SpeedTree is the fastest way to produce seamless digital foliage into your 3d scenes and composites with the least amount of effort. Its user interface is logical and organized, allowing you to create anything from trees, to vines, to your favorite flowers and vegetables. Its realtime rendering engine can be used to produce still images for 2d digital composites in just moments, saving hours of photographic clip hunting or asset collection.
User Interface
Continuing on with the tradition of modern day procedural paradigm based applications, SpeedTree lets the user visually construct digital assets with a node based architecture. Completely customizable, the UI can be a single docked pane application, or a series of floating windows for those of you who use multiple computer monitors to do your work.
Presets And Libraries
The SpeedTree website houses a wide variety of digital trees, plants, cacti, and other digital assets that can be modified to use in just about any scene imaginable. Most of their digital assets come in to varieties, High Resolution and RealTime Resolution. Choose between the two to match the Level Of Detail requirements for your production pipeline. Many of the trees also have seasonal versions for autumn if applicable. All of these assets have the associated textures included allowing for artists to use them as a springboard for their own digital tree creations. More about the libraries can be found here:
Code
http://www.speedtree.com/trees/
Modeling A Tree (The Basics)
In this first project, Chris Maynard jumps right in by creating a new tree quickly. The goal for this project is to get familiar with the basic tools and workflow for creating your first digital assets. Learn how to reshape templates to make new and unique shapes using the node editor and variety of parameters in control pane.
Using Mesh Assets
This is the pinnacle of the tutorial lesson, in which Chris shows you how to create a Money Tree. The process will include the creation of 3d models created in a 3rd party animation package, and creating the proper SpeedTree textures using the free downloadable application called CrazyBump. This method will be the backbone of all your future 3d digital tree asset creations.
