Simple Tree Tools 3.0 targets artists who want tree and plant generation to behave like the rest of a Houdini graph: parameter driven, non-destructive, and easy to rewire when a shot brief changes at 6pm.
The toolset runs in Houdini 20.5 or later. The supported editions depend on the license tier and include FX, Core, Indie, Apprentice, and Education. In day-to-day use, the pitch is straightforward: generate species with controls that stay editable, shape plants with growth responses, and keep the whole thing inside a network you can hand to the next person without a sacred PDF explaining which button not to touch.
Procedural generation, but with plant brains
The feature list leans hard into procedural generation. The tools aim to generate any species of tree with non-destructive, parameter-driven controls, covering everything from small plants to large trees.
Plant shaping focuses on environmental response through tropisms. The named list includes Gravitropism, Phototropism, and Thigmotropism, with several others also mentioned. For art direction, growth can be guided using guide curves or vector fields.
If you live in the Houdini tag archive, this sits comfortably in the same mental drawer as other procedural effects tools: the value comes from staying editable until the last responsible moment, not from making a single perfect hero tree once.
Scan extension nodes for the trunk people
3.0 also includes scan extension tools aimed at hybrid workflows: scanned trunks, procedural branches, and a bridge between them.
Two nodes are important: Scan Initialize and Scan Stitch. The stated goal is to seamlessly extend scanned geometry and blend procedural branches onto high-resolution trunks with physical and UV-mapped transitions. That matters for asset teams that already keep a scan library but still need variation and shot-specific dressing without resculpting every new silhouette.
If your environment’s pipeline already leans on library assets and a sprinkle of procedural dressing, this positions the tool neatly inside CGI environments work, where consistency and iteration speed beat heroic one-offs. Test your scan handoff carefully, though, because any workflow that mixes geometry sources can surprise you in UVs, scale, and downstream exporting.
Wind, growth, and the licensing reality check
Licensing and commercial use come with unusually plain language. The toolset uses one-time purchase licensing with no subscriptions or recurring fees, and purchases cover all v3.x updates delivered automatically through Gumroad. Future major versions such as v4.0 may require a separate purchase, with a discounted upgrade price mentioned.
The FAQ states you can sell models, renders, asset packs, game assets, and film work created with the tools if you only hold a Limited Commercial license. You cannot redistribute the tool’s own HDA files. The Non-Commercial tier restricts use to personal learning and non-revenue work, and it ships as .hdanc files, which forces Houdini into non-commercial mode when those nodes exist in a project.
If you buy a paid license while staying on Houdini Apprentice, the FAQ states it does not remove export restrictions. The tool does not alter your Houdini license limitations, so you need to match your tool license to your Houdini license to avoid unpleasant surprises in prodution.
Support runs through email (nirfse3d at gmail.com) – refunds generally are not offered due to the digital nature of the product, with an invitation to reach out if a serious issue appears. As always, treat new tools like new plugins: build a small test scene, push it through your actual export path, and only then let it into a network that people depend on.
Pricing and tiers
Pricing has four tiers: The Non-Commercial tier is free and a good way to test the tools. The Limited Commercial tier costs $99 and targets hobbyists and freelancers with annual revenue under $100k USD. The Full Commercial tier costs $229 and targets hobbyists and freelancers with annual revenue above $100k USD. A Studio tier costs $1,299 and is described as a site-wide studio license. So, for the big players, not as little ones.
The plugin also has file type differences by tier. Non-Commercial uses .hdanc. Limited Commercial uses .hdalc. Full Commercial uses .hda. The Studio tier also lists .hda.
Individual licenses allow installation on up to two personal machines for a single user. The Studio license covers unlimited installs within a single facility.
https://simpletreetools.com
https://nwestfelt.gumroad.com/l/SimpleTreeTools-v3
