Forest Pack > Forest Pro (*)

Cluster Distribution Along the Spline

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TF1971:
Hi iToo team,

Is there any way to distribute geometry in clusters along the spline using Path distribution mode?

We often make hanging plants using path distribution, but to achieve more realistic effect we want various plan species to be distributed in clamps/groups rather than in completely random order.
Currently we use RailClone to achieve the same effect by assigning various plant species based on spline material ID segments, but it seems that RailClone is heavier than Forest Pack when it comes to handling lots of instances and takes much longer to load before rendering can start. Especially for the large distribution areas when we need to make hanging plants along large terraces or multiple floors.

Would be great to have similar feature as Cluster distribution for areas, but in the Path distribution mode inside Forest Pack. That way we can pick a single spline and set the cluster size/length and assign the same Color ID to the plants we want to be grouped in the same cluster.

Thank you!

Michal Karmazín:
Hi,

For these purposes, I would suggest you choose the Image Distribution Mode (which has the Clusters feature among other handy Areas adjustments) and use such a path as the Spline Area.

Let me mention, that when using the RailClone plug-in, please feel free to give a try the recently introduced Proxy Cache feature would be highly recommendable for these purposes. It's very efficient - it'll load and render much faster because RailClone doesn't need to perform so many calculations to rebuild them, which is especially useful for complex styles. In theory, there shouldn't be any significant difference between the Embedded / External mode though the Embedded might be a bit faster.

I hope that helps.

Best regards,

iToo:
A couple more of tips:

- You can use open splines with Forest->Areas, using Thickness value to define the width along the spline.
- To scatter objects with RailClone, turn on Segment->Deform->Force Instance. That will improve performance significatively, because objects are not deformed or sliced with the path.

TF1971:
Thanks a lot for the recommendations! We'll definitely try these new features in RaliClone.

We tried to use Spline areas in Forest Pack, but the issue with it is that distributed objects do not follow the spline orientation/direction, which is crucial to scatter hanging plants along the edge. Especially if we need to scatter it along the planter box from different/perpendicular sides or along curved edges, which is quite a common scenario in landscaping design.

We'll give RailClone a go for these type of situations. BTW, is there any way to group/cluster objects inside RailClone without need to use different material IDs for spline segments? In such a way that grouped objects still will be randomized inside the group the same way as clusters work in Forest Pack?

Thank you!

Michal Karmazín:
Hi,

You’re welcome. When using the Spline Area(s), you can “align” these with the help of the “Z Translate By Spline” bundled Effect.

Regarding the RC question, picking randomly (by using a Randomize Operator) from multiple Compose Operators made from several Randomize Operators would be a possible setup. Please feel free to check the attached sample scene (where it’s wrapped into a Macro).

Best regards,

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