Forester Pro - Version 1.24 Released
by Matthew Genge · 03/31/2014 (2:14 pm) · 16 comments
Forester Pro is a tree and plant model generator for Windows that exports models in the format required by Torque3D including LODs, collision meshes and bounds boxes. Models created with Forester Pro import directly into the world editor of Torque3D with no fuss.
We've just released version 1.24 of Forester Pro which has some major new optimization features. You can already optimize models in the registered version of Forester Pro by changing the number of segments used to generate branch meshes in the branch properties menu. Forester now allows models to be optimized further on export to reduce polycount on a per model basis. The new feature allows you to minimize the detail on branches that are smaller than a certain radius or above a certain height up the model. This is particularly useful for first person game views where branches higher up the tree are sufficiently far from the player that they do not to need to be modelled in detail. This update was inspired by user suggestions.
An example of an optimized mesh is shown below and is the Salmon Gum, part of our Australia Tree Pack 1. The lower images show the original unoptimized version on the left, and an optimized version on the right. This optimization reduces the polys on all branches above the shown threshold height to a minimum. In this model the number of faces was reduced by 1/3.
Forester Pro comes with 13 different tree templates, and over 100 tree and plant templates are available in our Tree and Plant Packs. Foresters customization features also allow you to generate your own templates based on your own customized textures and plant structures.
The registered version of Forester is $20. A free version featuring 7 tree types is also available. The new optimized version is available in the free version.
Forester Pro can be downloaded from here:
www.hptware.co.uk/forester.php
If you have already installed Forester you can update it with the updater (which won't affect any of your settings or custom templates).
www.hptware.co.uk/downloads/foresterupdate124.zip
You might also want to check out our other product, Medusa Pro, the rock model generator.
www.hptware.co.uk/medusa.php
We've just released version 1.24 of Forester Pro which has some major new optimization features. You can already optimize models in the registered version of Forester Pro by changing the number of segments used to generate branch meshes in the branch properties menu. Forester now allows models to be optimized further on export to reduce polycount on a per model basis. The new feature allows you to minimize the detail on branches that are smaller than a certain radius or above a certain height up the model. This is particularly useful for first person game views where branches higher up the tree are sufficiently far from the player that they do not to need to be modelled in detail. This update was inspired by user suggestions.
An example of an optimized mesh is shown below and is the Salmon Gum, part of our Australia Tree Pack 1. The lower images show the original unoptimized version on the left, and an optimized version on the right. This optimization reduces the polys on all branches above the shown threshold height to a minimum. In this model the number of faces was reduced by 1/3.
Forester Pro comes with 13 different tree templates, and over 100 tree and plant templates are available in our Tree and Plant Packs. Foresters customization features also allow you to generate your own templates based on your own customized textures and plant structures.
The registered version of Forester is $20. A free version featuring 7 tree types is also available. The new optimized version is available in the free version.
Forester Pro can be downloaded from here:
www.hptware.co.uk/forester.php
If you have already installed Forester you can update it with the updater (which won't affect any of your settings or custom templates).
www.hptware.co.uk/downloads/foresterupdate124.zip
You might also want to check out our other product, Medusa Pro, the rock model generator.
www.hptware.co.uk/medusa.php
About the author
I am an Earth Scientist who likes writing games for fun.
#2
04/01/2014 (5:02 am)
Keeps getting better! Nice 
#3
04/01/2014 (7:06 am)
Cool stuff, Matthew! Thanks. :D 
#4
Cant wait to get home with for the update.
04/01/2014 (7:52 am)
Hey matt I am using a few packs right now but I'm looking for a specific type of tree. Is there a pack that has a tree with a wide base and branches that fan out like an umbrella? Like a tree that can be made larch with a lot of coverage... Not sure if this is descriptive. Cant wait to get home with for the update.
#5
04/01/2014 (12:14 pm)
Nice update! Thanks 
#6
You mean something like this?
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/umbrella-tree-white-background-28796082.jpg
04/01/2014 (3:32 pm)
@Kevin MitchellYou mean something like this?
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/umbrella-tree-white-background-28796082.jpg
#8
You can always make a custom tree based on one of the existing templates by changing its branch properties. For what you describe you'll probably end up with quite a heafty model (6000+ faces).
Here is an example. You'll find the process is somewhat iterative, changing properties until you find the right values. However, you can pretty much create any tree:
Best,
Matt
04/02/2014 (4:21 am)
Hi Kevin,You can always make a custom tree based on one of the existing templates by changing its branch properties. For what you describe you'll probably end up with quite a heafty model (6000+ faces).
