Tall Grass Textures

TonyNowak

I know the basic methods for creating a tall grass model, or even using billboards. I hope I'm not the only one, but I'm pretty sure among dev's this is a common question. How would you go about making a tall grass texture?

AlexLeighton

What I would do is, model a blade of grass as high poly as you want, then use FFD or similar to create a whole bunch of variations and arrange them in front of a plane. Then bake out a texture from that.

TonyNowak

Hmm, wow, never thought of that.

Donavonyoung

This is a great way to build your alphas as well. Check out just the first half of this tut. http://eat3d.com/free/cryengine3_decals

SHEPEIRO

you know its far easier and you will invariably get more natural results by using photoref....esp at todays and even tomorrows resolutions.

best way ive found is to go out on an over cast day... find some grass cut it and lay it out on a blue peice of card or paper (or cloth but that more expensive) and photograph.

you can lay the grass out in clumps and/or indiviually and comp after in PS

normals can be handpainted easily to give a bit of lighting difference. or you can place the individual billboards onto geometry and bend/twist and comp together befor rendering out to plane.

you will get a more natural effect than full 3d... but it depends on the games style

TonyNowak

This is awesome guys, really appreciative of this.