Art-Directing Procedural Vegetation in Houdini

Take a look at a Vegetation Generation Tool for Houdini shared by Marta Feriani. The Digital Asset implements the space colonization algorithm by Runions et al (2007). The asset can be used to easily produce natural tree structures allowing control over the growth by shaping the roots, the foliage and the way the tree fills up the space.

The tool relies on the model suggested in a paper “Modeling Trees with a Space Colonization Algorithm” by Adam Runions, Brendan Lane, and Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz:

Abstract

We extend the open leaf venation model by Runions et al. to three dimensions and show that it generates surprisingly realistic tree structures. Model parameters correspond to visually relevant tree characteristics identified in landscaping, offering convenient control of tree shape and structure.

You can find the full paper here. 

Digital Asset on GitHub