Today we’re happy to announce the release of SpeedTree for Games v7. SpeedTree for Games has been used in AAA development since 2002 and continues to be used in some of the most exciting, bleeding edge next-gen titles coming out this year. Our new release brings significant changes to our Modeler, Compiler, and SDK to greatly increase efficiency while at the same time giving artists more control over their models. We’ve tuned the GUI to cut down on modeling time while introducing much-anticipated features such as subdivision surfaces, more control over LOD and more intuitive controls for generation algorithms. We’ve also made changes to the SpeedTree Model Library to include an expanded and improved set of real-time models and improved wind animation and LOD settings. Our Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5 subscribers are already able to access the v7 modeler. If you’re interested in our subscriptions, check out our offerings in the SpeedTree Store.
Version 7 changes to the SpeedTree SDK include:
- Rolling Wind Effects. In the same way that real wind gusts through nature, SpeedTree grass and trees now react rhythmically and believably to anything
rom breezes to gales. Each leaf and blade of grass animates uniquely. - Optimization. Increased performance throughout, including faster instance paging, faster constant buffer updates, and shader optimizations.
- Per-Instance and Per-Vertex Hue Variation. Each tree instance and/or each leaf can now be uniquely tinted, adding more variation with fewer assets.
- Image-Based Ambient Lighting. More realistic ambient lighting.
- Support for PlayStation® 4, Xbox® One, Windows (DX9/11/OpenGL), Xbox® 360, and PlayStation® 3
Version 7 changes to the SpeedTree Modeler include:
- Subdivision Surfaces. Create procedurally generated subdivision surface models suitable for hero trees.
- Improved Leaf LOD. New options for controlling the appearance of leaves during LOD transitions. Have fewer triangles with a fuller look at lower LODs.
- GUI Improvements. Slash modeling time with user interface and workflow enhancements, including a new “Focus” tool that presents only those portions of the tree being actively modeled, reducing certain processes from hours to minutes.
- Floating License. The Modeler may be activated by either a node-locked or floating license option.
- New Generation Algorithms. Friendlier options for controlling how many and where tree components are placed.
- Improved Control for Leaf Normals. Per-vertex controls for leaf normal manipulation.
