Candy Trees- Process Work
This is a Maya Python procedural animated planet generator script I created for my Visual FX scripting class fall 2022. I built this script from scratch, starting as a branching fractal tree generator, adding joints parenting each branch with animation controls, then adding leaf models to branch ends, procedural materials with color variation and gradients, transform variations, planet texture displacement with a heightmap material blend to water and color, procedural random tree animation per control, bent grass card generation by height and planet normal orientation, and finally a cloud generator with materials, layers, and animation.
I kept adding layers and complexity to the script, it was a fun class after having previous rigging scripting courses. The complexity of the scene was difficult to render video in Maya however, and I ran out of time to get a smooth video render working, so I used the frames I had available for animation.
Branches and joint placement by distance and vector with random variation and branch counts per split
Branch animation controls and parenting, leaf placement testing with random shape objects
Procedural leaf material tests
Planet normal tree placement and orientation, height map displacement, water material testing
Planet tree, grass, camera closeup testing
Lighting tests
Final composition with clouds and grass, with some photoshop for background blur effect
