This may be of interest to you, if you have (access to) XFrog, 3D Studio Max or Maya:
**100 FREE XFrog plants for download on the Autodesk website!
**(I found out while "googling" and accidently got into a Sketchup forum).

Link:
http://seek.autodesk.com/search.htm?q=xfrog&resetft=true&startIndex=0

• downoad either the "Max" or "Maya" zipfiles, they contain the .xfr files and TIFF textures as well.
  There may be other files of interest, personally I'm only interested in the xfr models and the textures.

If you can use the files it's a fantastic offer.
For use with Vue, export the models to .3ds, .obj or .lwo.

Have fun!

• Lars "bigbraader"

BTW, the 30-day free XFrog trial (Greenworks Inc.) may allow export, don't know.

According to the docs for the demo of XFrog3.5, it's fully functional.  Downloading now so I'll post in here if it is.

Yes, the 30 days trial of XFrog will export the models, it's fully functionnal. Not all models include the xfr files, apparently, some only have Maya and Max.

Yes right, Bruno, look at the files list to the right - if you only want the xfr-files, no need to download those without. But I want the textures as well so I grab those files too :)

On that site there are 5 file types to download next to each plant.
Do I need all 5 files?
I would like to wind up with something I can use in Vue in the end.
I could get frog demo and and export the textured models into something vue can use.
I just don't know  if I would need more than the xfrog files from among those 5 file choices.

any help?

You get all the "extra" files in one of the zip-files for Max or Maya. Unless you need the Maya files, download the Max ones, they are smaller. If the list to the right doesn't include the xfr-files, then they aren't part of the package.

For use with XFrog: Unpack the files for each "species" to a separate folder, delete the .max (or .mb) files if you don't need them. Open the xfr-file, and the textures will load too - if they are in place in the folder. 

Very cool
thanks

Oh, how sweet this is. 

Finally, some real good news here.

Thank you.

got em all last night

thanks for the post and the help.

Quote - got em all last night

thanks for the post and the help.

Just out of curiosity, have you started to export the plants as objects and then imported them into Vue yet?  When I did, I found the polygon count was so high that Vue slowed to a snail (& unacceptable) pace.  My setup is 8 GB RAM, Windows Vista Home Premium, GeForce 9500 GS on a fairly new (1 yr) HP desktop system - Vue 8.5 Inf.

I realize you can reduce the poly count in XfrogTUNE but I am wondering, what would be a reasonable compromise setting between speed & quality for use in Vue?  I note the default is a setting of 0.974 in XfrogTUNE.  I have never used Xfrog before so I have no experience with what works well in Vue.

Good question.  I'm downloading the models now so I'll be interested in this one, too.

Yes I exported the first one fro xfrog demo. Soy plant.
Both as obj and 3ds.
Imported both into vue. the obj came out sideways and for reasons I've not yet figured out looks worse to me than 3ds.

I did not check poly count. But if poly count was high I would then only use a few up front.
I only had one on screen at a time and was able to grab and move it in real time no lag.

I'm working now but I might be able to check in tonight for further questions.

Quote - Yes I exported the first one fro xfrog demo. Soy plant.
Both as obj and 3ds.
Imported both into vue. the obj came out sideways and for reasons I've not yet figured out looks worse to me than 3ds.

I did not check poly count. But if poly count was high I would then only use a few up front.
I only had one on screen at a time and was able to grab and move it in real time no lag.

I'm working now but I might be able to check in tonight for further questions.

Yes, mine came in sideways as well.  Total polygon count is 171,389 of the plant I'm using. 

I think I'm coming to the conclusion that the demo version of XfrogTUNE does not let you save out a reduced polygon model.  I've just completed the tutorial which is included with XfrogTUNE and in the end, where the model is saved, nothing happens for me. 

Lars - what is your experience?  Maybe you have a full version of the Xfrog software? 

