Australia Tree Pack 1 for Forester Pro
by Matthew Genge · 08/31/2013 (6:25 pm) · 12 comments
Forester Pro is a tree and plant creator for Torque3D that generates randomized models that import seamlessly into the world editor including automatic LOD and collision mesh generation. Forester Pro is really easy to use and allows you to generate your own unique models.
We've just released Australia Pack 1, a pack of templates of different tree and plant species that can be used in Forester Pro to generate you own randomized models. Species included in the pack are: wide-leaf bottle tree (a relative of the baobab), ghost gum, salmon gum, forest red gum, thorny bush, spinifex grass and desert grass. A scene created with these models is shown below (although we are sure you can create much better scenes your self):
Here are the tree templates. Each can be used to generate a wide range of random trees.
Forester Pro can be downloaded from our website and includes a free version with 7 free templates. The full version with 14 templates costs $20.00. Tree packs with 5-7 templates cost $10.00 each. You can also use Forester Pro to create your own custom trees and plants.
www.hptware.co.uk/forester.htm
We've just released Australia Pack 1, a pack of templates of different tree and plant species that can be used in Forester Pro to generate you own randomized models. Species included in the pack are: wide-leaf bottle tree (a relative of the baobab), ghost gum, salmon gum, forest red gum, thorny bush, spinifex grass and desert grass. A scene created with these models is shown below (although we are sure you can create much better scenes your self):
Here are the tree templates. Each can be used to generate a wide range of random trees.
Forester Pro can be downloaded from our website and includes a free version with 7 free templates. The full version with 14 templates costs $20.00. Tree packs with 5-7 templates cost $10.00 each. You can also use Forester Pro to create your own custom trees and plants.
www.hptware.co.uk/forester.htm
About the author
I am an Earth Scientist who likes writing games for fun.
#2
09/01/2013 (6:11 pm)
Will you do Australian trees from other areas of the country? 
#3
09/01/2013 (6:42 pm)
Cool beans - I never seem to see Australian environments in video games. Understandable but still unfortunate! 
#4
It'd be nice to see a decent set of xanthorrhoea (grass trees). :D
09/01/2013 (7:09 pm)
Call me pedantic, but those trees don't really look very Australian, in my opinion. The Ghostgum comes close, but not close enough. Quote:"Will you do Australian trees from other areas of the country?"
It'd be nice to see a decent set of xanthorrhoea (grass trees). :D
#5
But I'm only from the Blue Mountains to Sydney way so maybe it is like that somewhere?
I want some wattles and stuff to make some real bush. But the above plants would be good as bush would be costly for the rendering.
09/01/2013 (9:36 pm)
@Dan, yeah that's what I thought a bit disappointing (after being excited), I think they don't look gray-green and dry enough.But I'm only from the Blue Mountains to Sydney way so maybe it is like that somewhere?
I want some wattles and stuff to make some real bush. But the above plants would be good as bush would be costly for the rendering.
#6
I wouldn't expect these of Matthew's Forester though, as they're all rather specialised. Eucalypts however, should be more like the Blue Gums we have everywhere.
I've been using some of the assets from the Sticks And Twigs pack for my bush environments.
09/01/2013 (11:08 pm)
@Edward - Yeah, the Wattle is our national floral emblem, so it'd be nice to see it included in "Australian" art packs. Same could be said for the Banksia and Kangaroo Paw too.I wouldn't expect these of Matthew's Forester though, as they're all rather specialised. Eucalypts however, should be more like the Blue Gums we have everywhere.
I've been using some of the assets from the Sticks And Twigs pack for my bush environments.
#7
We got a lot of banksia's around my area, scribby gums and yeah blue gums.
That photo of the blue gums is a great example. Wattle's are beautiful at the moment, really brightens up the joint. I think that's the nicest we have as they can be seen from so far away, for say a month.
With that said, Forester handles flowers/non-flowering versions?
09/01/2013 (11:57 pm)
@Dan, yeah when I saw the chosen plants I knew of them but they just aren't very common.We got a lot of banksia's around my area, scribby gums and yeah blue gums.
That photo of the blue gums is a great example. Wattle's are beautiful at the moment, really brightens up the joint. I think that's the nicest we have as they can be seen from so far away, for say a month.
