AO Studio Tools

ZenGrove

Grow a plant, one node at a time.

Overview

Grow a plant, one node at a time.

Explore all 44 nodes with illustrated Maya views and plain-English explanations of every setting. Build trunks and branches, place foliage, shape growth, add wind and prepare your output.

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Gravity Force

Steers growth relative to gravity. Natural mode sends shoots against gravity and roots with it.

Reference updated for ZenGrove 1.0.0-alpha.10.

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Branches

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Branches

Affect

Gravity Force node with its affect settings in ZenGrove
ZenGrove in Maya · Affect · Open image for full size
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.

Options: Active Branches · Active + Descendants · Active Generated Hierarchy · Entire Input

Default: Active Branches

Setup

Gravity Force node with its setup settings in ZenGrove
ZenGrove in Maya · Setup · Open image for full size
Gravity X

Sets gravity's X direction component. Direction is normalized; Strength controls influence.

Default: 0

Gravity Y

Sets vertical gravity. The default -1 falls downward, so Natural shoots grow upward.

Default: -1

Gravity Z

Sets gravity's Z direction component.

Default: 0

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.

Options: Natural · Against Gravity · With Gravity

Default: Natural

Distribution

Gravity Force node with its distribution settings in ZenGrove
ZenGrove in Maya · Distribution · Open image for full size
Force Ramp — Start %

Sets where the force starts along a branch. Zero is base and one is tip.

Default: 0

Force Ramp — Full Strength %

Sets where the force reaches full strength. It ramps between Start and this point, then stays at full strength.

Default: 0.35

Deformation

Gravity Force node with its deformation settings in ZenGrove
ZenGrove in Maya · Deformation · Open image for full size
Strength

Sets how strongly growth responds to gravity and Plant Response.

Default: 0.65

Strength Randomness

Varies force strength between branches.

Default: 0

Max Bend

Limits total force-driven turning along a branch, in degrees.

Default: 75

Advanced

Gravity Force node with its advanced settings in ZenGrove
ZenGrove in Maya · Advanced · Open image for full size
Seed Offset

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

Default: 150

Browse all ZenGrove nodes →
FAQ
What is ZenGrove used for?

Explore all 44 nodes with illustrated Maya views and plain-English explanations of every setting. Build trunks and branches, place foliage, shape growth, add wind and prepare your output.

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.