A Tree(z) Fetish

[ddustin]

I have this thing for wanting realistic trees in my scenes.

 

Ya'll can have your toony trees.

 

 

We use a lot of panels with cookie cutter decals, and tree hair.

 

A recent case we have is going to require us to fly down the road, past some trees so I thought I would make one using the treez plug-in. The problem was the high patch count and when you put hair leaves on it, My system would chug.

 

So..... I make this tree which only has 700 patches, is 50 feet tall (leavea area a little large), and has leaves.

 

I used the AM enhance Foliage material to create the leaves.

 

It has a way to go but I like it so far.

[attachmentid=20403]

David

[Dhar]

I like it too. Especially since you're flying down the road you won't need much detail, just the 'illusion' of the tree should suffice.

[ddustin]

I like it too. Especially since you're flying down the road you won't need much detail, just the 'illusion' of the tree should suffice.

 

Dhar,

The problem comes in where you fly directly over a tree panel (4 patches, cookie cut decal, renders fast) or tree hair. The panels and hair have no depth so you see them as thin lines from overhead.

 

We usually set up a null that some of the tree panels are constrained to aim-roll-at, to keep the illusion.

 

This latest tree has depth to it, so we can fly right over it, looking down.

 

The foliage material from A:M Enhance is what makes it work. I have thought about making a collage of leaves in a tga, with transparency to try as well, because that will render faster than a material.

 

David

[Dhar]

Let's see some animation of what you're trying to achieve.

[pleavens]

You may have looked into this already, but I thought that you may be interested in the results I got from a test of rendering trees imported as Props. This is a crude test with only basic diffuse color added to the Props. The same models can have image maps applied to UV's that should work in AM. (I have not tested this to be sure)

 

[attachmentid=20421]

There are 9 trees created from 3 Props in this image, yet AM rendered the frame in 45 sec (5pass with shadows 720*486)

 

The process:

 

1. Create tree in Arbaro (export to OBJ)

2. Import OBJ in *lender (no fgons or materials)

3. Scale 500%

4. select trunk and apply material color.

5. select branches and apply material color.

6. select leaves and apply material color.

7. rotate 90 in "x"

8. export to OBJ with material groups

 

Now in AM

1. Import OBJ tree as a PROP

2. Drag Prop objects into Chor and scale/position to liking.

3. Refine material colors in each Props shortcut.

 

AM got somewhat sluggish as I added the models, but it was still reasonable working in wireframe mode.

 

It sounds like a lot of work, but I did all this in 3 hrs starting from scratch.

 

<edit> now the bad news.. AM (13h) looses the Props material when you re-open the project, so once again I have wasted my time trying to find a way to help. Sorry</edit>

 

 

Phil

[ddustin]

Let's see some animation of what you're trying to achieve.

 

Dhar,

I won't be able to show anything for a while, like maybe till after the case is settled.

 

David

 

You may have looked into this already, but I thought that you may be interested in the results I got from a test of rendering trees imported as Props. This is a crude test with only basic diffuse color added to the Props. The same models can have image maps applied to UV's that should work in AM. (I have not tested this to be sure)

 

[attachmentid=20421]

There are 9 trees created from 3 Props in this image, yet AM rendered the frame in 45 sec (5pass with shadows 720*486)

 

The process:

 

1. Create tree in Arbaro (export to OBJ)

2. Import OBJ in *lender (no fgons or materials)

3. Scale 500%

4. select trunk and apply material color.

5. select branches and apply material color.

6. select leaves and apply material color.

7. rotate 90 in "x"

8. export to OBJ with material groups

 

Now in AM

1. Import OBJ tree as a PROP

2. Drag Prop objects into Chor and scale/position to liking.

3. Refine material colors in each Props shortcut.

 

AM got somewhat sluggish as I added the models, but it was still reasonable working in wireframe mode.

 

It sounds like a lot of work, but I did all this in 3 hrs starting from scratch.

 

<edit> now the bad news.. AM (13h) looses the Props material when you re-open the project, so once again I have wasted my time trying to find a way to help. Sorry</edit>

 

 

Phil

 

I have looked at props but they are still heavy for the quantity we need.

 

This will work with a little more tweaking.

 

Nice sand and grass in that image

David