Desert Plant Pack 1 for Forester Pro Released
by Matthew Genge · 10/25/2014 (6:51 am) · 13 comments
Forester Pro is a tree creator for T3D that generates randomized models of different tree and plant types. The models produced by Forester Pro import easily into the world editor and include automatically generated LODs and collision meshes. Forester Pro also allows custom templates to be generated and vertex colours for wind effects created.
We've just released our 20th template pack, Desert Plant Pack 1. Each template can be used to generate a wide range of randomized models. The textures provided with this pack were all collected in the Moroccan Sahara but are appropriate for common desert plants worldwide. The templates are shown below:
A scene created using models made with the template pack is shown below. Rock models were created using Medusa Pro.
Template packs can be downloaded from our website and cost $10. They required the registered version of Forester Pro (a free version of Forester is also available.
www.hptware.co.uk/forester.php
We've just released our 20th template pack, Desert Plant Pack 1. Each template can be used to generate a wide range of randomized models. The textures provided with this pack were all collected in the Moroccan Sahara but are appropriate for common desert plants worldwide. The templates are shown below:
A scene created using models made with the template pack is shown below. Rock models were created using Medusa Pro.
Template packs can be downloaded from our website and cost $10. They required the registered version of Forester Pro (a free version of Forester is also available.
www.hptware.co.uk/forester.php
About the author
I am an Earth Scientist who likes writing games for fun.
#3
What I do miss in forester is a better handling of the UV maps, so I can use it at atlas texture, instead to use single textures.
To get low draw calls, it is much need to use atlas texture sets and not single texture.
For our game I always have to go to blender and set up the UV to the atlas texture so the whole forest have as low draw calls as possible. But I'm sure a function for making trees, ready for atlas, would be a hugh improvment, and save a lot of developing time.
Beside of that, Forester is a great tool, not only for T3D !
10/27/2014 (7:30 am)
Nice pack!What I do miss in forester is a better handling of the UV maps, so I can use it at atlas texture, instead to use single textures.
To get low draw calls, it is much need to use atlas texture sets and not single texture.
For our game I always have to go to blender and set up the UV to the atlas texture so the whole forest have as low draw calls as possible. But I'm sure a function for making trees, ready for atlas, would be a hugh improvment, and save a lot of developing time.
Beside of that, Forester is a great tool, not only for T3D !
#4
The preview was in Unreal. You can always tell unreal...it has a bit of a bleached out appearance. I tend to use either Unreal or Torque3D for scenes. Torque3D has nice sharp and clear shaders, Unreal has a nice material editor that makes it easy to customise shaders.
Fasel. Absolutely atlas textures are better. The reason we have separate textures for bark and leaves in Forester is for mix and match, to increase the range of models you can create. However, we are planning two solutions to allow export of atlas textures, one will be automatic (and consequently not particularly fantastic), the other will be an editor. This is actually important for some engines that allow only one texture per model.
The one issue with atlas textures is they limit bark textures since you can only use wrapping in one direction.
Best,
Matt
10/27/2014 (8:06 am)
Hi Everyone,The preview was in Unreal. You can always tell unreal...it has a bit of a bleached out appearance. I tend to use either Unreal or Torque3D for scenes. Torque3D has nice sharp and clear shaders, Unreal has a nice material editor that makes it easy to customise shaders.
Fasel. Absolutely atlas textures are better. The reason we have separate textures for bark and leaves in Forester is for mix and match, to increase the range of models you can create. However, we are planning two solutions to allow export of atlas textures, one will be automatic (and consequently not particularly fantastic), the other will be an editor. This is actually important for some engines that allow only one texture per model.
The one issue with atlas textures is they limit bark textures since you can only use wrapping in one direction.
Best,
Matt
#5
10/27/2014 (8:22 am)
Sound great, thanks Matthew! 
#6
There are some screenshots of people doing work in Torque3D and they look the same quality wise, so I guess Torque is not that bad.
Regarding the textures, I also prefer separate materials, since you have more options then, like wrapping around and having different material settings. For example I found leaves do not need a normal map so much, so you can leave it out, while a bark that is rough looks better with normal map and so on. And in the distance the impostors set in, so the drawcalls get reduced anyway.
10/27/2014 (10:07 am)
I would not have thought that this is Unreal, I was about to write that it is Torque, because it looks so flat and washed out...There are some screenshots of people doing work in Torque3D and they look the same quality wise, so I guess Torque is not that bad.
