Real forest in PF: it's possible?

#1

I guy,

i must create a forest, and i don’t want to use a Advance Painter or similar script, but i want to use a PF. I’m no so expert, so i want to asjk you if this procedure is possible:

1. I want to use a .bmp to place my tree on the ground (for test i use a a simple plane with noise mod apply to it)

2. Align the tree on the polygon ground normal (for test is a teapot)

3. Create a little variation on color tree for better realism.

It’ possible or i can use a plug like Forest Pro? Can you help me? I create a simple test with teapot, but i can’t align to the normal and i don’t know i positioning and colorize the teapot.

Thank’s

cecofuli

#2

  1. Use the position object operator to place the particles on the plane. Use a greyscale bitmap in your diffuse channel and turn on the density by material option - it’ll put more particles in the white areas of your map and less in the black areas.

  2. This is an annoying one. you have to use a speed by surface operator first set to out from surface - this emits particles in the direction of the object normals. Use a rotation operator set to speed space follow so they align to the speed direction. Then do an age test with 1 as your value sending to an even with a speed of zero. Annoying but that’s it.

  3. the only option for this is to have a few different materials set up in a multi subobject material and use the assign material id and sub material id options to get the variation.

#3

or for vertical trees use random horizontal rotation.

#4

joconnell, thank’s for the fast reply :thumbsup:. Now i try to built my forest and i see what i can do… :slight_smile:
For jonesthesteam, i don’t need a perfect vertical tree, but i must align to the surface ground.

Bye

cecofuli

#5

Greats! Work very well!!! :applause:. Usefull tips for “no” PF users. Augh… It’s so powerfull PF… i must learn it…

Thank’s again…

cecofuli

#6

look for bobo’s bake pflow script for turning the trees to proper instances - great with finalrender - super low memory overhead then :smiley:

#7

I must use a VRayProxy. So, i try if it’s possible use a VRayProxy with PF…

EDIT: VRayProxy not work with PF. So, i found this usefull paper. He uses a PF for scatter a marker with B/W map. After, he uses a “Clone and Align” to Clone a marker with VRayProxy. PAPER

#8

Save yourself some time:
http://www.scriptspot.com/bobo/mxs2009/pf2mrproxy/BakePFlowToObjects.zip

As mentioned, this script can scatter ANY object to particles (including VRayProxies, mrProxies, Lights, Cameras, Helpers, you name it). It can also be used to bake the meshes out of a PFlow to separate objects, but that’s a different story.

(I know it is not officially on my site yet, I have to add a couple of things before putting it there.)

#9

Hi Bobo,
yes, i remember your script (usefull, yes!), but PF convert a VRayProxy in a Mesh. I loose the VRayProxy features (low memory, etc…) and for this i must use a Clone and Align tool. :slight_smile:

Ciao

cecofuli

#10

I have no idea what you are talking about.
My script does what Clone and Align would, but automatically to each particle, and in much shorter time. Also it supports animation (if you do something else than trees).
The result will be a scene full of instances of the VRayProxy, not meshes. It was specifically developed for Master Zap so he could scatter his mrProxies in Max 2009…

Then again, use whatever you want…

#11

Ohh… Now i can see!!! My fault… i skip the last button :blush:. Works very vell! Thank’s BOBO! :thumbsup:.

#12

How run script?Maxscript->runscript and nothing…

#13

Its actually a macro script. I just renamed it .mcr and dumped it in my macroscripts dir. Either that or dont rename it an put it in your scripts startup dir.
Thanks for that one Bobo!

#14

havent´s read the full thread but have a look at this PDF:
http://www.brownsville.org.uk/graphics/3dslondon/Assets/Pdfs/ParticleflowTrees.pdf

there are more then just a few approaches tho…
and why would you want to align the trees to the ground normals?on a ramped hill it might look “funny”.

kind regards,
anselm

EDIT: check attachment. max9-32bit file. no plugins needed.

#15

How use script:

*Unzip, Run, Customize UI, drag from “Bobo_s Tools” category to a toolbar, menu or assign to a shortcut

*Open the script

*Pick a PFlow as distribution object

*Pick an mr_proxy or ANY other object as the source to distribute - it will work even with Lights, Cameras, Helpers, anything that is a scene node. The ON property of lights will NOT be animated based on the particle birth and death though.

*Alternatively, you can bake using the actual meshes assigned inside the PFlow - for example, a default PFlow will bake the Tetra Shapes of the particles.

*If you want a static distribution, set the time mode to “Current Frame”, otherwise keep the default “Current Time Segment” which will animate transforms and visibility to match particles birth, motion and death. In Current Frame mode, no visibility or transform keys will be created, only objects matching the particles on the current frame.

*Press the BAKE! button to process - this might take a while in Current Time Segment mode.

*If you don’t like the result, press the Delete Baked Objects button to delete the objects created from the current PFlow (each clone uses the name of the PFlow in its name). If you run the script again, the last copies of that PFlow system will be deleted automatically

[font=Verdana]Thank’s BOBO![/font]

#16

If you know it is possible to rotate the threes only with pflow? All my trees are in the same direction.

Thx!!

#17

have u tried “random horizontal” as rotation setting in ur rotation operator?

maybe u need to adjust the axis by rotating a certain axis by 90°.

#18

Mmmm, Thx PsychoSilence, but “random horizontall” doesn’t have the option to rotate the axis. Is locked. I’m doing something wrog?

#19

I have another threat in this forum of this, but i can’t solve the problem. Can you help me?

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=206&t=665369

#20

done! :wink:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showpost.php?p=5334676&postcount=9