html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" F12 – aka developer Wybren van Keulen – has released The Grove 2.2, the latest version of the software for generating biologically plausible tree models for use in VFX, animation and games.The update adds a new Skeleton tool for generating bone-based animation control rigs for trees, and new workflows for reducing their poly counts to levels suitable for real-time use. Mimic the growth forms of real trees The Grove takes a parametric approach to generating trees, with controls that mimic the factors determining the forms of real plants, resulting in more realistic-looking models.Once the overall form has been set, The Grove fills in details using ‘Twigs’: instanced geometry representing not only actual twigs, but leaves, flowers and fruit, sold separately to the core app. The resulting textured geometry can be exported from the user’s host software in standard file formats, including FBX and OBJ, for use in other DCC applications. Users can also generate wind and growth animations, exportable in Alembic format. Since The Grove 2.0, the software – originally a Blender plugin – has become a standalone application, with integrations for Blender and Houdini. https://www.cgchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/250410_TheGrove22_Skeleton_sm.mp4 New Skeleton tool generates and refines animation control rigs Key changes in The Grove 2.2 include the new Skeleton tool for automatically generating bone-based animation rigs and their accompanying deformation weights.It starts by generating a dense bone network, with users adjusting control parameters to reduce the bone count to a more production-friendly level, with the skeleton updating in real time. Once generated, the skeleton can be used to pose the tree manually, or to animate it: either to apply wind sway, or to animate collisions with other objects like vehicles. The rig can be simplified enough for animations to run at interactive speeds, and can be used in game engines as well as offline rendering, although there is currently no direct export pipeline. The Skeleton tool is available in the higher-end Indie and Studio editions of The Grove. https://www.cgchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/250410_TheGrove22_Games.mp4 A tree reduced to 42k triangles and 49 bones for real-time use. New workflows for reducing the poly count of trees for use in game engines The Grove 2.2 also features a number of optimizations intended to help reduce the poly count of the trees generated to levels suitable for use as LOD assets in games.They’re as much suggested workflows as they are changes to the software itself, so check out the online release notes for more details. Other performance increases include moving more of the code used to draw viewport previews of growth simulations from Python to the software core, making growth cycles “50% faster”. Other features and workflow improvements Other changes include a new Sow toolset, which mimics trees spreading by seed, generating seedlings and saplings around the base of a parent tree.You can find a list of smaller improvements via the link at the foot of the story. Pricing and availability The Grove 2.2 is compatible with Blender 4.2+ and Houdini 19.5 on Windows, Linux and macOS. The software comes in three editions. All of them include the Blender plugin, but only the Studio edition includes the Houdini plugin. The Starter edition has a MSRP of €99, up €10 since the previous release. The Indie edition has a MSRP of €199, up €50. The Studio edition has a MSRP of €799, up €79. Individual Twigs cost €9.69. Read a full list of new features in The Grove 2.2 on the product website Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.