Regarding the textures, I also prefer separate materials, since you have more options then, like wrapping around and having different material settings. For example I found leaves do not need a normal map so much, so you can leave it out, while a bark that is rough looks better with normal map and so on. And in the distance the impostors set in, so the drawcalls get reduced anyway.
#7
10/27/2014 (2:48 pm)
@ Duion: I could save a lot draw calls in our game, since I did made the forest with atlas texture. And I don't use imposters, when I use atlas, so it don't need a extra texture for imposters. I just hide the trees in distance with a 2 face no material mesh.
#8
10/27/2014 (2:57 pm)
You can use a nulldetail level for this, no need to create a mesh. Depends on the game, but the impostors are for saving polygons and it also has just one drawcall I think, or less, since it is just a picture and is generated automatically, so you do not need to create something for the lowest detail by hand.
#9
Imposters use diffuse maps and normal maps (hardcoded)... so that's at least 2 drawcalls!
10/28/2014 (3:08 am)
Quote:Duion: the impostors are for saving polygons and it also has just one drawcall I think
Imposters use diffuse maps and normal maps (hardcoded)... so that's at least 2 drawcalls!
#10
10/28/2014 (10:43 am)
Yes, you are right, but I think the savings through the imposters are greater than the impact of the drawcalls, but of course depends on the game setup.
#11
Use of either imposters or a billboard in your meshes is totally depending on the shapes. Non-symmetric shapes often don't work (read don't look nice) with just one side projected on a plane mesh (billboard)
We created (well @Timmy did ;) a max visible distance for forest objects; including the imposters. I think this is a very good improvement on our big terrains. So in our case, imposters work pretty well.
10/28/2014 (9:42 pm)
Quote:Yes, you are right, but I think the savings through the imposters are greater than the impact of the drawcalls, but of course depends on the game setup.
Use of either imposters or a billboard in your meshes is totally depending on the shapes. Non-symmetric shapes often don't work (read don't look nice) with just one side projected on a plane mesh (billboard)
We created (well @Timmy did ;) a max visible distance for forest objects; including the imposters. I think this is a very good improvement on our big terrains. So in our case, imposters work pretty well.
#12
I can do the same with 3 atlas texture, one for leaf, one for bark, so only 2 texture plus 1 more for the normals for the barks. When I don't use imposters also, and just hide the trees in last LOD, I will save a lot more memory, and also drawcalls.
Then you make a good LOD adjustment and you will see a huge increase of the FPS and much less drawcalls also.
I did test both for our MMO game, and at least it run much smoother since I use atlas and no imposter. Ofc. you can use imposter, when the grafic memory not is a problem and you can life with the 2 plus drawcalls.
At least, FORESTER is a great help to make trees :)
10/29/2014 (4:21 am)
When you have , let's say 30 different trees.It will generate 30 diferent texture for diff, plus 30 diffeferent normal maps, all for imposter. this will use a lot of your grafic memory space. Plus you have 30 single texture for bark and 30 for leaf plus 30 normal maps for the barks. I can do the same with 3 atlas texture, one for leaf, one for bark, so only 2 texture plus 1 more for the normals for the barks. When I don't use imposters also, and just hide the trees in last LOD, I will save a lot more memory, and also drawcalls.
Then you make a good LOD adjustment and you will see a huge increase of the FPS and much less drawcalls also.
I did test both for our MMO game, and at least it run much smoother since I use atlas and no imposter. Ofc. you can use imposter, when the grafic memory not is a problem and you can life with the 2 plus drawcalls.
At least, FORESTER is a great help to make trees :)
#13
We will be adding an option to allow export of Forester pack models as an atlas texture, and to allow you to use your own custom atlas textures on Forester. This will involve some limitations due to the nature of Atlas textures. I think, however, it is important to give as much flexibility as possible to accomodate the different asset strategies everyone uses.
Best,
Matt
10/29/2014 (7:22 am)
Hi Guys,We will be adding an option to allow export of Forester pack models as an atlas texture, and to allow you to use your own custom atlas textures on Forester. This will involve some limitations due to the nature of Atlas textures. I think, however, it is important to give as much flexibility as possible to accomodate the different asset strategies everyone uses.
Best,
Matt
Torque Owner Lukas Joergensen
WinterLeaf Entertainment
If I were developing a game and not an engine, then I'd be all over your products!
If you don't mind me asking, what engine is that? It looks soo great!