The Grove
tree simulation
The Grove is a simulation of real-world trees. The software lets you grow custom trees that are a perfect match for every project you work on — creating realistic models for 3D visuals, architectural renderings, art, animation and film projects — easily and instantly.
The Grove unravels the mysteries of how real trees grow. Constantly researching, ever improving, and always staying true to nature. The result is a unique simulation that evolves through time, surrounded by a bunch of fun tools in the rock-solid Blender add-on. With tools like prune, draw, react and bend, you can take an active role in directing the growth of your trees, but for the most part, just let nature take its course and watch as your trees grow year by year.
The simulation captures the character of all kinds of trees. Begin with a preset, such as ash, birch, pine or maple. The natural parameters will guide the growth of every branch, from trunk to twig, and even the slightest change will resonate throughout the tree’s spreading branches. Grow everything from a slender pine to a wide-spreading oak, all the way down to a weeping willow.
Then bring your trees to life – add wind, animate growth, or create even more advanced physics simulations using the new Houdini add-on. The Grove seamlessly unites the natural world with the world computer graphics, while taking out the technicalities. Immerse yourself in the Grove to experience the most natural and fun way of growing trees in 3D!
Simulate nature
year by year
Mimic the character of all kinds of trees, with intuitive parameters taken straight from the woods. Let nature grow wild!
As trees grow up, toward the sky, they compete with their neighbors that take away light. But the biggest competition is the very tree itself, where new leaves above shade the old underneath.
Favor bright over dark, and rising over dangling. Grow free to the sides, or first grow in length.
Branches evolve and grow to the light. But when it gets crowded and they end up in shade, branches will wither and drop to the ground.
Growing branches will bend over time – it’s the increase in weight that keeps pulling them down. The tree reacts and keeps growing upward, creating an interplay of forces that will shape its form with each passing season.
Start your tree from a range of presets capturing a wild diversity of tree forms. Thousands of species are just a few tweaks away.
The Grove draws from a life-long passion for computer graphics, using familiar concepts like raytracing for light-and-shade calculation, and a purpose-built wire physics simulation that bends and shapes your trees throughout their life. No shortcuts taken!
Guide your trees along the way with
manual tools
I’ll see your drawing and raise you a tree! Freely draw a curvy branch, or loosely sketch to fill a gap.
Grab the tree with both your hands and bend it into a pleasing curve. Just like in the art of bonsai, but here it is for full-grown trees, impossibly flexible and so much fun!
Dive in with the pruning tool! Remove the branches that block the view, create space and air, and neat contours.
The core
Get creative,
bring your trees to life
Set up an environment to attract, deflect, or stop new branches as they grow. Avoid a building, or let it cast shade. Or get creative and grow inside a shape!
Bring your trees to life with mesmerizing wind, that fluently flows to Alembic, and loops from the end.
The way of growing year-by-year is a fascinating timelapse just waiting to be captured. Record it to see trees like never before – turning decades into seconds, it will forever change your view.
Build high quality models that are lightweight to render. The Grove offers adaptive polygon reduction and a unique system of twigs, with minimal impact on both memory and disk.
Go all out! Add ridiculous detail, with intricate flowers and berries and leaves… Reduce twigs in the viewport for optimal speed.
Enrich your tree models with attribute layers pulled directly from the simulation. Use real data such as vigor, shade, pitch and age to drive materials, modify geometry and distribute twigs.
Plant your trees neatly in rings or in rows, or sprinkle them around in islands or clumps. Trees grow together, each will find its space, and over the years they will form a well-balanced grove of trees.
Unleash the deer to clear the base of your trees. Let auto prune take care of the tedious work, to make way for pedestrians and traffic to pass.
A tree rarely stands alone. Trees can be friends, but they also compete. They take away wind just as well as the light. Competition can be fierce, and it will leave its mark. Trees will grow more sparse and tall, while lower branches will wither and fall.
Twigs
add incredible details
Trees rank as some of the most complex models in computer graphics, with numerous leaves, flowers and fruits. This is where twigs come into play. Twigs are small branches that use regular 3D geometry to represent the youngest growth of the tree.
Twig instances attach fluently to branch ends and alongside your tree’s branches, with much less impact on GPU memory and rendering performance. You can model twigs to any level of detail, or purchase The Grove’s handmade twigs to get stunning results quickly.
Lastly, the Grove’s unique twig system not only works great in Blender but also translates well to your favorite 3D software.
