by Didik Wijaya
If you are unfamiliar wth Particle Flow, please read our previous tutorial Getting Started with Particle Flow

After read Growing Tree tutorial posted in this site, many people asked me how to modify that tutorial to create more than one tree. So, I wrote this tutorial for you. You will create more growing trees. Thus, in this tutorial you will create Growing Forest effect using Particle Flow. This tutorial series will be divided into 2 section, the first one is covering how to create trunks. The second is trying to explain how to create branches. Let's begin!

1. You need to download 3dsmax file required to follow this tutorial (3dsmax ver 8, zipped). Open this file, and you will find two tiny object in viewport. Srub slider to see how these objects animated from small into big. First object is named "maintree". You will use this object as trunk. Second object is named "branch", of course it will be used as a branch. Different from Growing Tree tutorial, I use straight trunk.to make this tutorial simpler. I already set this file to have 200 frames. Those 2 objects have already textured with simple material as well.

2.In Command Panel, choose Particle Systems from drop down list. Click PF Source button. Then, click and drag in Top viewport to create PF Source icon. Notive that by default this icon is facing down.Make sure this icon is still selected and go to Modify tab. In Emission rollout, use Length=1000 and Width=1000. Also in Quantity multiplier, use Viewport % =100, to make all particles visible in viewport.

3. Open Particle View window (press 6 in keyboard). Select Birth 01 operator in Event 01. Enter Emit Stop=0 and Amount 5. As many as 5 particle will be generated until frame 50.

Select Position Icon 01 operator. In Position Icon 01 rollout, use Location=Surface to make all particle created exactly at PF Source icon.

Select Speed 01 operator. In Speed 01 operator, set Speed=0 to make particle stay in its place. Trees are supposed to stay at the ground, right?

Select Rotation 01 (Random 3D) operator and delete it.You don't need this operator.

Then, highlight Display 01 operator. In rollout, use Geometry to make particle shape visible in viewport.

4. Now, we are going to change each particle into trunk. Drag Shape Instance operator from Depot into Event 01, make sure this operator replaces Shape 01 (Tetra) operator. In Shape Instance 01 rollout, click button under Particle Geometry Object, then click "maintree" object in viewport. If you have difficulties to select object, press H in keyboard to open Select Object by Name window, and highlight "maintree" and click Select button. Then, use Scale Variation=10%, activate Animated Shape to make each trunk animated from small to big, and in Animation Offset Keying use Sync By: Particle Age.

5. Scrub slider to see how each trunk is animated. Next, we are going to add branches.

Download 3dsmax lesson file up to this point

Growing Forest Part 1 | Part 2

Any question or comments regarding this tutorial should be sent to:
Didik Wijaya, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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