vArrayWave

Apply a ripple wave to every point in a vArray over time — the animation engine for oscillating, pulsing, and travelling wave effects.

IntermediateMograph / ArrayArrayScriptValJSON

vArrayWave applies a time-based sinusoidal oscillation to the XYZ positions of a vArray. Point Delay staggers the wave across elements to produce ripple propagation, and Falloff controls how the wave decays with distance from the wave origin.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Wave	Float	—	Internal wave computation output — not directly user-editable. Driven by the current frame and all other wave parameters.
START AT FRAME	Integer	0	Frame number at which the wave animation begins. Set to a non-zero value to delay the wave onset, useful for synchronising to cuts or transitions.
Period	Float	5.0	Wave period — effectively the wavelength. Lower values = faster oscillation. Range: 0–50.
Strength	Float	1.0	Displacement amplitude. Higher values produce larger oscillations. Range: 0–10.
Limit	Checkbox	0	When enabled, clamps the wave displacement to prevent points from exceeding a defined boundary region.

+8 more parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Repeat	Float	1.0	Controls how many wave cycles repeat across the array length. Higher values produce more compressed wave patterns.
Reverse	Checkbox	0	Inverts the direction of wave propagation across the array.
Falloff	Float	0.01	Rate at which wave energy decays with distance from the origin point. Lower values produce a tighter falloff zone. Range: 0.001–1.0.
Point Delay	Float	0	Phase offset applied sequentially to each element. Non-zero values create the travelling ripple effect by staggering the wave phase per point.
X Position	Float	0	X coordinate of the wave origin. Animate to move the wave source horizontally through the point cloud.
Y Position	Float	0	Y coordinate of the wave origin. Animate to move the wave source vertically.
Z Position	Float	0	Z coordinate of the wave origin. Move wave source in depth for 3D ripple effects.
Array A	Float	—	The input vArray whose XYZ positions will be oscillated by the wave.

Read the full description

vArrayWave is the primary animation modifier in the vArray toolkit. It reads the current frame number, calculates a sine wave at each point's position, and displaces the array values accordingly. The result is a continuous, physically convincing oscillation that travels through the point cloud over time without any keyframing.

Period controls the wavelength — higher values slow the wave frequency. Strength scales the displacement amplitude. Point Delay staggers the phase of each element sequentially, which is what creates the travelling ripple effect: without it, all points oscillate in sync. Falloff shapes how the wave energy decays with distance from the X/Y/Z position parameters, enabling ripples that emanate from a specific origin point.

START AT FRAME sets the frame number at which the wave begins animating, useful for synchronising wave onset to a cut point or transition. Limit checkbox clamps the displacement to prevent points from leaving a defined region. Reverse inverts the direction of wave propagation. Connect vArrayWave between any generator and vArrayCameraProjection — it is a pure modifier and works with any vArray regardless of how the points were created.

For maximum expressiveness, animate the X/Y/Z Position parameters to move the wave origin through the point cloud over time, or combine multiple vArrayWave nodes in series for complex interference patterns. Pair with vArrayBuffer to leave time-offset trails behind each oscillating point.

Example Connections

Ripple on a grid

vArrayPointsOnGrid.Output -> vArrayWave.ArrayA
vArrayWave.Output -> vArrayCameraProjection.ArrayA
vArrayCameraProjection.Output -> vArrayShapeRender.ArrayPoint
Background.Output -> vArrayShapeRender.Input

Wave with trails

vArrayPointsOnCircle.Output -> vArrayWave.ArrayA
vArrayWave.Output -> vArrayBuffer.Input
vArrayBuffer.Output -> vArrayShapeRender.ArrayPoint

Related Nodes

vArrayBuffervArrayDisplaceValuesvArrayRotateValues