Displacement Maps and attaching nulls....
 

Hey there.
Having used the excellent download on how to create an ocean scene I now want to float a boat across my newly built sea...
Can anyone tell me how to get a null to flow across a grid of polys with a displacement map attached? Is there any way I can get it to match the pitch and bank channels of the displaced surface?

You could try using a bone and targeting to a null or maybe try this script:

http://www.flay.com/GetDetail.cfm?ID=1714

You could also try TextureMotion modifier under the Motion Options Panel.

Displacement Maps and attaching nulls....
 

Thanks for the tips, David.
I'll give them a try over the weekend and see if it will sort it.
Thanks again for your interest.:beer:
Yours Sincerely,
Simon Dalton

Those Floating Nulls....
 

:headbang:
I'm fit to be tied, he said, being all polite.
Thanks for the input, Nemac4, but neither of those suggestions are giving me the effect I want.
I'm trying to get a boat to float on the surface of a choppy sea. I assume it would be parented to a null? and that there is some way for the boat to inherit its pitch and bank from the surface of the sea?
Can anyone tell me if i'm thinking along the right lines?

Here is a scene for you that I've setup using Texture Motion and Targeting. The trick is to set two nulls with texture motion, parent the boat to one of the nulls, and then target the boat to the other null. ;)

You can even add banking motion with additional nulls.

Preview Render

Scene Files

Thanks, David.
You are a gentleman, a scholar and probably a good judge of fine whiskey.
Yours Sincerely,
Simon Dalton:bow:

lol:beer:

Glad to help.

Is it possible for re-share the mentioned links?

To get a null to follow the shifting of your ocean scene, sample the displace map at the exact spots where the null will travel. Using a script or phrase, you can match the null's position and orientation (pitch, bank) to the surface normals of the went geometry. Make sure the null's rotation matches the undulating surface so it reacts properly to the waves! Null Brawl