Work on the models is continuing but I took a break this week to start gathering trees and other flora needed for the scene. First step was to catalog all the plant models that I've collected over the years and then cross-reference them with an online database of local plants. Next step will be to winnow this set down to one appropriate to this location. I know nothing about botany but am getting the hang of the Latin nomenclature and other terminology. It's interesting.
Turns out that I already have a nice assortment of models on hand that will work. There are some gaps, especially among the shrubs and other undergrowth needed for a convincing scene. I'm planning to build these and should have most of the work done by the time spring arrives and I can check the site. (Right now everything is under 12-15 inches of snow.)
Tools are the Xfrog Maya plugin (Version 4, running in an older version of Maya; Version 5.5 for new versions of Maya appears to be broken) and a brilliant little iPad app called TreeSketch. Creating trees with touch gestures is fun, and the way the app works – you set the tree parameters and then make it "grow" – yields natural shapes that can be easily modified to create as many variations as you like.
Here's a quick test showing Silver Maple saplings in various stages of growth:
[attach=1]
And a first stab at Maple Leaved Viburnum, very common in these parts:
[attach=2]
(Sadly, TreeSketch is no longer available on the App Store. The lead developer, Steven Longay, created it as a PhD candidate. He's since moved on to Weta Digital, which probably explains why development has stopped.)
I've looked into SpeedTree and PlantFactory but they're both way beyond my current needs and budget. Anyone know of other Mac-compatible plant-building tools that I should look into?
Some useful resources for plant builders:
Leafsnap is an electronic field guide that identifies plants by matching iPad photos that you take with an online database. I haven't tried it in the field yet, but the database is impressive and can be downloaded:
http://leafsnap.com.
The Northern Forest Atlas is a searchable online database of plants found in, well, North America's northern forest. The photos are very high quality and free for noncommercial use:
http://northernforestatlas.org.
Finally, asileFX has reduced the price of its Nature Bundle of leaf, bark, and stone textures. Nice assortment, well organized, with transparency, bump, normal, and displacement maps:
http://www.asilefx.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=80&products_id=141.