Poly normal always aligned with camera? Tree textures?

Support Basics & Interface
1

Can you make blender have a polygon always face the camera. In other software I have used this was called “axis with alpha”.

To be more specific I would like to make some trees like these:
www.marlinstudios.com/articles/alphamaps/alphamaps.htm

…but have them in an animation where the camera angle is changing. I know that the closer you are to these trees while moving the stranger it will look but I will be relatively far from these trees and there will be lots of them.

also, anyone know where we can get some high quality tree textures. I saw the success russmanx had asking about wood textures… Figured I’d do the same for trees. I’m looking for trees like this:
http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/ldg/s01LandscapeDesign/graphics/fig-01-06.gif
but preferably hi-res!

Thanks for any help you may give. Cheers!

2

In blender you use a locked track for this.

eg. blend file

http://members.shaw.ca/rjplus/locked.blend

Just grab the camera and move it around to see how it works. In the example I also had the camera track the plane but this isn’t necessary.

GreyBeard

3

Thanks GreyBeard, exactly the effect I was looking for. You just opened up another set of tools that I haven’t used much.

Trees textures anyone?