Ripple Effect

[ukguy]

Hello to all,

I am almost ready to start modeling my first water scene and would like some advice if available please. A pic of the area I will be working on is here :-

www.geocities.com/karldesign/riverarea

Background:

There are two effects I need to achieve, the first is fairly fast flowing water, just beyond the trestle is a small waterfall (clear silicone) from a higher level. From the waterfall to the trestle is approx 6" which I would like to attempt to model as flowing, disturbed water, disturbed from the waterfall and the trestle legs based in the 'water'.
After the tresle the river widens and 'slows' so I would like to attempt a calmer appearance but stil with ripples and the appearance of flow. ( a small fishing pier, boat house and bait shop will be built here at some point , hopefully)


I have pretty much decided to use epoxy resin as the base but I need help on how to achieve the effects over this.

Currently the riverbed has just been sealed with gloss poly, and while it actually looks quite good in the photos ( which pleasantly surprised me) when standing there it lacks depth.

any advice or links would be greatly appreciated.

all the links I have found say use epoxy or poly to achieve results but dont actually describe how.

I am a complete beginer at this hence the basic questions.

Have fun and be safe.

[Anonymous]

I havent done that yet, but there are some great videos out there that show how to do just that and with what materials.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

If i were you what i would do to acheive fast flowing water is somehow paint on white caps ( Like you see at the beach in the surf) by letting the water(epoxy or whatever you use) dry or semi-dry might be better and then maybe using a pin to scratch it and then drybrush it with white paint.

As for the calm but murky water i would angle a Fan on the water before it has dried so that it looks like slightly wavy water.

I not sure about these though because I am just a beginner and i am about to attempt a MASSIVE 2 Foot by 4 Foot Layout !!!!!!!!! (N scale)

I hope it works out really well for you!

Have lots of fun and remember.....its your world.

PS- If you are going to put a pier in then i would put it iin before you do the water!that way youl be able to see the legs under water.

Pavariangoo

[Anonymous]

just 1 extra tip

the fan on the water may wreck it so i would test is first in something else like a cut in half milk carton or something!

pavariangoo

[Anonymous]

I like your pictures. What size is your layout?

[ukguy]

Thanks Ve, it's a 6'x8' on two levels, I've only been modeling 2 months so I wanted to start fairly small. pretty early I realised this was a limiting size and design for a layout but I decided to carry on and use this a learning layout and to try out the new techniques I am trying to learn. I'm stuck on trees and water techniques right now but I have been reading up on trees and will be trying some in the AM.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ukguy

Hello to all,


There are two effects I need to achieve, the first is fairly fast flowing water,

scada says:
Have you looked at Woodland scenics 'Water Effects'? I just watched a demo on this in the latest DVD that came with MR annual 2005. It made some nice looking white caps.

I also saw somewhere that to get the waterfall effect, just layout a sufficient length overlapping 'ugly' strips of clear silcon on a teflon surface. When the fall is dry, peel it off and glue it to your layout... It showed if you dab the strips with a toothpick, you'll get the splash effect of bubbles in the water. Make another effect for the bottom before pouring your water and you can get depth of bubbles...

QUOTE:
Currently the riverbed has just been sealed with gloss poly, and while it actually looks quite good in the photos ( which pleasantly surprised me) when standing there it lacks depth.

The dvd also demo'ed using black at the bottom of your water and use a lighter rust color on the banks and then a dark yellow even closer beneath the surface on the bank of the river...

scada