Category Archives: Art Tools

In the News: 3D World Reviews SpeedTree 8

Artist and writer Steve Jarratt has written an extensive review of SpeedTree Cinema 8 for 3D World magazine’s February print issue available online at creativebloq.com. Citing the new lower price point and powerful new features, Steve had some positive things to say about SpeedTree: …the main takeaway here is that SpeedTree 8, in combination with […]

SpeedTree Cinema v8.1.0 Released

Our first major update for SpeedTree Cinema featuring a number of improvements, bug fixes, and features is now available to evaluate, purchase, and download. If you’re working on a Wacom tablet or laptop with a 4k screen, our display scale settings will help you utilize higher resolutions on smaller screens. We’ve also added support for […]

Indie Showcase-Koola and Adam Goodrich

Integration of SpeedTree into UE4 and Unity 5 has allowed thousands of developers to access the Academy Award winning tools used by AAA developers and major VFX studios and the results have been amazing.  We want to take a moment to highlight some of great work coming out of these communities and show off what […]

Confessions of an Onsite SpeedTree Trainer

Least Used/Understood Modeling Features As we have added features and capabilities to the SpeedTree Modeler through the years, an increasing number of customers have asked for help in getting the most out of our software. Some users want to create that one perfect tree from concept art. Others want to reduce polys, make initial tree […]

SpeedTree® Receives a Scientific and Technical Academy Award®

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored three of our own with a Scientific and Technical Academy Award! Read the official announcement from the Academy. The actual award was presented at a ceremony in Beverly Hills, CA on February 7, 2015, to the three developers of SpeedTree®: IDV co-founders Michael Sechrest and […]

Using SpeedTree to Match Concept Art (Time-Lapse Video)

In this 90-second video, we use the SpeedTree Modeler to create a tree from scratch, using concept art imported and placed directly in the scene. Textures and auxiliary scene meshes are pulled from our library, but everything else is created on-the-fly. All features shown, except seasonal change, are available in most versions of the SpeedTree […]

Discounts on SpeedTree Studio, Architect and Tree Models Through October 12

Until October 12, get significant savings on SpeedTree Studio, SpeedTree Architect and all the trees you can use with them! SpeedTree Studio, regularly $895, is $595 ($300 off!) SpeedTree Architect, regularly $495, is $345 ($150 off!) And all VFX trees are half off! The sale applies only to VFX trees as listed at the “Version 7” […]

Simplify: An Overlooked Modeler Feature

There’s tons of ways to reduce triangle counts in the SpeedTree Modeler, but a big one that’s often overlooked is the Simplify tool. Simply put, Simplify reduces the number of polygons in your model by replacing complex geometry with images mapped to simple meshes. This means that you can start with a high-detail tree (2-300K […]

More About Unity 5

We’re still putting together the official marketing material for the Unity 5 launch (web pages, tutorial videos, etc.) but I thought I’d share some of the details we revealed at GDC with those of you that are curious. First of all, here’s a link to my GDC presentation in the Unity theater. It’s a little […]

Video Preview of New SpeedTree® Cinema & Studio 7 Features

SpeedTree® Cinema and Studio v7 is now available for evaluation, license and upgrade and we could not be more thrilled!  Version 7 was developed alongside some of the world’s top visual effects studios, allowing us to create exciting new tools like Subdivision Surface Modeling, Animated Growth, Alembic Export, Render Sequence and more.  In fact, some […]