Growing Vines

[jimzepellin]

When I had to make some vines creep around a roman piller I used Path Deformer by Renato Tarabella.
http://www.tarabella.it/c4dbeta/index.php

[AdamT]

Xfrog makes this pretty easy, and I'm sure that DPIT can do the same thing.

[Katachi]

Just wondering of there are easier ways of modeling/animating a bunch of growing vines.

Currently im the the spline, circle and Sweep NURBS method.

model the vine using the Spine, Add a Sweep NURBS and Circle. And you just playing around ith the Growth and the scaling.

Simple enough but is there an easier/different way out there? Any plugins?

See DPIT Nature Spirit
www.dpit2.de

You can create growing veins easily. See the gallery->animations for an example.

[MJV]

Just wondering of there are easier ways of modeling/animating a bunch of growing vines.

Currently im the the spline, circle and Sweep NURBS method.

model the vine using the Spine, Add a Sweep NURBS and Circle. And you just playing around ith the Growth and the scaling.

Simple enough but is there an easier/different way out there? Any plugins?

Yeah, sadly the animate growth method is awkward because the scaling doesn't move with the growth. Instead of the end maintaining a constant scale, you get a stump at the end.

[MJV]

If you have the hair module, you can use the generate function of hair, make it any shape you like just as with sweeps, and then use the length parameter of the Hair material to grow the spline. The result is similar to using a sweep except the scaling is maintained throughout the growth, and you of course have the many other options that hair affords.

[JoelOtron]

Yeah, sadly the animate growth method doesn't work because the feature was incorrectly implimented. Instead of the end maintaining a constant scale, you get a stump at the end.

I agree--would like to see this fixed!

In the meantime--I use the spline wrap deformer on a cylinder---works great.
You can use path deformer if you dont own mograph.

[MJV]

Personally I would love to find a good solution for branching vines/veins. Those are always a major headache.

[mikeh64]

if you have mograph, you can use the "spline mask" to "grow" your spline

in a sweep nurbs, use a mograph spline mask object where the path would go, and in it place your path spline and a big circle

at frame 1, place the big circle so it essentially completely masking your path spline

now animate the big circle away from the starting point of your vine - so it progressivly exposes your path spline

use the sweep nurbs details tab to taper your vine

see attached example

mike

[tcastudios]

Yeah, sadly the animate growth method is awkward because the scaling doesn't move with the growth. Instead of the end maintaining a constant scale, you get a stump at the end.

Then simply connect the endgrowth with the scale spline:)
It is a simple process.

Add a third midpoint in the scale spline.
(General note: The point at the very left is allways point 1. The point at the very right
is allways point 2. Any additional point have the same number -as they are added-)
Add an xpresso tag to the SweepNURB.
Drag the SweepNurb twice in it.
Connect "EndGrowth" to Details>Scale 3X (Along the spline)
-and- Details>Scale 1Y (Width of the base)

See the attached file for an example.(R9.6 obviously)

Cheers
Lennart

[MJV]

That's a good trick tcastudios I'll use it next time. Thanks.

[nutriman]

excellent example of using the new sweeping tool tcastudios... it took me a while to get it :scream:

[MJV]

excellent example of using the new sweeping tool tcastudios... it took me a while to get it :scream:

It would still be much easier to simply have an option in sweeps that would maintain scale to end. tcastudios' method will work on something simple, but if you want the entire shape including all the knots to scale with the end, you'll be looking at a lot of expresso work to achieve that which should be automatic.

[Katachi]

It would still be much easier to simply have an option in sweeps that would maintain scale to end. tcastudios' method will work on something simple, but if you want the entire shape including all the knots to scale with the end, you'll be looking at a lot of expresso work to achieve that which should be automatic.

That´s what DPIT Nature Spirit is for. It can do this and a lot more in this area.

[Duffdaddy]

Then simply connect the endgrowth with the scale spline:)
It is a simple process.

Add a third midpoint in the scale spline.
(General note: The point at the very left is allways point 1. The point at the very right
is allways point 2. Any additional point have the same number -as they are added-)
Add an xpresso tag to the SweepNURB.
Drag the SweepNurb twice in it.
Connect "EndGrowth" to Details>Scale 3X (Along the spline)
-and- Details>Scale 1Y (Width of the base)

See the attached file for an example.(R9.6 obviously)

Cheers
Lennart

If this is for 9.6, is there something similar for 9.1?

[tcastudios]

If this is for 9.6, is there something similar for 9.1?

No , not directly within the SweepNURB of pre 9.6
You can of coarse connect the profile (i.e. a circle) radius to the growth parameter as described earlier, but the problem is the Scale (making the pointy tip).
In 9.1 it is set for the end of the spline, not taking growth in acount.

Cheers
Lennart

[acmepixel]

..........

[acmepixel]

I'm suprised no one has suggested Storm Tracer yet. It even has a sample of vines growing and crawling up and over a wall, in the last few frames of the demo reel.

The vines and leaves can even sway in the breeze.

http://www.thirdpartyplugins.com/stormtracer/

http://www.tools4d.com/StormTracer/downloads/films/StormReel.mov

a nice tut on the basics of ST Organics;

http://www.bubbles4d.com/index.php?topic=207.0
(use babblefish or google to translate)

[Duffdaddy]

I'm suprised no one has suggested Storm Tracer yet. It even has a sample of vines growing and crawling up and over a wall, in the last few frames of the demo reel.

The vines and leaves can even sway in the breeze.

http://www.thirdpartyplugins.com/stormtracer/

http://www.tools4d.com/StormTracer/downloads/films/StormReel.mov

a nice tut on the basics of ST Organics;

http://www.bubbles4d.com/index.php?topic=207.0
(use babblefish or google to translate)

Duh, I didn't even think of that, and I own ST too. Thanks. Can't seem to get into bubbles3d right now, the server reports it's 'too busy'...

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