Here is an example. You'll find the process is somewhat iterative, changing properties until you find the right values. However, you can pretty much create any tree:
Best,
Matt
#9
04/02/2014 (4:27 am)
Oh you want a conifer. Then swap the leaf texture for a conifer texture. You can swap textures after you create a tree if you need to from the context menu.
#10
04/02/2014 (6:56 am)
Ill try this when i get home
#11
04/02/2014 (2:16 pm)
what tree is this above in the image?
#12
04/03/2014 (6:02 pm)
Hi Mate, It is the MedusaLite Oak. 
#14
-the LOD-versions are not children of "start01" which is children of "base01" with the nodes and the collision mesh is children of "base01", but it should be under "start01" I think.
As I understood it, first comes "base" (01 seems to be not needed), under base are the nodes like model300, model200, model100, col-1 and then comes start and under this comes the models with the same numbers, 300,200,100,-1.
Torque seems to be error tolerant and tries to fix bad setup so it may work, but it does not look nice.
-the trunk and the leaves don't have to be separate meshes, it may reduce some confusion if they are or can be merged.
-I don't know if the "bounds" are necessary, to me it seems they are not.
-are the trees optimized by vertex normal manipulation? The models seem to do relatively fine, but I noticed some not so nice shadowing in some past screenshots. In one of Rons packs, which are now free, he included a tutorial how to do vertex normal manipulation in 3dsmax, to improve the shadowing and so the look of vegetation. So this may be a thing to look at, since blender does not have an option for this I think.
-how is the wind animation vertex paint done? Since collada does not store vertex paint on import into blender, this is an issue if you want to edit trees in blender, since the wind animation vertex paint is then gone and you have no idea how to bring it back on.
-the collision mesh is a little chunky, especially the flat stump on the top, since players will be able to stand at the top of the tree, while the mesh is extremely thin and this looks ugly. Especially combined with an old bug where you can walk up trees, people will run up to trees, stand on top of them and are able to do sniping from there. I solved it by making a spike at the top, so it fits the trunk better and it is almost impossible to stand on top.
-there should be an option to change the numbers where to LOD models change, 300,200,100 is not always the best option. For example the default tree in Torque has 500,200,100 or so, so the fine branches are visible if you stand directly in front of the tree.
04/07/2014 (10:58 am)
I looked at forester again since I may want to use it in the future and noticed some things that could be improved or I do not understand:-the LOD-versions are not children of "start01" which is children of "base01" with the nodes and the collision mesh is children of "base01", but it should be under "start01" I think.
As I understood it, first comes "base" (01 seems to be not needed), under base are the nodes like model300, model200, model100, col-1 and then comes start and under this comes the models with the same numbers, 300,200,100,-1.
Torque seems to be error tolerant and tries to fix bad setup so it may work, but it does not look nice.
-the trunk and the leaves don't have to be separate meshes, it may reduce some confusion if they are or can be merged.
-I don't know if the "bounds" are necessary, to me it seems they are not.
-are the trees optimized by vertex normal manipulation? The models seem to do relatively fine, but I noticed some not so nice shadowing in some past screenshots. In one of Rons packs, which are now free, he included a tutorial how to do vertex normal manipulation in 3dsmax, to improve the shadowing and so the look of vegetation. So this may be a thing to look at, since blender does not have an option for this I think.
-how is the wind animation vertex paint done? Since collada does not store vertex paint on import into blender, this is an issue if you want to edit trees in blender, since the wind animation vertex paint is then gone and you have no idea how to bring it back on.
-the collision mesh is a little chunky, especially the flat stump on the top, since players will be able to stand at the top of the tree, while the mesh is extremely thin and this looks ugly. Especially combined with an old bug where you can walk up trees, people will run up to trees, stand on top of them and are able to do sniping from there. I solved it by making a spike at the top, so it fits the trunk better and it is almost impossible to stand on top.
-there should be an option to change the numbers where to LOD models change, 300,200,100 is not always the best option. For example the default tree in Torque has 500,200,100 or so, so the fine branches are visible if you stand directly in front of the tree.
#15
As per usual lots of useful comments and suggestions.
LOD children node structures
We spent quite a bit of time testing node structures within the Collada files...this was the only structure which we found worked for every model. Hence we used it, on the basis if it isn't broke don't fix it.
The leaves and branches do have to be different meshes to have different materials applied. Or at least. We couldn't find any other way of allowing separate branch and leaf textures to be specified with the collada format without these being on separate meshes. In exporting for Blender you can choose whether you want every branch and every leaf to be a separate mesh, or to lump together all the branches and all the leaves. The former is probably most convenient for editing.
Bounds
We found that without bounds some strange effects occurred with shadows.
