I was attempting to create a game prototype, when I ran into an issue with a possible, but perhaps difficult solution. The problem in its essence was that Roblox did not have a particularly good way to create effects like shoveling sand out of a pile. This could be quite useful given the correct simulation, such as a cutscene, or getting supplies to make something in game. The obvious initial idea would be to simply create a mound of sand using the terrain tools. The problem that lies with this is the fact that Roblox terrain does terribly for up close things, and real time terrain modification looks quite fake and quite bad, especially up close. So then another idea popped into my head, how about mesh deformation? This could create a relatively good effect if executed well.
TL;DR: Rigging a pile of sand to make a good digging effect
My issue lies in the lack of documentation to achieve such an effect, as most other applications use other methods not supported by Roblox. How should I rig such a mesh, and how can I get it to look convincing?
Pardon the bad mesh, it was just a quick example of such a mesh