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You can use these settings to define the number and placement of the branch splines along the output spline.
Here you can select which criterion should be used to define the number and also the placement of the branch splines along the output spline:
- Length: You use the Length value to specify a distance between the points along the source spline at which branch splines are to be created. The placement always starts at the beginning of the source spline. Depending on the distance selected, there may be a gap between the end of the spline and the last branch placed.
- Count: You specify a specific number for the branch points along the output spline. These are distributed evenly so that there is always a branch node at the start and end of the spline if you use a Count value above 1.
- Percent: This mode works in a similar way to the Length mode, except that here you specify a distance as a percentage of the length of the starting spline. The placement of the branch roots always starts at the first point of the starting spline. Depending on the percentage value, there may be a gap between the last branch node and the end of the starting spline, as with the Length mode.
- Angle: Here, the number of branch roots created depends only on the curvature of the initial spline. Whenever the specified angle is exceeded in the course of the spline, a new branch root is created along the initial spline.
- Points: The number of points of the original spline is used here. A root point for branch splines is created for each spline point.
In the Placement Length mode, enter the distance between the created root points here.
In the Placement Count mode, enter the total number of root points here.
With the Percentage Placement setting, enter a percentage value that is related to the total length of the starting spline. The resulting value is used as the distance between the branch roots.
In the Placement Angle setting, enter the limit angle that is applied to the curvatures of the output spline. Where the curvature is greater than the specified angle, a branch root is set.
The Placement setting described above is used to define the number and distribution of root points for branch splines. A different number of branch splines can be created at each of these root points. You use these settings to specify the minimum and maximum number of branches at each of these root points. The number of branches created at each root point is determined randomly and is then within these limits.
The number of branches per root point is automatically varied between the Branches Min and Branches Max settings.
Initially, all branches are created only at the set root points, practically as tufts. This value allows the starting point of each branch to be moved randomly along the initial spline, thereby loosening up the original tufts.
Originally, the branches are only created at the root points defined via the Placement setting. These are marked in white in the left half of the image. With increasing Variation values, individual branches are also placed at points between these root points along the spline (shown on the right).
You use these percentage values to define which section of the output spline is to be filled with branches. Please note that branches can also be moved out of this area, e.g. by using very large Variation settings. So if, for example, you only want to create root points on the first half of the output spline using the Start 0% and End 50% settings, using larger Variation settings can also result in branches growing on the second half of the spline. The following Variation value can also have the same effect.
Also note that the number of branches created can change if the area on which branches can grow is reduced. Only in the Placement setting Count does the total number of branches remain unchanged.
Here are two examples of how different Start and End settings can be used to limit the generation of branches.
Values above 0% result in a variation of the original root points along the starting spline. These starting points of the branches can then also be generated outside the spline section defined via Start and End.
These settings control the length of the generated branch splines.
Here you can define which basis should be used for calculating the length of the branches:
- Relative: Here you specify the branch length indirectly via a percentage value that refers to the length of the output spline.
- Absolute: The desired branch length can be specified as an absolute value.
Note that the branch lengths can still be varied by the following parameters and, for example, automatically reduced depending on their position along the output spline.
In the Relative Length Mode setting, the branch length is specified relative to the length of the output spline.
In the Absolute Length Mode setting, the branch length is specified as an absolute value.
This allows the branch length to be varied randomly, but the branches will only ever become shorter from their original size.
This can be used to automatically reduce the length of the branches depending on the position along the output spline. Percentage values below 0% reduce the branch length at the start of the spline. Values above 0% shorten the branches at the end of the spline. With the default value 0%, scaling depending on the position along the spline is switched off.
A value of -100% was used on the left and +100% on the right.
These settings can be used to change the growth direction of the branches, but only for the first section of each branch, where it was placed at the starting spline.
Some examples of the different orientations that can be given to the branches at their starting points.
Here you can select the reference or coordinate system to be used for the growth direction of the branches.
- Aligned: The growth direction is tangential to the starting spline. The growth direction can be influenced tangentially to the starting spline via the Angle Offset. If the Radial Symmetry option is also active, the branches grow within a conical area whose central axis runs along the starting spline.
- Random: The direction of growth is completely random and cannot be influenced by other settings.
- X+, X-, Y+, Y-, Z+, Z-: These are the standard axis directions in the world system along which the branches can be aligned. In conjunction with the Radial Symmetry option, the branches then grow within a cone that is aligned along the selected axis.
If this option is activated, the branches emerge from the output spline all the way around (see the right-hand example in the figure above). If this option is deactivated, the branches only grow on one side of the spline (see the two left-hand examples in the figure above).
If you have chosen the direction of growth along one of the world axes for Direction, Radial Symmetry should be activated in any case in order to be able to see the different branches at the root points at all when the Angle Offset is increased. Otherwise, all branches will grow strictly parallel to the Direction and lie on top of each other in clumps.
This angle describes the opening angle of a cone. The branches are aligned along the outer shell of this cone. Note that with an Angle Offset of 0°, all branches lie congruently on top of each other at a root point
This allows the initial growth direction to be varied randomly for each branch.
Each branch created is rotated step by step by this angular amount around the growth direction selected for the Direction.
This angle represents the basis for Roll Per Step and Roll Variation and can therefore be understood as the basic rotation of the branches around the Direction specification.
This is used to specify the magnitude of a random rotation of each branch around the growth direction defined in Direction.