Deformation sensitivity, LOD?

[Bullit]

I have an object that is deformed by raycast from another object, right now it a 1:1 proportional deformation. I want instead that small details of the deformer object are ignored. What will be the best way to achieve this?

[SpookyMunky]

fastest way I can think on is to just duplicate the deforming object then select the original and apply a smooth / relax operator, set it to invisible for all ray options..... cheap trick I know, thats what 3d is all about though ;)

Edit: That's a quick way to fix it from a setup point of view, maybe the slowest from a calculation kinda perspective , Normally I create deform objects independent from render time stuff, invisible but similar shape to what you are wanting the imprint to be so as no-one can tell. One quick way to do this can be create a mesh that is ~ the polys you want to use and slightly larger all around, then shrink wrap it down to the shape of the mesh, freeze its modelling stack then try the sim collision.. beyond that its hard to tell without a pic to go by

[Bullit]

I think this is doable with math , it is a sort of inverted clamp, or sensivity clamp, maximum, minimums etc, let's say things with relief from 0-5 nothing happens but only for deformed part. I just haven't got time to put my head around it.
Imagine a sculpture, a ball to move trough its skin like if it belonged to it but the cloth kinks don't appear same for a terrain. It maybe needs a sort of averaging and dropping the biggest values from it.

[SpookyMunky]

Sorry, I'm still having dificulty picturing what you are after... what is the end result ?, was looking at it from a calculation point of view, maybe I am way off....

..trying to run your reply through my mind and picture it.....averaging / killing the greatest and lowest values is what a poly mesh smooth / relax does no ?.. sorry, really not sure I get what you are after

edit:.. wait, might kinda picture it hehe, you want the cloth to deform like it should, ok hmm, like if I take a window curtain and push a needle into it, in a 3d way that needle would create a sharp depression into the mesh, where as in reality pushing a needle in would be a much larger more round deformation on cloth ?

[SpookyMunky]

If we are on the same track... in my mind still split the deform object from the actual rendered object, but really play with animating it using things like push and relax, even stretching and deforming it with shapes / weights ?.. kind of reverse engineering cloth dynamics from the deformer side ?., re-create how it should the deformed material should react purely by changing the displacement ? .. or am I lost

[SpookyMunky]

Say you have a pirate with a big pirates cape hehe, gets hit by cannonball, his clothes / body you would see very localized damage.. the cape you would want an exit cannon ball wave front / deform size that is larger than the actual canon ball ?, kind of thing ? .. cape would bloom out and flap away from the tiny canon ball I mean hehe,, might be bed time for me ;)

Edit: .. if that is the case, why not make planar "shockwave" kinda meshes that hit your deformed mesh before the true object hits ?, and during, and after

[Bullit]

No this is more for differnt world where moving objects sort of belong to the main object. A car deforms a road as being part of it and such.