I see only one solution. For long distance shots, let the water fill the interior, and just use a camera angle that doesn't catch the water inside.

Is there a reason (I'm guessing the reality of the landing craft design may be the reason) that you couldn't raise the landing craft in the water so that the cargo deck is just above the water level.

Message edited on: 12/16/2004 19:30

Magnet to deform water surface. It moves with the boat.

I thought that you could make a false bottom on the landing craft, but that would make the floor too high.

Hmmm, I wonder if it would be possible to add a magnet to the water to create a "hole" for the LCM to sit in. And then parent that magnet to the hull so that it moves whith the LCM. Something like a JCM, only that the LCM is the joint. Or maybe just create a (hole) morph that follows the path of the LCM and animate the morph and the craft at the same time ? Nice modelling, btw ! :-) I remember building the Airfix LCM (And the Sherman that was included) several times in my childhood. Great little kit ! stahlratte

This the kit you were talking about?

Helgard check out Ockham's Python deformer "eurika" in the free stuff. If you make the water plain with enough vertices it may help. mike

Trav, I actually thought about Eureka first, but I want this to be usable in P4 as well, which doesn't have Python. And I have animated waves, so I don't know how Eureka will interact with that.

Ok, but Dr Geep, the landing craft is travelling over the surface of the "Poser Ground". So if I do this to the magnet, and make the shape of the polygon (New Group) exactly fit the shape of the boat, and parent the magnet to the boat, and the boat moves over the water, this zone will follow the boat and affect the new polygons coming under the boat? And excuse my ignorance, how do I make the depression negative. I want the water down, not up. (PS I now regret not doing your magnet tutotial, lol)

Hi Helgard, re: "So if I do this to the magnet, and make the shape of the polygon (New Group) exactly fit the shape of the boat, and parent the magnet to the boat, and the boat moves over the water, this zone will follow the boat and affect the new polygons coming under the boat?" Yes. .... Except, the depressed area will appear to "jump" as the polygons in the ground go from depressed to non depressed and vice versa.

re:"And excuse my ignorance, how do I make the depression negative. I want the water down, not up." Make yTran for the Magnet negative (-) instead of positive (+) and the "group" will be depressed (like Uncle Stuffit) instead of raised. - - - - - -

re:"(PS I now regret not doing your magnet tutotial, lol)" It's never too late, is it? - - - - - -

You can find a Magnet tutorial HERE. You can find another Magnet tutorial HERE.- - - - - -

cheers, dr geep ;=]

re:"And excuse my ignorance, how do I make the depression negative. I want the water down, not up." Or ... just turn the Ground upside down. ;=]

Can't turn the ground upside down, lol, because then my waves will be upside down. The waves combined with the magnet should look awesome. Working on this now. Thanks for all the help.

Dare I ask .............. did you use the "Wave" deformer? ;=]

My recollection of pictures and stuff is that the internal deck of a landing craft is not below the waterline. If it was, they'd flood as soon as the ramp came down, and not be able to get off the beach. But I've only watched "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Longest Day", so what do I know?

Lol, yes. Who dares wins. (Actually, I haven't used it yet, as the model is still being built, but that is the plan.) Still have to finish the Leopold railgun and then I can start Poserizing.

Looking way back to what Flak said at the start, the actual internal deck, that men or tanks stand on, is not the keel. There must be stuff out there. I think the infantry in SPR were using what's known as a Higgins Boat.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/freestuff.ez?Form.Contrib=ockham&Topsectionid=0

shogakusha. The python script you are talking about is the Eureka script we discussed earlier. It unfortunately won't work in P4. I haven't tested it with the wave deformer either, so I am not sure how they will interact.

It looks from that SPR photo that they had dummy landing craft actually on the beach. According to the film website, they had some genuine LCVPs for the at-sea shots, and used an LCM to carry the actors -- I suppose they needed room for cameras and stuff. Looking at the pictures, and the relative heights of the figures and the hull sides, I can believe they used an LCM as a floating set. And I'd agree that those landing craft on the beach are a bit crudely done. Not even any markings?

Attached Link: http://pmms.webace.com.au/reviews/vehicles/misc/lcm3/lcm3.htm

Looks like I was mistaken about the line of the well deck. It's definitely high at the bow, and then drops. I found some pictures which showed an empty LCM(3), and that model review shows the line on its pictures of the parts. For a loaded LCM you could probably fake it anyway, unless you're getting close, with a dummy deck. At the beach, down comes the ramp and the tank climbs up and over, but the LCM isn't moving and you could use magnets or anything.

Thanks for the link, at least I have the markings now. I had to take a lot of liberties with the modelling, especially on the parts you don't see, like below the waterline. It will all become clear when you see the final set-up.

Maybe I just don't understand, but the square magnet doesn't move. I can make the magnet affect a square area that corrsponds to the size of the landing craft, but when I move the landing craft, and the magnet with it, the magnet only affects the square area I originally created. The square depression does not move with the landing craft. I can get a depression to move with the landing craft, but that depression is circular, and doesn't do the trick.

Thanks, that will work. I knew there was a way!!