ZenGrove

Built to move. Down to the last leaf.

Overview

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.

View product and license details →

← All 52 nodesGenerator

Twigs

Adds smaller branches to the current branch layer. Use its size profiles to vary twig size from the base toward the tips.

Reference: ZenGrove 1.0.0 · 22 October 2026 · 42 settings. Requires AO.Hub 1.6.6 or later.

Connect into this node

Branches

Continue from this node

Branches

Count, spacing and patterns

Count requests children or sites per parent. Opposite creates two children per site; Whorled creates Whorl Count children per site. Spacing instead measures distance along the physical parent curve. Minimum Site Distance skips crowded sites as complete pairs or whorls, so the final count can decrease.

Profiles and direction

Distribution Profile redistributes Count without thinning it. Length Profile changes length; Scale Profile changes length and radius. Pattern Rotation turns the full arrangement, while Rotate Pattern turns successive sites. Up Influence remains world-up and Shape Sag world-down. Opposite’s Up / Down adds world elevation to both children: +10° lifts a flat pair to a 160° opening above.

Surface attachments

Surface Attachment starts the branch on the actual parent surface and fits a collar using existing mesh rings. It is on for new Branch nodes and off for new Twigs; saved choices are preserved. Transition Length, Spread and Upper / Lower Spread shape the footprint. Increase Resolution for a smoother collar; adding branches does not insert extra support rings into the parent.

Watch the Twigs 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.

The video loads when you play it. Readable still views and explanations follow below.

Generation

Placement Mode

Count chooses how many attachment sites or children to request; Spacing sets their distance along the parent in scene units. The panel shows the controls for the selected mode.

Options: Count · Spacing

Default: Count

Count per Parent

Sets new growth per parent. Random, Parallel and Alternating count individual children. Opposite counts sites with two children each; Whorled counts sites with Whorl Count children each. Count 8 and Whorl Count 3 produce 24 children before any split-range allocation.

Available when Placement Mode is Count.

Default: 5

Count Variation

Adds seeded variation to Count per Parent, from minus to plus this amount, with a minimum result of zero. Opposite varies pairs and Whorled varies whorls. Existing Split allocation still applies.

Available when Placement Mode is Count.

Default: 0

Distribution (1)

Minimum Site Distance

Minimum arc-length distance between sites. Crowded sites are skipped as whole pairs/whorls; final count may be lower.

Default: 0

Distribution Range — Start %

Sets where placement begins on the parent. Zero is the base and one is the tip; the range slider displays percentages.

Default: 0.35

Distribution Range — End %

Sets where placement ends. Together with Start, this defines the Distribution Range.

Default: 1

Distribution Profile

Sets relative spawn density along the parent, from base (0) to tip (1), within Start/End. Higher regions attract more attachment sites without changing the chosen count or breaking pairs and whorls. Flat and all-zero profiles keep the ordinary placement.

Available when Placement Mode is Count.

Default: Flat profile at 1

Distribution (2)

Placement Pattern

Random distributes freely. Parallel pairs a total child count. Alternating switches sides along the parent. Opposite creates two children per site. Whorled creates a ring of children per site.

Options: Random · Parallel · Alternating · Opposite · Whorled

Default: Random

Pattern Space

Ground aligns the pattern to the horizontal world plane. Parent turns it with the branch. Opposite and Whorled always follow the parent.

Available when Placement Pattern is Random or Parallel or Alternating.

Options: Ground · Parent

Default: Ground

Pattern Rotation

Rotate the arrangement around each current local parent tangent before world-space Up / Down, Up Influence and Shape Sag. Rotate Pattern controls successive sites.

Default: 0

Rotate Pattern

Rotates each successive site around the parent. With Opposite, zero aligns pairs and 90 degrees crosses each pair over the previous one.

Default: 137.5

Position Jitter

Loosens spacing along the parent while keeping paired sites together.

Default: 0.28

Orientation

Angle

Sets the angle away from the parent direction. Small values follow it; larger values open the growth outward.

Default: 36

Angle Profile

Multiplies Angle by attachment position on the parent: left is base and right is tip. One keeps the angle, lower values close it and higher values open it.

Default: Flat profile at 1

Angle Randomness

Varies the angle between branches or leaves. Zero keeps it consistent.

Default: 18

Up Influence

Bias growth toward world +Y, independent of Pattern Rotation. Negative values bias toward -Y. Surface attachments bend along the path; embedded attachments adjust the initial growth direction.

Default: 0.18

Shape (1)

Length

Sets child length relative to parent length. For example, 0.5 starts at half the parent length, before profiles and randomness.

Default: 0.28

Length Profile

Multiplies child length by its attachment position. Left is the parent base and right is its tip. One keeps Length; 0.5 halves it.

Default: Flat profile at 1

Length Randomness

Varies length between branches. Zero keeps lengths consistent.

Default: 0.3

Radius Ratio

Sets child base radius relative to parent radius at the attachment.

