Making leafy vines in Max

[SasoDuck]

I'm developing a level for a 3D game me my friend are producing. I've googled so many things, but I can't find anything on making leafy vines in 3ds Max. I'm looking for something kinda like this:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/235/450375724_bf16604db1.jpg

An easier way to to it would be preferred since I'm sort of a semi-ish beginner (about 2 years self teaching for the most part), but also not anything basic. I want it to look good.

[Mark Dygert]

Well thats not real time friendly it uses one of two ivy generation methods.

A plug-in for 3dsmax called gw::ivy
http://www.guruware.at/main/

Or
Thomas Luft's stand alone Ivy Generators
http://graphics.uni-konstanz.de/~luft/ivy_generator/

Neither are for realtime games but they can conceivably be turned into something usable with quite a bit of work. It all depends on the end shape, what it will be used for, the desired resolution and how close people will get.

It might be easier to use another construction method to get something close.
http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=67620

[divi]

http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=64271&highlight=ivy

[SasoDuck]

I've never installed a plugin, where do I put the files?

[Lamont]

I dunno if you can, but in Maya I adjust my clipping plane so I can render the slices of the things I generate from ivy generator.

[Mark Dygert]

I've never installed a plugin, where do I put the files?
copy gw_Ivy.dlo to your 3ds max-plugins folder that is normally C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2010\plugins

[SasoDuck]

None of those are working for me.

The Guruware one makes Max crash, "Thomas Luft's Ivy Generator" doesn't work on my computer, the third on is a hedge not ivy, and the fourth one the other guy posted is flat ivy for a material map, not 3-dimensional.

Anything else?

[Sean VanGorder]

If you are planning on putting this in an engine and using it for a game, it is probably in your best interest to not have your vines and leaves as actual 3D geometry. Clever use of materials and alpha maps to fake the 3D look is your best bet.

[SasoDuck]

They need to be 3D because of how I'm placing them. 2D materials just won't do.

[Mark Dygert]

What version of max are you using?
Is this for a game?
Why won't 2D planes work?

[SasoDuck]

2009
Yes
Because there's vines spurting up and out of the floor as their own object, not attached to another surface.

[Slum]

Are you saying you want to have a 3d model for every leaf? There's really no situation where alpha cards are not a better choice. Maybe you're just approaching the concept the wrong way. A lot of guys here have made plants/vegetation for a ton of games. Without a good description of what you're trying to do, people won't be able to give you a relevant answer.

[Sean VanGorder]

Spurting out of the floor kinda like grass? Games with realistic, 3D looking grass and foliage sprouting out of the ground use nothing but alpha mapped 2D planes. Should work the same with vines. Or maybe I'm just not visualizing exactly what it is you are looking for?

[SasoDuck]

Here, I'll try to make a rough sketch in PS

[SasoDuck]

The lines just show sort of the spread of the ivy, the 3D would have leaves and shit

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp3/SasoChicken/CityDeveloping-3copy.png

[Mark Dygert]

Even the high poly ivy generators use opacity mapped planes for the leaves.

I guess since the automated solutions won't work, you're stuck using splines and manually attaching leaves. In that case I suggest using a spline painter script, it allows you to paint a spline on the surface of another object. You could then copy the spline and covert it to edit poly, delete all but the end cap at the root of the spline and extrude the end cap along the spline using the taper parmeter to vary the thickness.

Then use an object painter script to paint leaves down the spline.

Search for Neil Blevins SoulBurn MaxScripts. He has an excellent object painter script and a great spline painter also.

But really, what you're after if its for a game, you need to do it with opacity mapped planes.

You might want to spend some time and research why those automated generators aren't working and get them working and then covert it to planes.

[SasoDuck]

Well, the Guruware one WORKS, it's just that when I edit the parameters so there's enough ivy in my scene, it crashes the program.... =/

[Mark Dygert]

well yea thats because you're pushing max past the limits of your computer. Which is way past what any game could reasonably handle... Which is why if this was a game asset you should be using planes.

You'll probably need to use the plug-in to create clumps of ivy, turn that into opacity maps then copy that around your scene.

[Sean VanGorder]

If I remember correctly, both the guruware site and the standalone site link to a download containing already made vine leaf textures, alpha map and all. Clump those on some splines and you should be good to go, pretty much what Vig said. Even modeling out the splines would be a pain in the ass though, although there is a new feature in the graphite modeling tools called "Branch" which allows you to pretty much draw your own branch out of any existing poly. Handy little tool.


Edit: Just remembered you are using 2009, so you won't have the graphite tools.

[mienq.blom]

I dont know much about gaming. Im an architectural 3d artist. But I would agree that planes with an alpha map would probably work best - and still give you the 3d feel youre looking for.

http://www.peterguthrie.net/blog/2009/11/3d-tree-material-tutorial-leaves/