>> That quadruple planet just can't exist,
>> the center planet may survive, but the 3 moons would be ript apart by
>> the gravitational gradient and degenarate into a massive ring of
>> debrits. Think Saturn's rings, but about 10000 to 1000000 times denser.
>
> You're thinking of Roche's limit:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roche%27s_limit

Yes.

Anyway, those planets would be heavily distorted by the mutual 
gravitational pull.
The main planet would get strongly flatened at the poles and would 
probably show proeminent bulges toward the moons.
The moons would be ove shaped with the small end toward the main planet. 
(version 3.7 have an ove primitive)
The athmosphere can realisticaly connect all 4 worlds, allowing you to 
fly, or float, from one world to the other.

>
> It's actually very interesting that you bring this up, because this was a
> serious concern of mine when designing the planetary system. I worked out all
> the physics according to my knowledge, and I think it could theoretically work.

If the 4 planets have the same mass and density, the actual limit may be 
shorter, and the 2 oposite ones may help stabilise the third. But that 
system still looks fictional...

>
> Note that the planets make one full rotation (one day) in about 5 hours (4.70
> hrs in my scene script). The system spins far, far faster than earth does, in
> order to compensate for the greatly increased gravity.

Yep! Tidal lock between 4 bodies.

>
> When redesigning the bitmaps for the cloud layers, I'm going to have lots of fun
> with the meteorological ramifications of a massively larger Coriolis effect,
> among other things.
>
> Again, this is all copyrighted by me, and thank you all so much for indulging
> me! :)
>
>
>

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