Installation & Initial Setup
Automatic pipeline setup
KWS2 automatically detects your active render pipeline (Built-in, URP, HDRP) and configures all internal defines, keywords, and render passes automatically. No manual setup is required — water works out of the box right after import.
If you switch render pipelines, simply restart the Unity Editor once to recompile shaders and refresh pipeline defines.
Automatic project configuration
KWS2 automatically enables and configures all required project options for you:
In URP, enable Decal Renderer Feature in your URP Renderer asset to use wetness.
In Built-in and HDRP, no additional setup is required.
Main Features Overview
KWS2 combines multiple physically-based water simulation systems into one unified framework — supporting oceans, rivers, lakes, and local water zones within a single scene. Each zone type can be added via
Right-click in the Hierarchy window
Effects → KWS Water → [Zone Type]
Available options:
Ocean - large-scale FFT-based ocean surface, used for global sea or large lakes.
Dynamic Waves Simulation Zone - local water simulation for rivers, lakes, or waterfalls. Supports flow, foam, splashes, and real-time interaction with objects. Can use effectors to add or remove forces, obstacles, or color sources.
Dynamic Waves Simulation Effector - used together with Dynamic Waves Zones — creates moving or static sources that affect local simulation.
Local Water Zone - overrides global water parameters in a specific area: (color, wind, height, etc)
Global vs Scene Water Settings
Water settings are divided into two main categories:
1. Scene-specific settings
These define how the water looks and behaves in the current scene (wind speed, water color, etc) When you add water to your scene, a Water Manager (Global Settings) object is created automatically. It stores all scene-level rendering and simulation parameters. Only one Water Manager should exist per scene — it affects all water zones (Ocean, River, Lake, etc.)
2. Quality settings
These control how the water is rendered under different Unity quality levels. They define performance vs. visual fidelity trade-offs — similar to Unity’s shadow or texture quality options
You can find them in: Project Settings → KWS Water Settings
These control how water features are linked to Unity’s global quality levels. You can define which effects or levels of detail are active for each Unity quality preset. This allows automatic scaling of visual quality depending on the user’s selected graphics level.
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