Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 24, 2017. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Interactive Data Visualization (IDV) has released SpeedTree Cinema 8 with many new features. You create the trees and plants there either procedurally, manually or in a combination of the two animation methods. This makes the artist very flexible, especially since rigging and animation can be automated with the help of wind and growth animations.
An Overview of the New Features
- Complete PBR workflow and rendering: Supports non-destructive material editing and thereby allows artists to adjust textures quickly.
• New library: It consists of 150 models, from seedling to mature tree, including thousands of 3D-scanned PBR textures. Each individual model file (.spm) contains several polygonal resolutions as well as variants for all seasons. - Significantly improved export pipeline: Exporting meshes and wind animations is faster and consumes less memory. Further improvements include UDIM compatibility, better unwrapping of the meshes and weighting of the skinned meshes, as well as the ability to export hierarchically.
- According to the manufacturer, leaf rendering in the SpeedTree Modeler is up to 1,000 times faster than in the previous version 7. This considerably speeds up the modelling process and supports the creation of complex models.
• Improved wind realism: The wind system includes a realistic rolling-wind effect, is easier to use and includes a new wind assistant.
• Further features: New art director tool, revised mesh cutout system
As an example of the new features of SpeedTree Cinema 8, the following video shows Sarah Scruggs working on a eucalyptus tree.
Prices and Availability
SpeedTree Cinema 8 is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. A node-locked licence, i.e. one licence per PC, costs 1,650 dollars, while floating licences, i.e. several PCs per licence, cost 2,500 dollars per year. The SpeedTree Library can only be purchased as a subscription for 1,500 dollars per year. You can find more information about SpeedTree and the update here.
