Category Archives: Art Tools

Subdivision Surface Modeling in SpeedTree® Cinema-Studio v7

With the release of SpeedTree® Cinema and SpeedTree Studio v7, modeling and rendering of detailed, organic and dynamic foliage becomes even more powerful.  One of the most anticipated new capabilities of version 7 will be subdivision surface modeling, allowing the artist to easily create procedurally generated subdivision surface models that are ideal for “hero tree” pipelines […]

6 Ways SpeedTree® “Speeds” the Creation Process

1. Procedural Generation:  One of the best-recognized features of SpeedTree Modeler is its ability to create foliage assets using algorithmic, procedural generation. This one feature saves artists countless hours of modeling time since they don’t have to worry about the small stuff, like where individual leaves go on the tree. 2. Instant Modeler Feedback: The […]

SpeedTree® Cinema 7 Beta “Animated Growth” Feature Used in Digital Domain Project

With the release of SpeedTree® Cinema 7 approaching, visual effects pros and animators are telling us how anxious they are to get their hands on some of the new features in version 7, including the ability to simulate growth. This feature was put to excellent use by Digital Domain, which utilized a beta version of SpeedTree […]

Advantages of Tighter SpeedTree® for Games Integration with Unreal Engine 4

The tighter integration of SpeedTree® for Games into Unreal Engine 4 by Epic Games takes a new approach resulting in more options and a better all-around structure for moving forward. With the improved Unreal Engine 4 integration, SpeedTree tools are built right into the regular static mesh object that comprises the bulk of every scene […]

Tips for Modeling Peeling Bark with SpeedTree

On some trees, a standard Branch generator with displacement is not enough to accurately depict a tree’s trunk. In this post, I will show a solution which I developed in order to achieve these hard-to-obtain effects, such as the peeling bark found on river birch trees. Here are high-detail modeling tips to recreate bark peels: […]

SpeedTree® Focus of New Online Course at fxphd

We’re pleased to share that fxphd, an online training school for post-production visual effects, and motion graphics, is now offering a course on several SpeedTree v6 animation products taught by the award-winning VFX supervisor at Brainstorm Digital, Eran Dinur.  The course, PNT205: 3D Plants and Digital Environments, will guide participants working with SpeedTree and VFX software in […]

cmiVFX SpeedTree® Tutorial: Creating Digital Forest Assets Volume 1

cmiVFX, which makes and markets detailed tutorials for visual effects artists around the world, has developed a 2-hour, 50-minute SpeedTree® tutorial for creating digital trees and forests. “The days of using turtle equations for the sole purpose of creating branches and leaves are all but a memory when you have access to IDV’s SpeedTree Modeler,” […]

Here Be Dragons . . . Make More Than Just Trees with SpeedTree®

Despite the name Speed “Tree” you may be surprised to see the creative ways that artists are using our toolkit do more than just make trees.  In fact, SpeedTree can be used in conjunction with other 3D tools to model and render all kinds of crazy stuff, from Kudzu animal sculptures to headless haunted creatures […]

Modeling “Sky-Sensitive” Leaves and Phototropism with SpeedTree®

As a lead into this new feature I’d like to present a common interaction I have with people at SIGGRAPH every year . . . Random Attendee: “So what is this, an L-system?” (referring to formal Lindenmayer systems) Me: “No, SpeedTree is much closer to an art tool than it is a biology simulator.” That’s […]