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Master growing virtual trees by learning the inner workings of their real-world counterparts. When using presets, growing 3D trees has never been easier – you’ll have results in minutes. When you’re ready to dive in deeper, this is the place to start reading. Trees have evolved into fascinating organisms that have some neat tricks up their sleeves.
Shade, Drop and Prune Witness branches compete for light – drop them when too little is available. Evolve your trees into airy branching structures. If a tree held on to every branch…
If you run into something, the Frequently Asked Questions may well keep you growing. It’s a work-in-progress that is constantly updated.
Using and Creating Twigs Can I use my own model as a twig? Can I just distribute simple leaves? Yes, you can! Read on to find out how. What is a twig…
Although trees are all around us, there are quite some misconceptions on how trees grow. Studying the way in which a real tree grows reveals surprising mechanisms that together evolve these complex plants.
Without a doubt, the most popular mystery in art and nature is the golden section. This “divine” proportion seems to pop up in everything from sea shells to roman architecture. Trees are…
There’s nothing like the mesmerizing view of branches dancing in the wind. Wind brings a tree to life. The wind system uses shape keys, which are fast and compatible with most 3D software. Calculating wind shapes and playing the animation in your viewport are both surprisingly fast, especially when stored in an Alembic file.
Pull out all stops on detail and build a realistic 3D tree model from your simulation. Twigs complete your tree to a lightweight model full of intricate berries and flowers. While growing,…
Control the flow of sugars and hormones to control how fast each branch grows. Favor the extension of old branches by suppressing the growth of new side branches. Favor branches that grow…
Watch heavy branches bend under the weight they carry. The continuous interplay of growth and gravity is what creates some of the most beautiful tree shapes.
Turn While a branch is growing in length, it is searching for the best direction to grow in. There are several outside influences that cause a branch to turn to a certain…
So far, the shape of your 3D tree was based on genetics. Now it’s time to add a second influence: the environment it grows in. With React you can set up an environment to attract, deflect or stop new growth. Avoid buildings, simulate a dominant wind direction and grow inside a shape.
Let nature take its course and watch trees develop into beautiful shapes. Mimic any tree’s character with intuitive parameters taken straight from the woods. Terminology To learn how to grow your own…
The Grove is available in several languages. This is a documentation of how this was made possible, as a reference to fellow addon developers who want to translate their own addons.