The Grove Release 11 Launched

The Grove – a Blender-based tool for generating biologically plausible tree models – got an update. One of the most notable changes in Release 11 is the tool now using Geometry Nodes instead of the particle system to duplicate twigs. You can also add motion to twigs with a new Breeze wind type, which can be combined with wind deformation and which is always added.

Additionally, simulation layers are now written to attributes, which are supported in modifiers and materials.

Another change is a new Roots tool, which generates roots. It doesn't reconstruct the whole root system, so it works fast, according to the developer. Roots don't grow along with the tree and don't work with Record.

The new Surround panel adds a ring of shade-casting polygons that simulates surrounding trees and is meant to make your trees look more natural and varied depending on where they are growing: alone or in a dense forest.

The update also adds a Stash system so you can save your trees to disk and then import them to Blender together with everything you need to keep editing and growing the trees. Stash can be used as an Undo system to let you experiment more. It's incompatible with Blender’s Undo system.

Other changes to existing tools include the Plant tool now responding to the slope of the terrain to make trees grow perpendicular to a hillside, the draw tool, which now filters out dead branches, and more. You can find the full list of changes here.

The Grove Release 11 is available for Blender 2.80+ on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The Indie edition costs €140 (around $143), while the Studio edition is available for €720 ($735). Twigs cost €9 ($9).