SpeedTree vs ZBrush?

junfanbl

I am currently working on some concepts for a game  I want to build. Much of the environments will consist of trees and shrubs. So I have been evaluating different software packages to see which would be the best choice.

I know that I can probably sculpt some realistic trees in Zbrush, and then probably finish them up in substance painter. However SpeedTree looks like a pretty good option for building trees. On top of that, Speedtree supposedly will provide an animation for each individual leaf, providing the potential for creating a more realistic environment. I honestly don't quite know how I could do that efficiently with any other software package. Any recommendations?

Also, a SpeedTree license will likely cost around 900 dollars whereas I already own a ZBrush license. I might consider buying SpeedTree if I it is worth saving me the time. What do you guys think I should do?

kanga

I would use ZBrush for custom assets, like all of them . If you also want to populate your level with vegetation then a preset app would be an invaluable time saver. I am using foliage from the UE4 environment demo atm. and I think its speed tree. It's ideal for prototyping and teaching purposes but if I ever made a game for sale there is a good chance I would have to buy the speed tree licence. For now though the foliage is animated (wind), you can paint on vegetation and manipulate individual instances and there is an option for using billboard versions which I havent had a chance to try yet. The models are really kickass. If you are not using UE4 and you have the cash lying around I can recommend speed tree.

Speed tree and ZBrush are different in that speed tree is a system that would take you a long time to set up. You would use ZBrush/Max/Maya/Cinema/Blender/XNormal/Substance/DDO for a custom actor, like a 'tree of life' a horror forest, giant fallen hollowed out logs etc. that are essential to the narrative of your game. 

That's just my opinion.
Cheerio 

Chimp

Speedtree Modeller. There's a reason that pretty much all of AAA across games and film use it  Zbrush would be by FAR longer to work with for populating a game with varied vegetation. In Speedtree you set up your tree (takes about 10 minutes), supply your surface and leaf textures, hit a few buttons to generate AO, collision etc and then hit randomise or use the drawing, physics and deformer tools to make specific pieces. That's the -point- of speedtree. It handles the hard work (modelling, uving) and still gives you complete freedom (custom mesh import, hand drawing tools) whilst handling all of the things you need to set up for the engine. Worth the money, but only if you're actually working professionally. Hobbyists should DIY.

Why not contact speedtree and talk about an evaluation.

Kevin Albers

Speedtree should save you gigantic amounts of time, if it results in trees you can use. If you need different types of trees for technical or asthetic reasons, it may not be worth it.

Another option is buying trees from the engine's marketplace (if you are using UE4 or Unity), and then modifying them a bit to personalize them some.

Building a bunch of trees from scratch in ZBrush will take a long time.

It all depends on your project's needs, of course.

Marshkin

For concepting, Zbrush is fine since you don't need to make many variants if you're just going for proof of concept, plus you already own it. 

Once you are ready to kick off production, Speedtree will save you a lot of time. $900 may feel like a lot, but if you do the math and compare it to how much time you would spend making the trees in Zbrush, it would still work out in your favor.
Let's say a tree takes you 15 min in speedtree, but 1 hour in zbrush (Realistically, I think it would take more time, but this makes for easy math).
That is 45 minutes that you just got back to work on other things.

junfanbl

Awesome, I like the idea of just using Zbrush for concepting my art. I suppose you are all right, Speedtree is the way to go. Thanks.

SergeyA

Zbrush is the most user unfriendly software I have ever encountered.