Dunno Xfrog Tune, but in XFrog 3.5, at the bottom of the interface, you have the poly count of the model visisble. You can use this to reduce the poly count of the model ( I don't remember exactly how, since I moved to XFrog 4 a long time ago, but if I remember right, it's a simple slider)
XFrog models can be poly heavy, and can take some time to load, but once loaded, I never had any problem using them in Vue.
I would recommend yopu export as lwo, less tweaking necessary in Vue (it saves the transmap, which 3ds doesn't do for example). You'll need to adjust bump values, they will come very strong in Vue, highlights, and the ambient/diffuse proportions in the effects tab of the material editor (you want 60% diffuse, 40% ambient).

Excellent advice, Bruno!  Thank you very much - exporting/importing as lwo works very well indeed.  And I found the polygon reduction slider.

I realize it depends on how your plants are to be used, but what would you say is an average reduction of polygon in your work?

I would recommend the less reduction possible. What XFrog will do is reduce the number of vertices in each spline (XFrog is spline based). If your trunk has 9 vertices, the resulting mesh will be alright, well rounded, but if it is reduced to 5, then the trunk will look like a pentagon, not good for a trunk, but acceptable for a small branch. Since you won't decide where to lighten up the model with this slider, I recommend very low changes. But if you know your way around XFrog, check yourself how many points a component has, and reduce it when possible.
But  I'm not sure this is even necessary. Once you did your material tweaks in Vue, save the model as a vob, then you should have no problem with it.
The poly count XFrog gives you is the poly count you'll get in Vue, since Xfrog uses triangles instead of quads,  just like Vue. Some HD Vue trees are in the 400k polygons already, so you should be alright with the Xfrog models, once saved as vob.

OK, Bruno.  All the little tidbits you depart are soaked up greedily.  Thank you!

You're welcome! One last thing you can do if you use Vue 7 and up is to add backlinghting to the leaves (60% looks good most of the times), fast, dirty and cheap way to fake translucency!

Sorry getting this late into the discussion with the polys :)
I have imported many of the new models (mainly the adult trees) and saved them as .vob, no problems with the polygon count. (I've done so many times before, both with XFrog and Onyxtree hi-poly models).
I prefer the 3ds export, and don't weld the model right away, maybe some tweaking is needed. E.g. the tree species with the roots are awkward for use with ecosystems (they need to be "sunk" into the ground), so I "boolean away" most of the root object (it can also be deleted).
Also, I work a lot on the textures.

Quote - You're welcome! One last thing you can do if you use Vue 7 and up is to add backlinghting to the leaves (60% looks good most of the times), fast, dirty and cheap way to fake translucency!

Sounds like another great & welcome trick.  I've always loved xFrog's plants and really look forward to experimenting.

Quote - Sorry getting this late into the discussion with the polys :)
I have imported many of the new models (mainly the adult trees) and saved them as .vob, no problems with the polygon count. (I've done so many times before, both with XFrog and Onyxtree hi-poly models).
I prefer the 3ds export, and don't weld the model right away, maybe some tweaking is needed. E.g. the tree species with the roots are awkward for use with ecosystems (they need to be "sunk" into the ground), so I "boolean away" most of the root object (it can also be deleted).
Also, I work a lot on the textures.

Better late than never, Lars.

...if the truth be told, I wasn't planning on purchasing the software so I was looking for a quick & dirty way of salvaging as much as I can before the expiration period is up.  I hate to even admit this as I think it's an insult to xFrog who has been so gracious and given us this wonderful gift of 100 free plants...with variations to boot.

But who knows.  Downloading the demo may have the desired result from me - seems like a really neat program.

It is a great app, Mari-Anne. And quite easy to use.

