an opaque Background Layer where refraction alone sufficiently defines the water droplets, you can lower this setting.
Processing Order
Droplets runs after stage distortion passes like Pixelate and Subspace Glitch™, as the glass stands in front of the stage scene. Camera lens filters like Film Grain and Vignette are layered on the outside of the camera lens.
Last updated on November 3, 2026