Here are some tips and tricks I used for generating my 3D alien plants,

This is a response to someone who asked me (via CGtrader build in communications) how I came up with some of the designs of my alien plants and how the 3D meshes where made. I assumed answer to his questions are probably also worth something for the rest of the community so made some small interview from it to share with everyone.

Quoting his questions here;
“Hey mate, very nice models ! Like your style. May I ask a few questions, process-wise ? First, what's your approach to retopo complex organic forms like the Fraximus Excelsin or the Ferns Type 5-6 ? By hand ? Decimation master ? (doubt it). Second, I'm curious about some of your modeling techniques. For instance, for the Fraximus Excelsin, did you use zspheres, or maybe fiber mesh ? Ferns Type 5-6 have a procedural/fractal feel to it. Really curious here. Thanks man, that would be much appreciated. “ end quote.


Thanks glad you like them mate ;-)

So process wise, my approach to retopo is a combination of decimation in 3D Coat (could also be done in Zbrush) and manual retopo in 3ds max and sometimes full manual retopo depending on the model and its needs of use (Fern type 5 was full manual retopo).

So the way I usually go about it with complex organic meshes is to decimate at two levels;
a level to get the parts that have less details to its lowest poly count (at cost of losing definition on the finer details) and then a level where I can get as low as it gets but still retain some polys on those finer details (maybe the smaller roots, etc., at cost having to many poly’s on the bigger parts).

I then import those two resulting meshes in 3ds max and start working on the most decimated model and delete the parts that have had to much decimation on the finer details, the resulting mesh gets copied and the copy receives a shell modifier or some holes get capped to make it a volume for volume selection modifier.

Then second decimated model gets snapped in same place (the one having more resolution on it) and I volume select all those bigger regions out that do not need the higher definition (using that previous generated mesh copy setup as volume selector).

This leaves me now with two meshes (one containing the big areas having less polys and one containing the finer details that have some more polys on them) I then start doing some cleaning up (removing things like some polys that overlap, etc.) and then basically start gluing them together using the tools available in 3ds max, this includes bridge tool, cap holes tool, and cut connect polys, etc.

Its relatively messy and still lots of manual work (but less then full retopo) and some forms or models do not get as mush benefit of this technique when perhaps finer details are closer together or in hard places to get (for example in between roots, etc.)

Regarding on how I got to the designs of Alien Fungus Type 1(Fraximus Excelsin), those where made in Houdini with the use of the find shortest path node. Basically you start with a cloud of points generated in a volume or spawned from a particle emitter and select a seed point from wish you start using find shortest path to neighboring points in the point cloud. You then can run the result over a node that connects and create cylinders between those points and finally you can mesh the result with what they call VDB nodes in houdini.
So the results are in fact computational designs and they rely on manipulations of parameters rather then manual manipulations, wish makes it a very powerful way of designing and producing if you ask me.

Fraximus Excelsin was the first result I made in my ongoing learning process using Houdini and procedural generation, its an amazing software and it probably will get to become my main software. In meanwhile I usually use a hybrid procedural workflow self developed in 3ds max. For example I have EchOoo Pro 3ds max plugin from Kinematiclab (https://hocuspocus-studio.fr/tools/) and grow FX from Exlevel (https://exlevel.com/).

Combining these tools capability's in various ways allows me to create some very strange fractal forms in 3ds max with real-time visual feedback, they are hard to control but I use this technique more like a form finding method and to create some bizarre organic looking meshes made of parts of input geometry. The resulting meshes I then import in 3D coat voxel sculpting to melt them into one mesh and then further paint sculpt on them using that tool. Xenodream is also a very nice tool to get some bizarre organic looking forms/fractals fast and it has a build in meshing tool and an OBJ exporter to get the mesh out. You can basically cut them up and combine those in various ways in 3D Coat and get some nice results form that on its own, and nice part Xenodream is very inexpensive software.

These techniques gets me a long way but eventually Houdini needs to get my main working area for my procedural weirdness because that tool is basically just made for doing that.

I hope this info was of any help and in time maybe some tutorials on that, if I can get myself to commit creating those :-p


Have fun ;-)