[ODE] objects in water

[Yordan Gyurchev]

hi,

I'm interested if anyone has done objects floating in water with ODE.

Underwater:
For underwater the situation is kind of clear... displaced water -> object
density/mass -> Archimedes... easy to calculate gravity countering force.

Plus default drag needs to be way higher.
This brings the point for linear/angular velocity damp according to
environment
friction. Has anyone done that?
I recollect from a discussion with a friend that had more physics experience
than me
that the realistic calculation is way to expensive as it depends on the area
of the surface
and how it moves with respect to environment. A ball can maintain its
angular velocity
longer than a box in water.
Any simplistic approximation? May be some trick with the inertia tensor?

On the water surface:
What I'm looking for is objects that are on the waters surface and their
density/mass
is not making them sink...
We have as I imagine people do height map water. I can query the water
height at
certain points and apply forces to the body accordingly but that is just how
I would do it.
Any proven solutions?

Thanks,
Yordan Gyurchev