[Blender] How to create a tree with the free add-on “Modular Tree addon”

You can use existing asset models or free 3D models, but I recommend using the Modular Tree addon, a free Blender asset that allows you to quickly create the tree you want.
In this article, I will show you how to download the addon and the basic operations.

Sample

You can experience the sample space from STYLY GALLERY.

Download and add to Blender

Click Code→Download ZIP in the upper right corner of this GitHub page.

download modular tree

download modular tree

Also, the “master” branch is an addon for Blender 2.7.
If you are using Blender 2.8 or later, change the branch to “blender_28” instead of “master” and download the ZIP.

download modular tree

download modular tree

Move the downloaded zip to the desired location and add it to the Blender addon.

Preference

Preference

Open Blender, click Editor Type on the upper left, and go to Preferences.

Install Add-on

Install Add-on

Click “Install” and you will see a list of files. Select the Modular Tree ZIP file that you downloaded earlier, and click “Install Add-on” at the bottom right.

Install Add-on

Install Add-on

In the case of blender_28, the notation is Mtree.

Install Add-on

Install Add-on

When “Modules Installed” is displayed in the console, search for Modular Trees and don’t forget to check the box.
Now you’re done adding the add-on!

Create a tree

Mtree Node Tree

Mtree Node Tree

Click on the icon in the upper left corner of the screen, and select the Mtree Node Tree item that has been added.

viewport divide

Viewport divide

Click and drag the upper right corner of the Viewport to divide it into two screens, and we recommend working with two screens, one for the Mtree Node and one for the 3D Viewport.

Mtree Node

Mtree Node

Click New on the Mtree Node screen to create a new NodeTree, and then press [Shift+A] to add a Trunk Node (trunk), Branch Node (branches), and Tree parameters (outputs).

Create Tree

Create Tree

Connect the Trunk Node and Branch Node, and click Create Tree on the Tree parameters to create a tree.

Node Description

Here are the values of the nodes that will be mainly used.

Branch Node

amount Number of branches from the trunk
split_angle Angle of the branch
radius The thickness of the branch
start The starting position of the branch
length Length of the branch
resolution

Fineness of the branch tip.
(too much will make the data heavy)

randomness Bend of the branch (curve)
gravity_strength Bend of the branch (gravity)
floor_avoidance Bend of the branch (change from the ground)

Trunk Node

This node has the same items as the Branch Node, but unlike radius and radius_end, the shape in this node seems to change the thickness of the tip.

Tree Parameters

resolution Resolution of the trunk
auto_update

Automatically update objects with values.

*Note that this will cause a lot of crashes.

Growing Roots

Roots can be created by adding a Roots Node and connecting it to a Branch Node.

Roots Node

Roots Node

Growing leaves

Add a new Twig Node.
Select one of the leaf types at the bottom and click “execute” to apply it.

Palmate

Palmate


Serrate

Serrate


Palmatisate

Palmatisate

Select Custom if you want to use a leaf other than the preset, such as a texture you saved from another free texture site or one you took yourself.
Each time you click execute, a new leaf will be created.

 

Tree parameters

Tree parameters

Once the leaf settings are complete, check the “create_leafs” checkbox in Tree Parameters to make the leaves grow on the entire tree, and assign a leaf object to the leaf in the advanced settings that appear.

Assigning a leaf object to a leaf

Assigning a leaf object to a leaf

Select the object name by clicking on ■, or click on the object directly with the eyedropper mark.

Select the object name or use the eyedropper mark

Select the object name or use the eyedropper mark

The leaf is now reflected in the entire tree.
If the tree itself disappears in Rendered, try changing the Shading to Solid and then to Rendered again.

Material assignment

Material assignment

The easiest way to assign a material to a tree is to select the tree, open the Material Properties, and click on the button next to +New.

Material assignment

Material assignment

You can also save the texture from an external texture distribution site and create a new material using it.

Exporting for STYLY uploading

When uploading directly to STYLY from Blender or any other CG software, it is important to export with the correct extension for your work data.

Extension Description
FBX Object + Material + Animation information
Blender Data created in Blender
OBJ+MTL+JPEG OBJ: Surface material + object shape
MTL: Material information / set with OBJ
Image format/texture information
glTF Material + object information including PBR

From STYLY Studio, select Assets→3D Model→My Models & Upload to load.

STYLY Studio

STYLY Studio


My Models & Upload

My Models & Upload

When exporting from Blender does not work

It may take a long time to upload the model, or the settings may not be reflected even if the model is uploaded.

In this case, please try one of the following methods.

Reduce the number of polygons in the object

This is effective when the data is large and takes a long time to load.

Select the object you want to reduce the number of polygons in Blender, and then select Modifier Properties→Add Modifier→Decimate.

Decimate

Decimate

Adjust the Ratio value.

Decimate

Decimate

Be careful not to collapse the object.

After setting the values, select Apply from the arrow next to the camera symbol to apply the settings.

Uploaded from Blender to Sketchfab once→Upload the downloaded file to STYLY.

There are a couple of steps you can take, but you can also upload your 3D model to Sketchfab, a site where you can share and download 3D models.

When you open the site, click UPLOAD in the upper right corner and upload the data you have just exported.

If you haven’t registered yet, go to SIGN UP to create an account.

Scketchfab

Scketchfab

Drag and drop the data or click browse to select the data from your own computer.

 

Scketchfab

Scketchfab

When READY TO PUBLISH is checked, click SAVE & PUBLISH.

(If you are a free member, you are limited to one upload per month, but if you set Download to Free, it will not count.)

Upload 3D Model

Upload 3D Model

If you have uploaded a 3D model with a texture and it is not reflected in the model, you can set it from EDIT 3D SETTINGS on the upper right.

EDIT 3D SETTINGS

EDIT 3D SETTINGS

Remember to click SAVE SETTINGS when you are done, then EXIT to return to the page.

Updated Tree

Updated Tree

For further instructions, please see this article.

Upload to STYLY

When you’re done, you can upload your project to STYLY.
How to upload assets from Unity to STYLY

You can easily create different kinds of trees with different combinations of things, so please give it a try!

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