My second attempt at making a bonsai tree for one of my personal projects.
started by blocking out the shape using curves and then remeshed the base model to a low poly version and added the details by sculpting it on top using a multiresolution modifier (Blender), later I made a customizable simple branch using geometry nodes and hand placed it’s variations along the main branches.
the trunk material/bark was made Semi-Procedurally using Ao, cavity and a grunge map channel packed onto a RGB texture map.
still looking for free time to improve it, fixing the minor glitches, making it more realistic and more similar to the main reference.
would love to hear your tips and feedback.
Thanks.
Thanks for all the process information as well, that was very instructive. I especially appreciated the UV mapping since I’ve been struggling with a deformed, dried branch myself.
thanks a lot.
I’m glad you liked it.
I actually needed to hear this
since even though I think it’s not perfect and needs so much work, I still think it’s probably one of my best works yet it didn’t get that much attention.
It’s unfortunate that a lot of artwork doesn’t get much attention. Even if the artwork deserves it, it’s just that most people come here to post their own, and pay little attention to anyone else’s. Just a very small percentage of us looks at every artwork – and that too leaves not enough time to comment meaningfully on them all.
Hearing how much it matters encourages me to leave more detailed comments too.
I really like just about everything about this – the trunk’s curves are graceful, the exposed pith adds those extra imperfections that gives the whole thing more of its own character, the textures are convincing, the balance is good, you got geometry nodes to do just the right thing for this bonsai, and the moss is indeed cool; it looks very realistic. That little tuft of grass makes the composition more interesting, it keeps my eye keeps traveling around the image. If this were my photograph (I’m primarily a photographer) I’d be quite happy with it.
Only the pot is a bit on the boring side, it could do with a little improvement and I imagine you might have plans for it – but you don’t want to take too much attention off the tree itself.
Damn! As a bonsai enthusiast, I can really appreciate your work. You have done some great work, nice jins and shari, live veins, wire marks! And even the moss is on point except for that one weed! Nice work on the foliage too. I haven’t dared to try modelling bonsai, maybe one day I will.
thanks a lot. I’m glad you liked it.
Well in my experience nothing is really that hard to recreate in 3D, you just need passion and a strong will to keep trying and not giving up in the process.
of course it takes a lots of time though and not everyone have that luxury. I did this when I didn’t have to make money and pay life expenses .
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