Is anyone using Plant Studio with Vue 4 and if so do the Plant Studio models import well with color? It looks like an intriguing program and I can already see the that the plants that shipped with Vue are somewhat limited.

The plants with Vue are not limited and anyway shape or form. Your just not using them right yet. No two are the same and you can edit them to death making completly new versions. Look around you can download extras for the vue plants already from a few sites. I'll probibly also make mine available someday.I've made about 50 at least new creations. Varians site and a few others have tutorials on how to edit them and extra textures to get you going on them.

Now having said all that Plant studios plants work wellish I'll say in vue. Not perfect Vue plants are way better. PS plants are large poly masses usually and they don't support alpha leaves.

Just import them, texture, and render.

If you just go around the web a collect all the extra textures there is already for Vue's plants and trees I think that will give you more than 100 different kinds to add to your Vue collection.

Varian's web site will explain how to make them look completly different from the defaults.

Attached Link: http://www.varian.net/

Cick on News. Also here there is more in free stuff.

I use Plant Studio 2.1 and it works well with Vue. I find the best way is to export from PlantStudio in OBJ format with option "Group by whole plant" and "write colors" selected. This keeps the number of objects in the scene to a minimum (about 8 by plant)

In my opinion, it is best to remap PlantStudio flowers in Vue. It's quick and easy, if you export the way Gilbertdid said above. Here is a sample with LEFT the unchanged Plantstudio Coreopsis and RIGHT the remapped plant. If you need a tutorial for PlantStudio-->Vue, I have created one here : http://membres.tripod.fr/esprit_virtuel/plantstudio/plantstudio.html. Guitta

I'm with Guitta...I'd rather use procedural mats in Vue than keep the flat colors that PlantStudio will give you. That way, you can alter the materials as you like. And the polys in PlantStudio plants aren't all that large (unless you have a 66mhz computer or something) ;). As long as you keep the amount of sides down on the stems and what not, then the files sizes of the PlantStudio plants are very reasonable. I just love the program because it creates flowers...something Vue just doesn't have enough of as far as Solid Growth plants. And if you were feeling really adventurous, you could map an entire PlantStudio plant in UV mapper and make it look even better! :). But that's only if you are really adventurous ;). There's a lot of parts to them there plants! Laurie

Check out the botanical at www.trillium36.com. All the flowers and plants were made in lightwave and converted to Vue 4. they look great! Price is also good.

Thank you for everyone's advice. I'm new to View and saw mention of Plant Studio online and in the 3D books I've been reading. The ability to make flowers is what attracts me most to Plant Studio, I'd like to have wildflowers in my meadows. I would think that the imported colors are okay for distant shots, but I can really see the difference in the close ups.

The imported colors WOULD be okay for distance shots. But as you say, they wouldn't work well for close up :). Laurie

I forgot to mention that the colors must be remapped in Vue as the imported colors would definitely look bad, but using the Write Color option on the export makes it easier because you then get all the original materials in the Material Summary in Vue right from the beginning. Gilbert

Quote - I use Plant Studio 2.1 and it works well with Vue. I find the best way is to export from PlantStudio in OBJ format with option "Group by whole plant" and "write colors" selected. This keeps the number of objects in the scene to a minimum (about 8 by plant)

I also have to agree that my plantstudio plants import well from PlantStudio to Vue!  Actually I do the same thing as the above instructions say and they import quite nicely!

I have that program from years ago.  Forgot all about it.  It does OBJ export?

Oh, an old thread :)
I've used PlantStudio a lot (still do occasionally) and for me the LWO export works best, the model comes in with all the objects welded (can be split again by materials, if desired). The OBJ and 3DS export may produce files with a huge amount of  (grouped) separate objects, low-poly but difficult to handle anyway, due to the sheer amount of objects.

Lars "bigbraader"

I played with it last night.  Imported as OBJ into modo and improved the materials on the plant and then exported as OBJ into Vue (double-checked that Vue didn't turn on displacement).  Then used the plant as an ecosystem.  Not bad for background plantage.