Hey guys work in progress i’m currently testing these tools I have been working on them for some time now, i am building it around being open for everyone (like all my tools and shaders)
i will be releasing a few test files soon on drive love to here if you guys want to try the tools and suggest features, there far from perfect but very functional currently. I will be updating them and adding viewport optimization soon as well.
(I haven’t been doing blender for very long so it might take a while to add some features)
Wall tool, allows you to draw walls on the ground and on top of each other making towers, walls, garden ledges and various other structures.
(very new came out a few days ago)
Vine tool allows you to draw vines on surfaces and also works with the wall tool so you can draw vines on it as well, the vine tools is what i used for the plants in my wine render (witch can make small trees, ferns and other stuff but main feature is vines)
Feel free to keep the tools and shaders and mess around with them and use them for whatever else.
Feedbacks very welcome, as i haven’t really shared files before so hopefully they work as expected on other computers. (blender 4.5)
I will be dropping them soon (there just free tools from my projects)
Here’s a sneak peak though using both of the tools.
Currently just using some CC0 leafs i will be collecting my own before release so the vine tool will come with a collection of actual leafs.
as for the wall tool it generates it’s own bricks from your input geometry so i don’t recommend putting anything to detailed in there as it will convert from mesh to volume to mesh in rock shapes. (comes with geometry and uses convex hull for viewport speed and rendering times)
The goal is to make if faster and easier for stuff like brick walls plants and other things not to take away or replace what the artist does!
What do you guy prefer more in tools currently?
Faster viewport speeds
Faster rendering speeds
Balanced mix of both
0voters
This has been quite the passion project as I enjoy sharing with others.
Currently building a UI in the modifiers stack for the wall tool as not everyone is a fan of digging through nodes to tweak something. names will change with feedback as i am not very good at naming stuff thus the reason all my stuff has name and then tool after it.
okay organized all the parts and finishing the UI layout, going much faster the i originally expected for the wall tool.
do you guy’s like having more or less buttons in general, more does allow you to fine tune it more however it os less intuitive, so i could just have a extras menu for fine tune control while leaving the core features upfront to keep it clean, and get a mix of both worlds?
You already made a lot of stuff that’s great ! I suggest you first look more at reference to have your setup a bit more grounded in reality.
For instance the vegetation look a bit random and it doesn’t look like it’s attracted by light so there is some logic even if it’s chaotic… Of course you don’t need to recreate reality, but taking inspiration and trying to recreate the feel that you like in some photo or else is what will help you progress big time artistically and technically !
That said, from a distance it look nice and while it’s not 100% realistic it gives some interesting stylized vibe !
For the wall it’s a bit similar, there is an interesting pattern, it doesn’t look 100% real but it’s interesting. Seeking references of different medieval walls will give you ideas on where to push things…
Yes you can ask for feedback and that’s great to share you work ! However, try to crash test it in a real test scenario of a project of yours. You’ll see immediately what is needed and your tools will also improve a lot !
As for the node tree they look good, I’ve made a thread about tree organization, it looks you have already most of the point rights but anyway you may find a few idea to pick from : Node Tree Organisation CookBook
Finally, you have a good basis and good technicality, now if you still have some energy to rework stuff, challenge yourself by looking at reference, build a scene and improve your tools accordingly.
If you prefer to move toward finishing stuff, that’s ok too. Still it would be sad to not use your tools to build something cool !
And next time focus on reference first and study them closely while you work. It’s nearly impossible to get these subject right without a lot of study on how stuff works in real life.
Thank you for the feedback! I will definitely rework the stuff, I’m often rebuilding scripts for updates fixed or larger problems, for the scene it’s more of a basic test site currently, the vine tool has been a longer-term tool created a while back still working on its branching, and the wall tools very new and can do with lot of fixing!
Thanks @sozap (sorry ran out of likes, I will like it when I can great feedback) i’ve rebuilt it from the ground up and my concept is designing the wall by hand to be accurate and detailed backed by geo nodes for curving the walls to fit the scene as needed.
these are just cubes but they hopefully get the general concept across.
i noticed rocks are way more jagged then i had thought and lock together like large grains of sand, and are packed with groute.
and the node tree organization cookbook is very helpful very much a keeper!
Hey ! that render is quite nice !
I think the plants works pretty well there since they are in the distance/blurred, or very small.
Since this isn’t the main focal point they support well the image, but in the test render it lack a bit of refinement, but that said , geometry node is hard, sometimes it’s not that some stuff isn’t obvious it’s also hard to make
Yeah it’s not easy… In blender 5.2 there is a bevel node that might come handy to give more organic shapes. Maybe by distorting cubes then bevel with variable thickness you can get a more handmade feel…
I worked on it some more and this time i sculpted and retopologized the rock models and used those and made it so resamples and instances them on the curve and uses a layering system so they stack.
And tested them in a quick scene i built, they do need quite a bit of improvement but they work for day 1.
Thank you, i’m currently working on breaking the repetition you see at larger scales. i had noticed when i was testing it in the scene it does not like going on the z direction very much so i’m refining that system as well.
Okay i have a few basic walls that link together to make more complex structures. I am leaving them simpler so there’s not a bunch of stuff in the way when people try to build with them so they can add moss ect.
still refining it, and working on making them more detailed using references. still got add T sections, 90 degree turns, arches, doors curved walls and other things.
I will also focus on optimizing them as well later on, but first building the system then polishing.
would you guys like the window frames seperate or built into the wall?
Yep so you can go to edit mode click the draw tool set to surface and draw the walls and it will place them, currently working on making it more realistic.
These appear to be very promising! I like the concept of retaining them free, community-driven.
The wall tool appears to be particularly handy for blocking out scenes and the ability to stack walls together might go a long way to save repetitive modeling for towers raised planters or retaining walls. The vine tool is also a nice addition it can be drawn directly onto surfaces rather than just curves which would be a major time saver for an environmental artist.
Some of them have ideas for the features that they want to implement which are worth considering:
Be able to adjust the thickness and height of the wall being drawn.
Settings for popular wall designs (bricks, stones, wooden fence, etc.).
Vine randomization controls: length, density, branching, size of vine leaves.
A non destructive mode to allow editing of existing walls or vines without destruction.
New integration of materials and presets into Asset Browser.
I would certainly want to try the tools when they are out. Many thanks for making them free and open to the community and good luck on the project! It already seems to be pretty solid in the main it is quite a good start especially because you are not using Blender long.
Thank you, i will definitely be adding those i think making it as a blockout tool is also a great idea it allows me to focus on the functionality and speed!
names will change with feedback as i am not very good at naming stuff thus the reason all my stuff has name and then tool after it.
) i’ve rebuilt it from the ground up and my concept is designing the wall by hand to be accurate and detailed backed by geo nodes for curving the walls to fit the scene as needed.
