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PlantFactory Producer PLE Changelog

What's new in PlantFactory Producer PLE 2016 R2

Mar 29, 2017
  • Stylized Meshing Mode:
  • The new Stylized meshing mode allows you to quickly and automatically generate a low polygon envelope version of your vegetation model.
  • This new option allows you to export your models with a small polygon footprint, yet retaining the actual vegetation visual volume. Load the envelope version of your model while working on your scene; switch to highest resolution mesh before rendering.
  • Envelope resolution, smoothing and convexity quality is user configurable, from none - to get ultra-sharp edged meshes, to ultra-smooth - for more balloony results.
  • Stylized Meshing mode can also be used creatively to produce non-photorealistic vegetation.
  • 3-Axis Billboard Leaves Rotation:
  • Using Billboard leaves is ideal when working for Real-Time engines, or, in an offline workflow, to create low polygon plants to be seen from a distance. (Billboard leaves are perfect for VUE EcoSystem populations for instance).
  • PlantFactory 2016 R2 now introduces 3-Axis Billboard Leaves Rotation.
  • Quick and easy to set up, this new feature is perfect to avoid any obvious linear visual pattern, by letting you add slight randomization to your leaves axis rotation.
  • Use this option to immediately add more realism to your vegetation models.

New in PlantFactory Producer PLE 2016 (Mar 29, 2017)

  • Growth Simulation:
  • Easily generate geometry using a biologically inspired growth simulation
  • Handles parameters such as growth, duration, shadow sensitivity, apical development etc.
  • Once applied, this basically becomes a "Grow me a tree" button
  • Preset Variations:
  • PlantFactory 2015 introduced the concept of Presets. PlantFactory 2016 now introduces the concept of Preset Variations(3).
  • Preset Variations allow you to immediately include subtle differences to your plant (change the number of buds on a blooming flower, or its petal colors for instance).
  • This new feature allows you to easily add variety to create realistic environments with one single plant species!
  • Level Of Detail (LOD):
  • PlantFactory now offers the ability to configure the level of detail in a plant model(1). Once you have set the number of LODs you need, there are 3 ways to configure them:
  • Let PlantFactory automatically decimate the geometry for you
  • Set the behavior of each node in your plant graph depending on the LOD
  • Use the LOD selector node to set a different plant graph per LOD
  • Global LOD options let you select the type of geometry for Offline rendering or Real-time engines(2) and control different aspect of your species LODs:
  • The number of LODs and their distribution rules (depending on plant size on screen)
  • The meshing type: Triangles, Quads or both
  • Manual, Automatic Adaptive or Uniform subdivision
  • Use LODs when rendering (the plant mesh used for rendering will be chosen using LOD rules)
  • Optimize your LODs for use in VUE's EcoSystems
  • And more...
  • Once set, you can export each LOD geometry independently to many standard file formats.
  • Finally, VUE, Carbon Scatter and Bentley LumenRT Connect Edition will automatically use the LODs set in your .tpf files, without requiring you to export the plant.
  • Additional Edition Parameters:
  • Minimum length
  • Branch distribution as absolute
  • Texture mapping applied from branch top
  • Interaction with ground

New in PlantFactory Producer PLE 2015.2 (Jun 29, 2016)

  • Geometry:
  • Generate plant geometry as Quads (1)
  • Merge branch geometry using Subdivision Surfaces (requires Quad geometry) (1)
  • Multiple meshing algorithms using triangles or quads, with optional adaptive density and manual density control(1)
  • More control over mesh density of individual parts of the plant (1)
  • Use as second UV layer to add detail maps
  • Use double-sided materials, e.g. for the front/back of leaves
  • Content:
  • 19 new plant species (1)
  • 44 simple tutorial scenes explaining specific settings(1)
  • Redesigned content, optimized for the new wind
  • Preset material library
  • User Experience:
  • Redesigned interface and workflow for an improved "new-user" experience
  • Trunk, Branch, Twig, Stem, Leaf and Billboard framework nodes help you get going fast
  • Basic and Advanced workspaces, adapted for newcomers and power users
  • Edit the same parameter for several nodes simultaneously (1)
  • Simplified material creation using the new Basic Material Editor with standard channels for diffuse, alpha, normals and detail maps
  • Export:
  • Export meshes using Alembic .ABC format (Ogawa v1.5 and HDF5 v1.0) (1)
  • Send portions of plant to ZBrush for sculpting, then back to PlantFactory (using GoZ) (1)
  • Export materials using Walt Disney Animation's Ptex standard (2)
  • Export plants as multiple meshes (i.e. one mesh per node) (2)
  • Clean exports thanks to automatic merging of duplicate points
  • Custom tailored FBX export preset for Unity 5
  • Animation:
  • New ultra-realistic wind animation model
  • Standardized wind animation for both real-time and offline rendering
  • New optimnized "Leaf" Node to easily add animated leaves to your plants
  • Graph:
  • New lightweight Simple Segment node for small branches and twigs; can be switched to Advanced Segment easily when necessary
  • New Random Range node to create random values depending on the plant seed (ideal to easily create diversity with one single plant graph) (1)
  • New Node presets for the Segment and Leaf nodes (3)
  • Automatic hiding of Control nodes in the graph, for improved legibility (3)