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.
Volume Scatter
Places assets inside or on a captured hull mesh. Use the hull as a volume for a full crown or a surface for repeated details.
Branches · Assets
Growth
Capture a closed hull for volume placement or use its surface for surface placement. The node’s current title is Volume Scatter. Length / Width / Thickness use local X / Z / Y and multiply uniform Scale. Keep its placement role separate from Leaf Volume, which limits leaves attached to branches.
Choose World Up to make Up / Down an absolute elevation: −90° down, 0° horizontal and +90° up. Choose Branch Up when the foliage should follow the carrier’s local frame and twist.
Watch the Volume Scatter 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.
Hull
- Hull Geometry
Capture Selected Hull assigns a polygon boundary. Refresh updates it after edits; Clear removes it. Edit Hull selects the captured hull when available.
Distribution (1)
- Distribution
Volume places assets inside the hull. Surface places them on its outer surface.
- Count
Sets requested placements in or on the hull. Spacing and available area can reduce the final count.
- Density Profile
Controls placement probability along the supporting branch. Left is base and right is tip. One keeps placements; zero rejects them in that region.
- Min Distance
Keeps placements apart where possible. Large spacing or a small hull can reduce the final count.
Distribution (2)
- Seed
Changes this node's random variation. Keep the seed and settings unchanged to reproduce the same result.
Placement
- Orientation
Host follows the supporting branch. Outward points away from the hull center. Surface Normal follows its surface direction. Up points toward world up.
- Scale
Scales the asset or generated child uniformly. One keeps its size; 0.5 halves it.
- Scale Randomness
Varies size between placements. Zero keeps one scale multiplier.
- Inset
Moves placements inward from the hull surface.
Orientation
- Up Alignment
World Up uses Up / Down as elevation from the ground plane. Branch Up follows the carrier’s local frame and Along Branch Twist. Free uses a stable, unconstrained frame.
- Up / Down
With World Up, this is elevation from the ground plane: −90° points down, 0° is horizontal and +90° points up. Other alignment modes rotate around the local leaf width axis; negative values let the tip hang.
- Up / Down Randomness
Varies up/down tilt between placements.
- Side
Turns the asset sideways in its local orientation.
- Side Randomness
Varies sideways angle between placements.
- Roll
Rolls the asset around its length direction.
- Roll Randomness
Varies roll between placements.
Scale (1)
- Scale Profile
Multiplies size along the supporting branch from base on the left to tip on the right.
- Length
Length multiplier on the authored asset local X axis, in addition to uniform Scale.
- Length Randomness
Adds independent, seeded plus/minus variation to asset length. A value of 0.25 varies this dimension by up to 25% without changing placement or asset selection.
Scale (2)
- Length Profile
Length multiplier along the carrier, base 0 to tip 1.
- Width
Width multiplier on the authored asset local Z axis, in addition to uniform Scale.
- Width Randomness
Adds independent, seeded plus/minus variation to asset width. A value of 0.25 varies this dimension by up to 25% without changing placement or asset selection.
Scale (3)
- Width Profile
Width multiplier along the carrier, base 0 to tip 1.
- Thickness
Thickness multiplier on the authored asset local Y axis, in addition to uniform Scale.
- Thickness Randomness
Adds independent, seeded plus/minus variation to asset thickness. A value of 0.25 varies this dimension by up to 25% without changing placement or asset selection.
Scale (4)
- Thickness Profile
Thickness multiplier along the carrier, base 0 to tip 1.
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.