XFrog is a very good program for all sorts of "organic" modeling and "abstract" sci-fi type structures. Personally I much prefer Onyxtree for tree modeling, it's much more intuitive to use than XFrog. But Onyxtree has its limitations too.
For Mari-Anne: If you only want to make trees and the likes, the Onyx suite may be the best choice. It's more expensive than XFrog (XFrog US$ 399.00, OnyxGarden suite US$ 495.00) , but you get a lot of models with each of the programs (broadleaf, conifer, palm etc.) Most XFrog users end up having to buy the different packages (e.g. Tropical, Desert, Flowers) because making your own models is difficult (judging from my own experience and a lot of other opinions on the web) And each XFrog package is US$ 199, so you can quickly top the price of the Onyx Garden suite.
Link: http://www.onyxtree.com

I'll follow up by making a demo render with an XFrog tree and a "copycat" Onyx one.

Lars "bigbraader"

Wonderful examples, Lars.  Thank you very much for this nice illustration and comparison of the two programs.  I'll take it "under advisement."

Lars, I don't agree with you regarding XFrog. If you buy the software, you don't need to buy the models, because you'll be making your own models. If you only want to buy XFrog models, they already come in the vob format, no need for the software.
XFrog 3 is easy to use. XFrog4 is  somethig else...

Right again, Bruno, about the XFrog plant libraries containing vob's, sorry to be misinforming, haven't really checked this, never planned to buy any of the libraries :)

About whether XFrog (3.5, I've never tried 4) is easy or not, and people starting to build their own models: I have seen very few original XFrog models in the Vue gallery renders ( I only occasionally browse the others)  maybe because very few own the program, or maybe they own it and can't figure out how to use it. If you (bruno021) find it easy to use, I think your one of the few. I have done a fair amount of modeling with XFrog and still find the different variables confusing and non-intuitive (and I'm not "lesser gifted").
In Onyxtree I feel I can spend my time being creative and focus on the outcome instead a lot of trial-and-error tweaking with obscure parameters.
Just my personal opinion, certainly nothing wrong with XFrog as such.

• I don't want this to be an ongoing debate for or against XFrog or Onyxtree, so don't expect too much in that direction. Both programs have their pros and cons.

Nah, don't want this to become a debate either, Lars, I don't know Onyxtree anyway. I just wanted to point that Xfrog libraries are more for those who don't have he software.

Quote - Nah, don't want this to become a debate either, Lars, I don't know Onyxtree anyway. I just wanted to point that Xfrog libraries are more for those who don't have he software.

And that was a very good point - I learned it too :)

And my focus was exactly to give people a chance to at least consider Onyxtree, since I really love it. Like you, most people around here don't know too much about it (no free trials from Onyx Computing, big mistake!) and those who have it frequently end up making models with the default low-poly foliage, missing the point that it's relatively easy to use bitmapped foliage (like XFrog etc. - Onyxtree comes with an extensive bitmap broadleaf collection). I know this, since several members have asked me "how to...". So I tell them. You have huge control in the Onyxtree  "plates" dialogue.
This is why I'm as interested in the textures that come with the downlads at Autodesk. It's an extra bonus, all the models are wonderful themselves. The Cottonplant and the Dutch Iris and the Coulter Pine (with pinecones!) and... you name it :) 

Quote - Onyxtree comes with an extensive bitmap broadleaf collection). I know this, since several members have asked me "how to...". So I tell them. You have huge control in the Onyxtree  "plates" dialogue.
This is why I'm as interested in the textures that come with the downlads at Autodesk.

I'm thinking of trying some of  the leaf bitmaps that came with the free Autodesk downloads MAX ZIP on some of the Vue solidgrowth plants. Does not seem like it would be to hard to do with those bitmaps premade to use.

I recently got the REAL TREES tut from AsileFX shows how to make the most of Vues plant generator and swap leaves.

