Your First Tree

You will build a tree from an empty scene: trunk, branches, bark, foliage from assemblies, and a branch module.

This follows Natsura 0.7 101 parts 3 to 10; for parts 1 and 2 see Installation and Interface. Clips show 0.7.0; a line under a clip notes 0.7.3 differences.

Grow a trunk

1. Click Simulate on the toolbar, then click in the network view. Natsura creates a Natsura geometry container and enters it.

The 0.7.0 Simulate has two outputs; 0.7.3 has one.

2. With the Simulate selected, click Grow. Set Max Steps to 10 and press F to frame the trunk.

3. Lower Start Width Scale and Width scale/step to taper it. If dragging lags, set the update mode (bottom right) to On Mouse Up.

4. With the trunk Grow selected, click Grow and pick Graph - Lateral, for the branches.

5. Set its Start Pitch, lower Start Width Scale, and set Max Steps to 7 or 8.

6. On the Start Pitch row, click the map button, then Map from attribute, u, Parent.

7. On the new Map, swap the second min and max values so the lowest branches spread widest.

8. Turn on Enable Forks, and lower Fork Probability to taste.

Mesh it

Decorations mesh each Grow. New Grows start with Trunk Preview.

1. Set Output to Skeleton on the display toolbar to see the bare simulation.

2. Select both Grows, click Remove Decoration on the Trunk Preview row, then choose Surface Decoration from the Decorate menu.

3. Place a Surface Resource and wire it into the Surface Decoration's first input.

4. Set Colour to Show Geometry Colour on the display toolbar.

Add assemblies

An Assembly Decoration places rigged branch models, assemblies, on the tree.

1. Clear the selection, then place an Assembly Decoration from the Decorate menu. Unassigned, it uses a preview tree.

0.7.3 has no Extra button in Spawn at.

2. Parts are picked by matching traits. Click Add Selection Trait, choose Create New, press Launch (Enter), and drag parts onto the chart, one near 0 and one near 1.

In 0.7.3 the chart starts empty; your traits fill its axes.

3. Drag the trait's Weight: the closest part is picked.

4. Select both Grows and drag the Assembly Decoration into the empty slot under Decorations.

5. Map the Weight from attribute height, input range about 0 to 14 m, so parts change from base to top.

6. On the branch Grow, raise Fork Probability; lower Length scale/step and Width scale/step.

7. Turn on Internodes in Spawn at as well.

Shape with effectors

Effectors bend what a node makes.

1. On the branch Grow, click Add Effector, Gravity Effector. In the video it pulls branches upright, so it is flipped.

2. Map it from u, Self, so the pull builds along each branch; a negative min lifts the bases.

3. With that Map selected, click Map on the toolbar, then Insert (right).

4. Set the new map's Blend Mode to add and Read From to Parent.

Flatten the leaves

1. On the Assembly Decoration, add a Gravity Effector and set its row's menu to Flatten. Values above 1 make it stronger.

2. Map it from u, Self, so only the leafy ends flatten.

Build a branch module

1. Place a second Simulate, select it and click Grow. Set Start Pitch to 90, Max Steps to 10, and lower Start Length Scale and Start Width Scale.

2. Turn on Enable Forks with a low Fork Probability, and lower Width scale/step.

3. Copy and paste the Assembly Decoration, and drag the copy under Decorations on the new Grow.

4. On the copy, replace the Weight's height map with Random.

5. Pick the new Simulate in the display toolbar's Simulate selector to preview on the branch.

6. Press Launch (Enter), shift-drag to select all parts, and middle-mouse drag to spread them across the chart.

7. Raise Prune to thin out the densest areas.

8. Lower Scale.

9. Map the Gravity Effector from u, Self, negative for a slight droop.

10. Add a Noise Effector to break it up.

Turn the branch into an assembly

1. Choose Rig to Assembly from the Assemblies menu and wire the second Simulate into it. Its Display and Colour options show the rig and parts.

0.7.3 has Instancify in place of Simplify Settings; leave it on defaults.

2. Pick a Wind on the display toolbar and play. Clean motion means a correct rig.

0.7.0 has no Wind menu.

3. Wire Rig to Assembly into the first Assembly Decoration's first input.

4. Click Reset, then put only the module on the chart.

5. Pick the main Simulate in the selector, and lower Scale.

6. Duplicate the gravity effector, set one copy to Level (up) and one to Flatten.

Refine the silhouette

1. Put a Switch between the Grows (branch Grow into Graph - True, Switch into the trunk's Graph - Lateral) and set Threshold to 2: branches start above 2 m.

2. Parts now fill the bare trunk; click Remove Decoration on the trunk Grow's Assembly Decoration row.

3. Wire the branch Grow into the trunk's Graph - Terminal too, so it doesn't end in a stub.

Next

Parts 11 to 13: Take Your Tree to Unreal and Wind. More on Traits, Mapping and Shaping.

Status

Gravity and most other shipped effectors are marked experimental.