Default: 0.3

Shape (2)

Radius Randomness

Independent per-child radius variation. Does not change length, angle or placement.

Default: 0

Tip Radius %

Sets tip radius as a fraction of child base radius. For example, 0.08 leaves 8% at the tip.

Default: 0.02

Junction Blend

Softens the change in direction and thickness at the parent connection. Zero makes a harder junction.

Default: 0.55

Deformation

Shape Sag

Quadratic shape offset toward world -Y during child construction, independent of Pattern Rotation. Negative values lift toward +Y. Does not contribute a growth Force.

Default: 0.04

Path Noise

Adds small irregular bends to the generated path.

Default: 0.045

Scale

Scales the asset or generated child uniformly. One keeps its size; 0.5 halves it.

Default: 1

Start Scale

Scales twig length and thickness at the start of the placement range.

Default: 1

End Scale

Scales twig length and thickness at the end of the range, blending from Start Scale.

Default: 1

Scale Profile

Multiplies child length and radius at each attachment position along the parent. It combines with Scale and, for Twigs, Start/End Scale. A flat value of 1 preserves those settings. Length Profile separately affects length; geometry safety minima still apply.

Default: Flat profile at 1

Geometry

Radial Segments

Sets sides around the branch tube. More sides look rounder. Where zero is available, it inherits Output.

Default: 0

Length Spans

Number of centerline spans along each generated branch. Ordinary attachments reuse these rings and do not add support loops to their parent.

Default: 5

Advanced

Seed Offset

Changes this node's random variation. Keep the seed and settings unchanged to reproduce the same result.

Default: 12

Branch Attachment

Surface Attachment

Grow from the chosen parent surface position and fit the collar to its mesh using the existing Resolution rings.

Default: Off

Generation

Shown example: Placement Mode = Spacing.

Placement Mode

Count chooses how many attachment sites or children to request; Spacing sets their distance along the parent in scene units. The panel shows the controls for the selected mode.

Options: Count · Spacing

Default: Count

Site Spacing

Distance between attachment sites in scene units. Position Jitter varies sites; pairs and whorls remain together.

Available when Placement Mode is Spacing.

Default: 1

Distribution (1)

Shown example: Placement Pattern = Whorled.

Minimum Site Distance

Minimum arc-length distance between sites. Crowded sites are skipped as whole pairs/whorls; final count may be lower.

Default: 0

Distribution Range — Start %

Sets where placement begins on the parent. Zero is the base and one is the tip; the range slider displays percentages.

Default: 0.35

Distribution Range — End %

Sets where placement ends. Together with Start, this defines the Distribution Range.

Default: 1

Distribution Profile

Available when Placement Mode is Count.

Default: Flat profile at 1

Distribution (2)

Shown example: Placement Pattern = Whorled.

Placement Pattern

Random distributes freely. Parallel pairs a total child count. Alternating switches sides along the parent. Opposite creates two children per site. Whorled creates a ring of children per site.

Options: Random · Parallel · Alternating · Opposite · Whorled

Default: Random

Whorl Count

Sets children per site in Whorled mode. Opposite always uses two.

Available when Placement Pattern is Whorled.

Default: 3

Pattern Rotation

Rotate the arrangement around each current local parent tangent before world-space Up / Down, Up Influence and Shape Sag. Rotate Pattern controls successive sites.

Default: 0

Rotate Pattern

Rotates each successive site around the parent. With Opposite, zero aligns pairs and 90 degrees crosses each pair over the previous one.

Default: 137.5

Position Jitter

Loosens spacing along the parent while keeping paired sites together.

Default: 0.28

Orientation (1)

Shown example: Placement Pattern = Opposite.

Angle

Sets the angle away from the parent direction. Small values follow it; larger values open the growth outward.

Default: 36

Angle Profile

Multiplies Angle by attachment position on the parent: left is base and right is tip. One keeps the angle, lower values close it and higher values open it.

Default: Flat profile at 1

Angle Randomness

Varies the angle between branches or leaves. Zero keeps it consistent.

Default: 18

Up / Down

Opposite only: add world elevation in degrees to both children after Angle and Pattern Rotation. Positive lifts, negative lowers; stops at vertical. A flat 180-degree pair at +10 has 160 degrees above / 200 below; -20 gives 220 above / 140 below. Up Influence and Shape Sag deform the result afterward.

Available when Placement Pattern is Opposite.

Default: 0

Orientation (2)

Shown example: Placement Pattern = Opposite.

Up Influence

Bias growth toward world +Y, independent of Pattern Rotation. Negative values bias toward -Y. Surface attachments bend along the path; embedded attachments adjust the initial growth direction.

Default: 0.18

Branch Attachment

Shown example: Surface Attachment = On.

Surface Attachment

Grow from the chosen parent surface position and fit the collar to its mesh using the existing Resolution rings.

Default: Off

Transition Length

Maximum fraction of the visible branch used for the collar, limited by local branch thickness. Uses existing rings; increase Resolution for more collar detail.