Vertex Manipulation
No at present there is no vertex manipulation, however, this is the largest issue for tree models with simple plane meshes. Vertex manipulation is quite high on our list of things to add in future releases and has been suggested by some guys from UDK and Unity as well.
Vertex Colours
Vertex colours are calculated on export, you can chose several different leaf flutter modes and there are a couple of extra options too. For example, leaf length flutter will increase leaf bending with distance along a central vector away from the root of the leaf mesh against the branch, radial flutter is just with distance from the root of the mesh. We've been meaning to add more options here, and to allow vertex colours to be created and edited in Forester....but there are so many extra things we could put in Forester, we have to prioritize! You are absolutely right, blender doesn't import them. There isn't anything we can do about that really.
Collision Mesh
We agree the canopy collision box is slighly chunky. Currently it encompasses all leaves. Again an option to change the size of the canopy collision mesh will be added to a future release. You can, however, optionally choose to export only the trunk collision mesh.
LOD limits
There is an option for this in the Torque3D export menu. You can specify the limits in the three edit boxes in this menu.
Anyway Duion, thanks again for your diligent comments!
04/07/2014 (5:08 pm)
Hi Duion,As per usual lots of useful comments and suggestions.
LOD children node structures
We spent quite a bit of time testing node structures within the Collada files...this was the only structure which we found worked for every model. Hence we used it, on the basis if it isn't broke don't fix it.
The leaves and branches do have to be different meshes to have different materials applied. Or at least. We couldn't find any other way of allowing separate branch and leaf textures to be specified with the collada format without these being on separate meshes. In exporting for Blender you can choose whether you want every branch and every leaf to be a separate mesh, or to lump together all the branches and all the leaves. The former is probably most convenient for editing.
Bounds
We found that without bounds some strange effects occurred with shadows.
Vertex Manipulation
No at present there is no vertex manipulation, however, this is the largest issue for tree models with simple plane meshes. Vertex manipulation is quite high on our list of things to add in future releases and has been suggested by some guys from UDK and Unity as well.
Vertex Colours
Vertex colours are calculated on export, you can chose several different leaf flutter modes and there are a couple of extra options too. For example, leaf length flutter will increase leaf bending with distance along a central vector away from the root of the leaf mesh against the branch, radial flutter is just with distance from the root of the mesh. We've been meaning to add more options here, and to allow vertex colours to be created and edited in Forester....but there are so many extra things we could put in Forester, we have to prioritize! You are absolutely right, blender doesn't import them. There isn't anything we can do about that really.
Collision Mesh
We agree the canopy collision box is slighly chunky. Currently it encompasses all leaves. Again an option to change the size of the canopy collision mesh will be added to a future release. You can, however, optionally choose to export only the trunk collision mesh.
LOD limits
There is an option for this in the Torque3D export menu. You can specify the limits in the three edit boxes in this menu.
Anyway Duion, thanks again for your diligent comments!
#16
I would at least want a spike at the top of the collision cylinder, so that there is no big platform floating in the air where you can stand on, that is unrealistic and at some point players in your game will find out about this. It may be a small issue, but I am a perfectionist there. The collisionmesh of the branches is even worse, it is just a block. Some people may want trees where all bigger branches has collision, so you can climb on the tree and so on.
I found a heavy polygonreduced version of the trunk and bigger branches works best as collisionmodel, but I don't really know the polygonlimits for good performance on collisionmeshes, I just think the default ones are too chunky.
And because the separation, I always thought the models have to be one mesh, so I build them this way in the past, but there is really a lack of advanced documentation for Torque.
For the vertex colors, which one is the best option? You should set the best option as default, since people will have no idea about this feature.
04/07/2014 (6:13 pm)
The biggest issue for me at the moment is, if I want to fix something, like the collisionmesh, the vertex paint gets erased and it is very complicated to apply it in blender accurately, except adding 100% color to all leaves.I would at least want a spike at the top of the collision cylinder, so that there is no big platform floating in the air where you can stand on, that is unrealistic and at some point players in your game will find out about this. It may be a small issue, but I am a perfectionist there. The collisionmesh of the branches is even worse, it is just a block. Some people may want trees where all bigger branches has collision, so you can climb on the tree and so on.
I found a heavy polygonreduced version of the trunk and bigger branches works best as collisionmodel, but I don't really know the polygonlimits for good performance on collisionmeshes, I just think the default ones are too chunky.
And because the separation, I always thought the models have to be one mesh, so I build them this way in the past, but there is really a lack of advanced documentation for Torque.
For the vertex colors, which one is the best option? You should set the best option as default, since people will have no idea about this feature.
Torque Owner Jules
Something2Play