ZenGrove
Built to move. Down to the last leaf.
Built to move. Down to the last leaf.
The ZenGrove 1.0.0 reference: 52 nodes, 907 settings and short WebM demos. Explore Look At asset orientation, GameDynamics, joint previews, skeletal export and per-leaf random vertex colors. Requires AO.Hub 1.6.6 or later.
Gravity Force
Steers growth relative to gravity. Natural mode sends shoots against gravity and roots with it.
Branches
Branches
Affect selects which branches change. Influence Range selects a base-to-tip interval on each, and Influence Profile weights it. Bending accumulated within the range carries into the remaining tip without adding further deformation there. A zero profile or empty range bypasses the effect.
The influence profile multiplies the node’s existing start/full-strength ramp and any spatial falloff. Start with one force, inspect the result, then add another to balance the growth direction.
Watch the Gravity Force settings tour
Current Maya controls, including conditional settings. Each view stays on screen for one second (three views take three seconds); pause or choose a group to inspect it.
Affect
- Affect
Chooses which branches are affected. Active Branches uses the latest generated layer. Active + Descendants also includes growth from that layer. Active Generated Hierarchy additionally includes ancestors created by that same generated contribution. Entire Input uses everything arriving here. Attached children follow a moved parent even when they are not reshaped themselves.
Setup
- Gravity X
Sets gravity's X direction component. Direction is normalized; Strength controls influence.
- Gravity Y
Sets vertical gravity. The default -1 falls downward, so Natural shoots grow upward.
- Gravity Z
Sets gravity's Z direction component.
- Plant Response
Natural sends shoots against gravity and roots with it. Against Gravity makes all selected growth oppose gravity. With Gravity makes all follow it.
Distribution
- Force Ramp — Start %
Sets where the force starts along a branch. Zero is base and one is tip.
- Force Ramp — Full Strength %
Sets where the force reaches full strength. It ramps between Start and this point, then stays at full strength.
Influence
- Influence Range — Influence Start
Start of the effect along each affected branch: base 0, tip 1.
- Influence Range — Influence End
End of the effect. Beyond it no further bending or twisting is added.
- Influence Profile
Local effect strength inside the Influence Range; 0 off, 1 full strength.
Deformation
- Strength
Sets how strongly growth responds to gravity and Plant Response.
- Strength Randomness
Varies force strength between branches.
- Max Bend
Limits total force-driven turning along a branch, in degrees.
Advanced
- Seed Offset
Changes this node's random variation. Keep the seed and settings unchanged to reproduce the same result.
What is ZenGrove used for?
The ZenGrove 1.0.0 reference: 52 nodes, 907 settings and short WebM demos. Explore Look At asset orientation, GameDynamics, joint previews, skeletal export and per-leaf random vertex colors. Requires AO.Hub 1.6.6 or later.
Which host application does ZenGrove support?
ZenGrove is built for Autodesk Maya and is distributed through AO Studio Tools.
Where can I download ZenGrove?
Download the current AO Studio Tools package from https://aostudio.tools/getthetools.html and install it through AO.Hub.