Modelling Pine Trees

Similarly to my plant modelling process, I felt compelled to start with drawings. Illustrating my ideas helped determine what worked with the overall style of my animated world. I explored different coloured lichen, symbols etched into tree bark, and prayer flags on holy trees. Additionally, I tried to demonstrate the structure of my tree models, using a diagram showing stacked branches surrounding a base tree trunk:

Above, my tree design illustrations.

Above, my tree branch stratagey.

Above, a collection of sequoia trees mostly taken from Californian postcards. I used these as reference for my tree trunks, especially their bases. 

I then got to work in Maya. Importing my cabin model gave me a scale to work with. I wanted these trees to be huge, similarly to Princess Mononoke and real-life Sequoia trees. 

Creating a good base was important since, in many shots within my animation, it would be the only visible part of the entire model. 

I spent time exploring the organic wrinkling of sequoia tree bases...

...and decided on three variations I could alternate between, preventing identical trees within my animation. 

I added a smaller spindly tree to break-up the larger trunk silhouettes. This'll add variation when I come to construct my tree compositions.

Above, the tree branch maps I created in photoshop. I applied all three to plane geometry, just like my previous plant models. 

I used soft select to give the branches a natural slouch, and began layering them onto my tree trunks. 

I created four branch variations in total, including a bare branch. 

The silhouette of a tree is pivitol to its species. I therefore drafted a sparse rhombus shape that resembled a tree from the Pinales order. 

Once happy with the silhouette, I filled out empty spaces.

I approached trunk texturing in Substance Painter, enabling me to immediately view my maps in a 3D viewport. I manipulated an existing smart material by introducing an ashy dark brown and changing its rotation. Next, on another layer, I painted into the grooves of the trunk base with a darker brown to define its indentations. 

The most challenging process was the creation of cloth-covered trees, referencing Shaman poles and holy trees. After much trial an error, I created a method. First create a cylinder and remove its base and lid, then position the shape to tightly wrap around the trunk. Increase the shape's subdivisions significantly and create nCloth from the cylinder. Select a few vertices on the top edge to point constrain. select the pre-set of silk and increase stretch resistance. Press play, then pause and duplicate when the cylinder has fallen into place. Continue this process until the tree trunk is covered. 

Above, an image I found to use as reference for knotted fabric. 

Above shows a halfway point, as I continued wrapping my tree trunk in loose cloth. 

Once happy with my cloth trees, I moved onto lichen. Above shows some references and inspiration I used. 

I began modelling some very basic lichen shapes, fairly straightforward.

The tedious part was placing hundreds of duplicates around my three tree trunk varieties.

I then moved on to modelling turkey tail mushrooms, creating a bowl shape and wrinkling its edges. 

Texturing the turkey tail mushrooms was enjoyable, playing around with wrinkly layered lines in different colours. I created a common orange and rarer blue variation. 

Above, an orange turkey tail mushroom colour map 

Above, a blue turkey tail mushroom colour map.

Above, a turkey tail mushroom normal map.

Renders:

A render of my first attempt at tree bark created in substance painter. I was happy with the bark itself, but I didn't like the moss at the base as it looked unusually shiny. 

I played around with another style of bark, which looked very successful but was very pixelated close up. This was an existing material that I downloaded. I scrapped both of these. 

I settled for a simple bark material. This was important, because I planned on layering many assets over the top, such as mushrooms, lichen, prayer flags and fabric.

A render of my tree model with branches. The placement took a while to get right, because a trees' silhouette is significant to its species. Here, I'm trying to convey a variety of pine. 

I created three shape varieties. Here's a render to scale with my cabin model. They're deliberately large; I took influence from princess Mononoke's immense trees and the real-world 'giant forest' found in California's Sequoia National Park

Another angle of my Pine tree models, the transition from trunk to leaves. 

Another angle of my pine tree models. This time paying attention to tree branch placement.

Another angle of my pine tree model, this time paying attention to the trunk's base, which took heavy inspiration to California's giant Sequoia trees. 

I used nCloth to wrap one of the trees in cloth, similarly to shamanism tradition.

 I created a cylinder and deleted its base and lid, and increased its subdivisions to allow for creasing. I used the silk pre-set and let the fabric fall from different positions around the tree, eventually creating this result. 

I coloured the cloth using reference to shaman totems and prayer flags, which typically consist of mustard yellows, burgundy deep reds, and navy blues. 

Here's a lichen design I eventually scrapped. I liked the colour palette, but the placement felt unnatural. 

I created a tree variation with Taoism's Taijitu symbol painted onto its bark. A reference to this religions'' influence on my animations narrative. 

I started experimenting with decorating tree bark with lichen. This is a scrapped colour combination. 

I adapted my original bark texture maps in substance painter into something more fantastical. With the additions of fluorescent lichen and turkey tail mushrooms, these trees will form nice accents and attractions throughout my animations' landscape. 

Another angle of my technicoloured tree bark. 

Another angle of my technicoloured tree bark. 

Another angle of my technicoloured tree bark. Focusing on the transition from trunk to branches.

Moving forward, I'd like to revisit the colourful tree bark material, which looks muddy and lacks detail. Moving into photoshop instead of Substance Painter might allow for more detailing.