There are also updates to the way that the software simulates the response of trees to gravity, and the effect that the shade cast by the leaves on one branch has on the growth of surrounding branches.Īs usual, the release notes provide a very clear summary of both the way the new tools are implemented and their underlying biology, so you can geek out over the details via the link below.
The update also modifies The Grove’s tree growth algorithms, adding new systems for simulating the deadwood that forms as trees age, and regenerative shoots caused by pruning or natural damage. New systems for simulating the effects of age, damage, gravity and self-shading It’s one of The Grove’s few features not based on strict biological principles, and while it can be used to sketch out entire new trees, it’s mainly intended for art-directing the output of the existing tools. There is also a new option to grow new branches by drawing strokes in the viewport to control their form, as shown in the video at the top of this story. Individual widgets let you bend or prune the branches of a tree, turntable-rotate the entire tree model, and even plant clumps of trees or set up wind animations. It’s better to see it than to read about it, so check out the videos in the online release notes, but it’s been implemented right through the software. Release 10 overhauls The Grove’s interface, introducing a new UI design based on radial widgets, intended to provide a more intuitive workflow even when working on touchscreen devices. Release 10: new, more touchscreen-friendly UI design Users can also generate wind and growth animations for trees, which can be exported in Alembic format. The software is a Blender add-on, but the resulting textured geometry can be exported in standard file formats, including FBX and OBJ, for use in other DCC applicaitons. Once the overall form of a tree has been set, The Grove fills in details by using ‘ Twigs’: instanced geometry representing not only actual twigs, but leaves, flowers and fruit, sold separately to the core app. The Grove takes a parametric approach to generating trees, with controls that mimic the factors determining the forms of real plants, resulting in more realistic-looking models. The update, described as The Grove’s “biggest release ever” overhauls the software’s UI, adding a set of intuitive radial widgets, and makes it possible to add branches to a tree by sketching directly in the viewport. This will make the coordinate system from the model work with Unity’s system.ģ.Click on “Export FBX” in the top right.F12 – aka developer Wybren van Keulen – has shipped The Grove Release 10, the latest version of his Blender-based tool for generating biologically plausible tree models.
To do that, while we’re still in Blender:Ģ.In the export window, enable “Apply Transform” by clicking on the checkbox. Go to “Mesh > Normals > Recalculate Outside”.Īnd it's all for Blender, let's go to unity Importing an FBX File to Unityįor this, we first need to export the model to an FBX format.Go to “Edit Mode” and select all faces.
Next, we’ll make sure all the model’s normals are pointing outwards, as some surfaces might be invisible in Unity if they aren’t oriented accordingly These last steps aren’t mandatory, but they can really save time once the model is imported to Unity, especially when importing multiple times. Go to “Object > Set Origin > Origin to 3D Cursor”.Select the new origin on the model by clicking where you want to place it.Select the “Cursor Tool” in the top left.Set all the axis scales (X, Y, Z) to zero 1,0.Set all the rotation axes (X, Y, Z) to 0°.With the model opened, in the right side-bar region, go to the “Transform” tab.Is very important to know if you are importing right, for make sure: Just keep in mind that, once imported, a native Blender file will change whenever the original is modified in Blender. With one model per file, importing the Blender file directly should be just fine. ** For multiple objects u have some different things to doįor multiple models in a single Blender file, it’s probably easier to export each one as an FBX file (like you already make it) and then import them one at a time.