I don't know the AsileFX "method", but it's relatively easy to change the foliage in Vue. There must be a ton of tutorials on the matter too, in case you feel the need. I don't read/watch many tutorials myself, but one good one I remember, is about making two-coloured leaves (top & bottom) with material layers, at Geekatplay, don't have the exact adress/link, but it should be easy to find.
I suggest you study the original material of the species you want to change, most of the trees require a "twig" texture, but that can be made in Photoshop or similar image editor.
The simpler plants can be given new leaves etc. with a few mouseclicks, once you have texture maps with a corresponding alphamap/channel - as the XFrog bitmaps.
It's great fun and very satifying to make your own stuff, I think, so have fun!

I too find Xfrog quite hard to use, but I am a beginner when it comes to modeling anyway. I've been owning the Cinema 4D 10.5 Studio bundle for two years now (it's great when you are a student and can get high-end software for a fraction of its original price :-) ) and have just recently begun buying books on it and reading tutorials - I just did not have the time before. So I might not be qualified enough to give a profound statement on Xfrog's learning curve (standalone 3.5), but I find it to be quite steep and rather unintuitive. That's not to say that it's impossible to learn - it just takes a lot of patience and time, and I am pretty sure that as soon as you know your way around the package you will be able do amazing things with it.

  LastDecember Planetside software had a special Christmas sale on their website: You could get Terragen 2 Deep Edition (= with animation), Xfrog 3.5 Full (= with animation) and ALL (!) 22 Xfrog 2.0 libraries for 799 $ (excluding VAT): I wasn't so keen on learning another 3d scenery app, but I was sold by the Xfrog offer. I now have every Xfrog tree in *.xfr, *.tgo and *.vob format (it took ages to convert all those plants to *.vob) on my harddrive. That was one hell of a deal. The regular price is 999 $ - still a pretty good offer for two 3D apps and thousands of plant models :-)

I don't mean to advertise, I just wanted to point out the benefits for people who consider to buy one or more libraries.

Thanks for heads and up thanks Bruno for the tips. Have also found LWO the best.

Cheers
Richard

I have xfrog and having a lot of trouble bringing the trees into terragen. None of the textures or alpha is coming in.

Please HELP!!!

Quote - I too find Xfrog quite hard to use, but I am a beginner when it comes to modeling anyway. I've been owning the Cinema 4D 10.5 Studio bundle for two years now (it's great when you are a student and can get high-end software for a fraction of its original price :-) ) and have just recently begun buying books on it and reading tutorials - I just did not have the time before. So I might not be qualified enough to give a profound statement on Xfrog's learning curve (standalone 3.5), but I find it to be quite steep and rather unintuitive. That's not to say that it's impossible to learn - it just takes a lot of patience and time, and I am pretty sure that as soon as you know your way around the package you will be able do amazing things with it.

  LastDecember Planetside software had a special Christmas sale on their website: You could get Terragen 2 Deep Edition (= with animation), Xfrog 3.5 Full (= with animation) and ALL (!) 22 Xfrog 2.0 libraries for 799 $ (excluding VAT): I wasn't so keen on learning another 3d scenery app, but I was sold by the Xfrog offer. I now have every Xfrog tree in *.xfr, *.tgo and *.vob format (it took ages to convert all those plants to *.vob) on my harddrive. That was one hell of a deal. The regular price is 999 $ - still a pretty good offer for two 3D apps and thousands of plant models :-)

I don't mean to advertise, I just wanted to point out the benefits for people who consider to buy one or more libraries.

Well, maybe you should post it TG forum, Neberkenezer?

You were not kidding about strong bumpmap once in vue I had to turn it massively down from 1.000 to 0.005
Regarding Xfrog. Should I have these 3 items checked to export as LWO for use in vue?

I'm about to save a bunch of these for use in Vue 8.4. I thought I should ask So I can get it right since if something here is wrong I did not want to repeat the error times 100.

I was wondering if I might be better of unchecking "apply bump map" when I export from xfrog
Because I used the settings as in the screen shot and once in vue as I had mentioned I had to
turn the bump down to 0.005 to get rid of strong overbumpiness, I was thinking of just letting vue add it own version of bump.

Thanks
Frank

Okay figured it out. Myself.