Speed Tree Let’s Make a Forest Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Introduction This is a third party application for parametrically generating trees and other foliage It is not part of the editor What is sent with the UDK is a “lite” version –Fewer and more restricted features –Of course, they want the serious developed to buy the full version

Adding SpeedTree Actors The UDK comes with several SpeedTree generated objects –A banana plant, two banyans and tow tobacco plants (despite this being a tobacco free campus) Some of these have the default material and others are properly materialed Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Content Browser Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Drug onto Scene Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Sized Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Commentary Speed tree items usually start very small –They always need to be sized Sometimes they are properly coated with material –Other times not Next is the banana plant It needs a little work from the material editor Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Banana with out material Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Theory Instead of generating each of these my hand, we describe how to generate Each of the parameters can then be randomly varied so that two trees are not quite the same –Similar to how it is done in nature Algorithmic creation of static mesh actors Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Starting Since it is not part of the editor is must be started separately It is part of the tools portion of the kit There are two pieces: –Modeler –Compiler We will start with the modeler Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Modeler Started Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

File/New Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Process We right click on the tree parts on the lower right We then add items We change parameters Select the item and apply materials –We may need to import the textures We then add more items to the item we desire When done we save Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Right Click Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Changing Trunks Length Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Materials The various parts of the tree get their materials in different parts Trunks and branches get it from Materials/Branches on the left Leaves get it from leaves/Geometry and cards –A leaf is like a card before the texture is applied The standard textures are.TGA extension You may need to add the texture files – as we see next Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Finding a Texture Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

More Once the texture is in the program the drop down for Material/Branches or Leafs/Geometry then shows the possibility Next we add main branches (1) and secondary branches (2) Finally we add leaves –Before the texture they look like cards –After they look better Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

First Branches Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Second Branches Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Leaves as Cards Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Leaves Textures Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Level of Detail Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Level of Detail Values Values that are set poorly may freeze UDK Values used: –Near 175 –Far 300 –Billboard start 301 –Billboard end 400 Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Now What? The modeler is done Next we move onto the Speed Tree Compiler This takes things and makes it UDK importable After than UDK needs to import Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Compiler Starts Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Item Selected Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Compiler Dialog Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

SpeedTree The compilation and modeling is now done Once in the process you should make several variations Making many trees is not harder than making one –Make one in the modeler and save –Change the parameters and save as a new name Now we return to UDK Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

UDK No using trees until we can see it in the UDK Start with Content Browser Use the Import button at the bottom Direct it to the directory where the Speed Tree Compiler left things –Select everything in the directory Name the group that will contain it The import may take a while Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Content Browser Import Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Import Dialog Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Imported Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Problems If the import freezes for a length of time go back to the level of detail and adjust The first use of a tree will require the use of the material editor –Which you should now know about When you play the game you will notice that the trees sway in the wind –This is the force setting in the modeler Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Attachment Even though this thing looks good in SpeedTree modeler we have to reassemble in the UDK We have to create materials then attach to tree Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Material Creation Right click the texture Select Create New Material –Then name it For bark just move the texture and attach to Diffuse in the Material Editor For leaves it is somewhat more complicated Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Leaves as Material Attach the basic texture to Diffuse Attach the normal texture to Normal Combine Alpha of new texture with basic texture to a Math add block –Attach this to the Opacity Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Menu To Create Material Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Material Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Material Selected Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Material Editor Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Moved and Attached Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

SpeedTree Editor Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Finally for a Tree Right click the speed tree block and choose edit speed tree Now click materials and drop onto the various parts of the tree Once this is done drop and size the tree from the Content Browser Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Wind We can change the swaying in the wind in a couple of places In the Speed Tree Modeler is the Forces property In the Speed Tree Editor in UDK is the wind property Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill

Conclusion SpeedTree is a specialized modeling software This allows us to create trees and shrubs much more easily than conventional modeling software We are now able to populate our levels with trees that are similar but not identical Copyright © 2015 – Curt Hill