Xfrog Plant Modelling Software
- standalone plant designer, developed by Bernd Lintermann of
Greenworks
(Germany)
- xfrog is more full-featured than all the other
plant modelling software known to exist
- runs on Win32 ($360, Lite version for $200)
- file formats
- .xfr files are an ASCII format with a hierarchical static
structure description
- .kfr files are an extension of .xfr which contain
keyframe information for animation or plant growth simulation
- pros
- provides a nice level of abstraction over L-systems which results in
substantially less complexity than working with L-systems directly
- enormous amount of user control over the modelling process.
- general enough to produce the general shape of nearly any
type of plant
- includes light and gravity tropisms
- provides output to Rayshade, Maya, etc. - an export path to just
about every 3D modelling package
- .xfr files can be directly read and instantiated with the VTP
Terrain Library [although not currently]
- cons
- lots of training required to produce even simple models
- models the growth and structure of plants mathematically, not
biologically
- very little support for the vein structures of leaves, making it
difficult to produce actual 3D leaves
- the xfrog "Leaf" node is appropriate only for
leaves with simple vein structure, not for
radial or
branching veins, nor for
leaves which inflect on the veins (e.g. maple,
papaya)
- trees have inaccurate branching geometry, just intersecting
cylinders instead of actual Y-junctions
- the VTP has made some free
xfrog models of Hawaiian
plants
- mailing list: Xfrog Yahoo
Groups site
-
Xfrog Public Plants ( free high quality Xfrog models for personal use )
