Course Overview

Class Description:

This recorded course will cover how to design and animate procedural trees using the Labs Tree Tool, a free add-on offered by SideFX. The data output from the Labs Tree Tool will be used to generate a KineFX rig that will then be animated to create simple growth and wind effects. Later on, we will dive into the labs tree tools and explore how we can alter the internal functionality for even more flexibility.


Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students will come away with the knowledge needed to build, rig, animate, and render fully procedural trees in SOPs using KineFX and the Labs Tree Tools. We will build an easy-to-use Vex transition preset and dive deep into the world of manipulating transformation matrices with Vex. In addition to this, students will have a solid starting example project that can be adapted into endlessly customizable procedural tree growths.

Course curriculum

    1. Files

    2. Course Prerequiste

    3. Discord

    1. 1. Introduction

    2. 2. Project Overview

    1. 1. Overview of Tree Tools

    1. 1. Tropism

    2. 2. Noise

    3. 3. Prune

    4. 4. Meshing

    5. 5. Resolution

    6. 6. Material & Displacement

    1. 1. General & Tropism

    2. 2. Trunk Shape

    3. 3. Q&A - Creating Root Systems

    4. 4. Noise, Meshing & Resolution

    1. 1. General Placement

    2. 2. General Radius & Prune

    3. 3. General Advanced Options

About this course

  • $135.00
  • 103 lessons
  • 5.5 hours of video content

Course Teaser

Session 1

Tree Generation with the Labs Tree Tool

In this session, we will cover all the core features of the Labs Tree Tools and use them to build and set up basic materials on our hero tree.

  • Labs Tree Controller
  • Tropism
  • Trunk Generator
  • Branch Generator
  • Leaf Generator
  • Simple Leaf Tool
  • Branch Placer
  • Render Setup
  • Bark Texture
  • Custom Leaf Atlases
Session 2

Tree Rigging and Growth Animation

In this lesson, we’ll take our hero tree and the attributes generated by the Labs Tree Tool and create a fully procedural rig in KineFX. Then we’ll apply a growth animation using Vex.

  • Exploring Labs Tree Tool Attributes
  • Create Joint Chains Using Rig Doctor
  • Joint Transformation Using The Rig Attribute Wrangle
  • Rotate vs Prerotate / Scale vs Prescale
  • Animated Mask Using The “Double Fit Range”
  • Explicit Fusing of Joints
  • Generating A Whole-Tree Animated Mask
  • Customizing Axes Of Rotation
  • Skinning and Deformation
  • Branches
  • Leaves
  • Trunk Animation
Session 3

Wind Animation

In this session, we’ll bend branches and rustle leaves by creating our own SOPs/CHOPs wind rig. In the end, we’ll look at how to reconfigure the Labs Tree Tools for even more flexibility.

  • Branch Movement
  • Applying Noise
  • Implementing Wind Direction
  • Applying Rotational Noise
  • Transformation Correction
  • Leaf Movement
  • Setup initial CHOP network
  • Modifying Primitive Intrinsics
  • Updating Rotation Pivots
  • Finish out CHOP network
  • Overview of Advanced Setup
  • Limitations of Current Rig / Labs Tree Tools
  • Reconfiguring the Labs Tree Tools
  • Rig updates
  • CHOP net differences

Instructor

Mark Fancher

3D Artist and Motion Designer

Mark Fancher is a self-taught 3D artist and motion designer specializing in art-directed simulations and proceduralism. With over a decade of experience working in computer graphics, he is currently a Senior Motion Designer / Lead VFX artist at Already Been Chewed and he has a strong passion for teaching others his craft.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS COURSE

  1. Computer (Please see SideFX system requirements)
    1. https://www.sidefx.com/Support/system-requirements/
    2. A second monitor is recommended, but not necessary
  2. Houdini (Apprentice License is free)
  3. SideFX Labs
  4. Install Labs (See video in Course Overview)
  5. Textures Used In Tree Generation:
    1. Maple Leaf Texture
    2. Oak Bark Texture
    3. HDRI for Lesson 03 Custom File
    4. Ability to apply materials, light, and render in your render engine of choice in Houdini (We will be using Redshift)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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REFUND POLICY:


Multi-Session Courses
Students may request a refund up to 1 day before the start of the course. Students may also withdraw from Multi-Session Courses at any time and are entitled to a pro-rated refund. The withdrawal date must be 1 day before the next class they intend to drop.

On-Demand Courses
All on-demand courses are non-refundable.

How to Drop a Class
Please send a request to drop a class via email to [email protected].
Your written request to drop any or all of your classes must include:
  1. Student’s full name
  2. Name of the course(s) being dropped

See you in Class!