Dynamic Tree

ThomasSc

Hi,

I'm in the making of an animation: https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aj3rUlbEDZwyq2eqjEmpFJN-zjoc

I'd like to have a red tree (in the right) which leaves moves dynamically with the wind. I tried to isolate the leaves and create a wave modifier. It looks... ok. Anyone here who knows how to quickly create a realistic looking dynamic tree?

Best wishes,
Thomas

Mistara

theres wind settings in the tree properies

 

could winds in the realistic skies settings

WendyLuvsCatz

rustle and wind should do it if it's a Carrara tree

if not a tad trickier 

but if the leaves all share a shader you may be able to animate the displacement using a fall off

Mistara

another project to play with  use the cutout plughin to convert transmapped leaves to geometry

ThomasSc

Hi,

Thanks! The Carrara tree generator does not move the leaves but the branches. That looks quite crazy and not natural.

I don't use the Carrara tree generator.

I think the cutout plugin won't work, as it will need the Carrara renderer, won't it?

Best wishes,
Thomas

WendyLuvsCatz

ThomasSc said:

Hi,

Thanks! The Carrara tree generator does not move the leaves but the branches. That looks quite crazy and not natural.

I don't use the Carrara tree generator.

I think the cutout plugin won't work, as it will need the Carrara renderer, won't it?

Best wishes,
Thomas

actually it is more a mesh generator so render engine irrelevant, not much use here unless creating your own tree

rustle moves the leaves, wind the branches

ThomasSc

Hi,

I just tried to use "rustle" to move the leaves, but it doesn't. Are you sure we are talking of the same thing? Moving the leaves does NOT mean moving ALL leaves - because it's not natural. A natural behaviour would be that the leaves move independent from one another.

Best wishes,
Thomas

ThomasSc

Here, once again the question from above: Anyone here who knows how to quickly create a realistic looking dynamic tree?

Bunyip02

ThomasSc said:

Here, once again the question from above: Anyone here who knows how to quickly create a realistic looking dynamic tree?

Some tutorials available here - http://carraracafe.com/tag/plants/

ThomasSc

Hi,

Thanks, but the question stays the same: Anyone here who knows how to quickly create a realistic looking dynamic tree? :(

Best wishes,
Thomas

WendyLuvsCatz

QUCKLY REALISTIC use 3D studio Max or Maya and Speedtrees

otherwise you are asking the wrong people I am afraid

only other pointless suggestion I have is convert to other modeller if Carrara tree vetex model

and in UV tab select vertices nearest stem on the UV map for the leaves

add to a named group that the Bullet softbody modifier can see and pin it and add a wind force and run a physics sim

same with another tree with leaves sharing UV mapping

ThomasSc

Ok, thanks!

DesertDude

th3Digit said:

but if the leaves all share a shader you may be able to animate the displacement using a fall off

This works pretty well, but your leaves need to be flat polygons with an alpha mask to create the leaf shape, otherwise if your leaves have more geometry the Displacement might distort and crumple them too much. Here is a test:

 

 

This is a simple default plant and I substituted the default leaf with a flat polygon. I then made a new Shader and put Fractal Noise in the Displacement Channel. I animated the noise along the Y axis. For some reason, maybe it's a Mac problem, I don't know, but using the Transform Tab for the Noise Functions doesn't work for animation (for me at least), you have to drill down and use Origin X, Origin Y and Origin Z, and since there are no controls for those in the Shader Room, you have to add keyframes and then switch to the Graph Editor to change the values.

Not sure it's the realism you are looking for but might be worth a try. If it's more than one tree I would try switching from Local to Global space for the Fractal Noise so they don't all look the same.

 

DesertDude

Another quick test, agh, I'm supposed to be doing other things...can't stop Carrara-ing once started...  :)

This time I used an alpha mask on the flat planes and used less contrast in the Fractal Noise:

 

 

Edited to add: one could load several different leaves onto the tree, each with different Displacement for even more variation if this seems too uniform and "ocean wavy".

WendyLuvsCatz

with leaves you can also have several sets on the same tree so distribute them differently 

I tried the bullet physics idea on a mesh tree and only crashed Carrara 

DesertDude

Lol Wendy, I think we were typing at the same time as I was editing my comment. :)

WendyLuvsCatz

DesertDude said:

Lol Wendy, I think we were typing at the same time as I was editing my comment. :)

 

yes looks like it 

DesertDude

Here is another test, I think I was able to successfully 'pin' one edge, but still can't get the two points of the other edge to be locked together.

 

 

I used a Mixer in the Displacement Channel: Fractal Noise, a Color of 50% grey and the Blender is a Texture Map with a gradient that goes from 50% grey to Alpha. Not sure how to put this is words, but I believe in Carrara 50% grey equals no displacement, lower values displace down and higher values displace up. I think as the animated Fractal Noise passes over the Alpha area is gets exposed and distorts the points on the other end of the polygon.

And actually, the replicated trees example in the video still uses the initial set up, so all 4 points of the polygon are being distorted, but because of the distance of the camera it's near impossible to see.

Screen shot of Shader: