HELP - Tree that can be rendered!

joaorsmello

Hello guys!
Here I am again.. Its been already 1 and a half year that I come here each semester asking for help at some point, and I always get it from you guys! Thanks for that!

This time Im here to ask you about tree material for sketchup. I already did some research last semester but still couldnt get what I wanted. Im trying to find nice tree model (not shrubs, but 3d models) that could look reall nice when rendered with vray in SU.

Do you guys know any models? the problem I got till now were related to the size of some trees (tooo complex and threfore ended up rendered with some green squares around leafs groups) and there were also problems with some tree that require bump work. I simpluy couldnt get it.

So, do you guys have any sugestion for me? what should I do to get nice tree images and results in some renders im preparing for a urban site presentation for my semester project at the uni?

Thanks again for yout attention!

ps. im sending you 2 images; one with the square tree problem, and other with the final tree I used last semester, which I would very much like to improve now! coments welcome too! cya!! final one

squared one

Rich O Brien

Did you check out Solo's Garden Pack? He might be able to help you out? But other than that I'm clueless!

Alan Fraser

Transparent materials in V-Ray are, frankly, a pain in the bum. It won’t recognise the transparency value of a png; and despite, the straightforward explanation in the manual, I’ve never yet managed to create a successful linked material with transparency that will simply replace all instances of the SU material.

In fact, it often seems to refuse to work properly with png files at all. It will recognise the diffuse map ok, but simply refuses to apply any transparency to it…as you’ve probably found out.

My method is to go to the original png image of the leaves and create two jpeg images from it…one a straight diffuse map (you might want to create another background layer in the png and colour it leaf green, before flattening the image and saving as jpg…just in case of any slight mismatch between the diffuse and alpha maps)

The second image needs to be an alpha map. Copy one of the original image channels…the blue is usually the strongest. Make a separate image of this, then pull the levels sliders together, or turn the contrast right up, so it’s entirely black and white. Save this as the alpha image.

In V-Ray, create a new material, specify the two new jpgs as the diffuse and transparency maps and check that they work ok on the preview sphere. You may have to invert the alpha image if you have it the usual white=opaque, black=transparent.

Once it’s looking ok in the V-Ray material editor, apply it to both faces of the leaf masses on the model. If they are all separate you are going to have your work cut out. If your leaf masses are 1 or 2 repeated components, it takes no time at all.

Here’s a quick V-Ray render of a 3D Ghost Gum that I’ve just applied the above method to.