With that said, Forester handles flowers/non-flowering versions?
#8
In light of your comments we've altered the models and added more penduluous leaves and slightly updated structures. We took our reference photos for leaves and bark in the wonderful botanical garden in Sydney, in Perth and around Kalgoorlie. Salmon Gums were particular common there (in fact they dominated the bush) and there were many trees resembling the Forest Red Gum. However, Australia is a big place with lots of variation.
One of the big issues with Eucalypts is they change structure significantly with growth starting as low and branching, then becoming bulky with one many trunk, with low thick bows, then (if in thick forest) becoming high with an upper crown. One of great things about Forester is you can change the templates to your hearts content. Here are a few varients...the first two are just random trees generated from the updated standard template, the others show how the template can be changed by altering the properties in the branch and leaf menus.
We've also done a slightly better scene, this time in Torque3D. You'll notice trees look better in the world editor.
We do plan more Australia packs. We have reference images for sheoaks, wattles, and lilly-pillys, as well as hoop pines and norfolk island pines (although these will probably go into a planned prehistoric tree pack. Banksias, however, are difficult since their abundant spiral leaves would involve huge numbers of planes. You can, however, also use Forester Pro to generate your own custom trees using your own textures (for example adding flowers to branch textures).
Finally, we've just added the latest update 1.23 to Forester to enable the changes we've made to the Australia Tree Pack. You can download it from here:
www.hptware.co.uk/downloads/foresterupdate123.zip
09/02/2013 (4:57 pm)
Hi Guys,In light of your comments we've altered the models and added more penduluous leaves and slightly updated structures. We took our reference photos for leaves and bark in the wonderful botanical garden in Sydney, in Perth and around Kalgoorlie. Salmon Gums were particular common there (in fact they dominated the bush) and there were many trees resembling the Forest Red Gum. However, Australia is a big place with lots of variation.
One of the big issues with Eucalypts is they change structure significantly with growth starting as low and branching, then becoming bulky with one many trunk, with low thick bows, then (if in thick forest) becoming high with an upper crown. One of great things about Forester is you can change the templates to your hearts content. Here are a few varients...the first two are just random trees generated from the updated standard template, the others show how the template can be changed by altering the properties in the branch and leaf menus.
We've also done a slightly better scene, this time in Torque3D. You'll notice trees look better in the world editor.
We do plan more Australia packs. We have reference images for sheoaks, wattles, and lilly-pillys, as well as hoop pines and norfolk island pines (although these will probably go into a planned prehistoric tree pack. Banksias, however, are difficult since their abundant spiral leaves would involve huge numbers of planes. You can, however, also use Forester Pro to generate your own custom trees using your own textures (for example adding flowers to branch textures).
Finally, we've just added the latest update 1.23 to Forester to enable the changes we've made to the Australia Tree Pack. You can download it from here:
www.hptware.co.uk/downloads/foresterupdate123.zip
#9
09/02/2013 (5:09 pm)
And mugda bushes, bush cypresses and some weird caterpillar-like bushes...have to do those too.
#10
I think I'll have to get it to fully check it out. And support anything Australian!
Also glad to hear you got the reference images at the botanical gardens around Australia.
09/02/2013 (8:05 pm)
@Matthew, I am always impressed how you continue to update your work. I'll be looking forward to your future Australian packs.I think I'll have to get it to fully check it out. And support anything Australian!
Also glad to hear you got the reference images at the botanical gardens around Australia.
#11
09/02/2013 (10:24 pm)
This is a bloody fantastic improvement (going by the screenshots) Matthew. Great update, mate! And thanks for listening without taking offence. I usually provoke an adverse response. :D
#12
The point with Forester Pro is you can always tweek templates yourself to generate something that fits your needs and is unique (you can even move, scale and rotate individual branches by hand), and you can swap in your own textures to create related trees.
09/03/2013 (3:00 am)
No worries.The point with Forester Pro is you can always tweek templates yourself to generate something that fits your needs and is unique (you can even move, scale and rotate individual branches by hand), and you can swap in your own textures to create related trees.
Torque Owner David Robert Pemberton
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