Create polygon or nurbs plane. In this tutorial I'm using polygon plane. Width = 20, height = 10, subdivisions height and width = 10 and rotate X = 90. (You can change all parameters).
Select the plane and go to deform > non linier > sine
The sine doesn't same direction with polygon plane. Select sine1Handle and rotate Y = 90.
select sine1Handle and go to channel box and change sine1 parameters like below and translate X to the left.
After change sine1 parameters, the sine deformers change like this.
The sine doesn't cover all plane, we must increase the high bound and decrease dropoff. If dropoff zero the wave point in middle of sine deformers, if dropoff -1 the wave point low bound and if dropoff 1 the wave point in high bound. You can try it if you want, that's make you more understand.
And the result is like picture below. And I add one nurbs circle for control the speed of wave. Change the nurbs circle to " wave_control ".
And now select wave_control, right click in channel box and add attribute. Attribute name is speed_move. And click OK. See picture below for details.
Right click again in channel box and now chose "expressions". And write down this code below:
sine1.offset = time * wave_control.speed_wave;
Now play the scene.
You can change plane to cylinder or something, but you must have much subdivisions.
