This month we are spotlighting five environments that feature layered forests, textured trunks, expert lighting, and realistic recreations. Enjoy these amazing artists and don’t forget to tag us in your work!
Alexandre GODBILLE – Japan #1
This UE4 diorama by Nature Artist at Ubisoft Alexandre Godbille, captures the dynamic movement of a gentle breeze as it scatters the central tree’s petals. The colorful groundcover provides several distinct focal points and ties the image together with a dash of leafy clutter. The tree trunk is expertly woven around sturdy fence posts, likely utilizing a mesh force or hand-drawing. Learn more about hand drawing in SpeedTree to shape tree trunks around your scene’s props.
Lucas Maxfield – Sword in the Stone
Lucas returned their first-ever UE4 scene to hone some new skills, and the resulting cinematic is a testament to Lucas’ growth as a real-time artist. One of our favorite aspects of “Sword in the Stone” is how the lighting design influences the layout of the foliage. Take a closer look at Lucas’ “spindly trees” here, then brush up on editing variance for better randomization here.
Matthaeus Luef – Forgotten Forest
While self-isolating and missing the great outdoors, Matthaeus referenced an image from a 2017 trip to Japan to build, “Forgotten Forest.” The lighting of the scene is impeccable: volumetric fog adds a sense of depth while allowing the fore- and middle ground elements to shine. If you’re layering trees like Matthaeus, it’s a great opportunity to customize LODs according to distance
Vadim Nikitin – The Lost Village of Kurovo (Znamenskoe)
Vadim’s reconstruction of a lost Russian village is a memorial three years in the making and marks the completion of his first digital project. The careful time, attention, and collaboration exhibited in this faithful rendering is worth highlighting for anyone passionate about the history of their country. If you are getting started with SpeedTree and Blender like Vadim, don’t forget to install the free add-on for easier imports.
Revolution Studio – Realistic 3D Birds Animation
Ascend the stairs to admire the careful lighting, realistic rigging, and dynamic shot compositions in this Revolution Studio’s animted short! SpeedTree Cinema users looking to optimize leafy canopies as full as this bamboo forest can use a batched leaf generator, in lieu of a leaf mesh generator, for less expensive renders.
Build your next project with assets inspired by May’s Top 5!
Crepe Myrtle
(Cinema)
The tree centered behind the fox statue in “Japan #1” reminds us a lot of our Crepe Myrtle blooming in late spring.
Rocky Mountain Juniper
(Cinema | Games)
When we see a tree twisting into an interesting, gnarled shape, like those found in, “Sword in the Stone,” we can’t help but think of our Rocky Mountain Juniper.
Japanese Cedar
(Cinema | Games)
Matthaeus Luef’s take on a Japanese mountain forest has us thinking about our Japanese Cedar trees (with dwarf variations for ground cover and size variation in your environment’s vegetation!)
European Linden
(Cinema)
Though we see them from afar, the models in Vadim’s “The Lost Village of Kurovo,” contain columnar and oval shaped silhouettes similar to the European Linden tree.
