The PlantFactory : From the Ground Up

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If you are beginning your journey with The PlantFactory by e-on software, getting a well-rounded understanding of its vast capabilities can be quite challenging. While there are numerous resources available, often they are scattered across different tutorials by various instructors, leading to a fragmented and sometimes confusing learning experience.

The PlantFactory software is powerful and deserves a structured and in-depth learning approach, especially considering its significance in fields like visual effects, architectural visualization, and realistic environments for illustration.

PlantFactory stands out not just because it’s used by leading studios around the world, but because of its ability to generate incredibly realistic vegetation models, complete with intricate details and animations that respond dynamically to environmental factors. While it excels at generating vegetation—from individual plants to entire ecosystems—it is also versatile enough to create a variety of non-plant models, such as rocks, terrain features, architectural elements, and abstract forms

Learning The PlantFactory thoroughly on your own can take a significant amount of time—months, if not years—but what if you had one of the most experienced users and educators guiding you through a structured, step-by-step learning process?

This kind of training provides a holistic learning experience, where your understanding of The PlantFactory can grow rapidly in just a few weeks. By following a carefully designed curriculum, you’ll gain hands-on experience, receive valuable feedback, and be part of a supportive learning community.

Join this course to enjoy these key benefits:

✔ Structured, progressive learning

✔ Expert guidance and accountability

✔ Practical, hands-on projects

✔ Collaborative learning environment

✔ Continuous feedback and support

✔ Access to a wide range of learning resources

This course is designed to take your skills with The PlantFactory to a professional level, enabling you to create stunning, realistic plant models and environments with confidence.

This new PlantFactory coaching program will be led by Vladimir Chopine from GeekAtPlay

He’s going to dedicate 8 weeks on providing deep and comprehensive coaching for a group of students starting on Saturday the 21st of September.

Want to trial Vladimir as a trainer? Register for the Free introductory session

Full Curriculum

=> Click HERE to see what you’ll learn in Detail

Week 1 : Introduction to the PlantFactory

1.1 Overview of the PlantFactory

Introduction to TPF: Begin with an introduction to the software, its primary use cases (e.g., visual effects, architectural visualization, real-time environments), and its integration capabilities with other software such as Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, and Unreal Engine. –

Understanding the Interface: A guided tour of the user interface, including the main workspace, the node graph editor, and the viewport. –

Node-Based Workflow: Explain the importance of the node-based system, which allows for a non-linear, highly customizable approach to plant modeling. Highlight key nodes like “Prune” and “Loop.”

1.2 First Plant Creation

Loading a Preset: Demonstrate how to load a preset plant (e.g., a tree or bush) and use random seed generation to create variations.

Basic Node Adjustments: Show how to tweak the preset using basic node adjustments, such as changing the size, shape, or number of branches and leaves.

Suggested Assignment: Create a simple plant by loading a preset and modifying it using basic node adjustments. Export the model as a static object to ensure familiarity with the export process.

Week 2 : Custom Plant Creation

2.1 Drawing and Shaping Plants

Viewport Drawing Tools: Teach how to use the drawing tools in the viewport to create custom plant shapes. For example, demonstrate how to draw a curved palm tree that bends over a beach. –

Customizing the Plant Structure: Show how to customize the plant by adjusting the curvature of stems, orientation of leaves, and other features using the viewport controls.

2.2 Node Graph Essentials

Building from Scratch: Introduce the process of building a plant from scratch using the node graph. Begin with creating a main trunk and then add branches, leaves, and other elements. –

Key Nodes: Focus on key nodes like “Branch,” “Leaf,” and “Loop,” explaining how they control the hierarchical structure of the plant and allow for repetitive elements like branching patterns.

Suggested Assignment: Design a custom tree or shrub by drawing it in the viewport. Use the node graph to refine the structure and add details. Save the node setup for future use.

Week 3 : Advanced Plant Modeling Techniques

3.1 Detailed Branching and Leaves

Branch Customization: Teach how to create complex branching structures, including multi-level branching using loop nodes. Demonstrate how to adjust the size and shape of branches based on their level in the hierarchy. –

Leaf Placement and Orientation: Show how to manually place leaves on branches, adjust their orientation, and use nodes to control leaf distribution across the plant.

3.2 Using the “Prune” Tool

Pruning for Realism: Explain how to use the “Prune” tool to remove unwanted branches and leaves, simulating natural growth patterns. –

Advanced Node Adjustments: Introduce more advanced node adjustments, such as using curve editors to control the thickness of branches or the distribution of leaves.

Suggested Assignment: Create a plant with complex branching and customized leaf placement. Use the “Prune” tool to refine the plant’s appearance and ensure it looks realistic.

Week 4 : Texturing and Materials

4.1 Texturing Basics

Applying Textures: Teach the basics of applying textures to plants, including how to select appropriate textures for different plant parts like bark, leaves, and flowers. –

UV Mapping: Introduce UV mapping techniques to ensure that textures align properly with the plant model. Explain the importance of UV unwrapping for realistic texturing.

4.2 Advanced Material Settings

*Vertex Colors and Ambient Occlusion*: Show how to apply vertex colors and ambient occlusion (AO) to enhance the realism of the plant model. Discuss the benefits of using vertex colors for adding color variation without extra textures. –

*Procedural Materials*: Explain how to use procedural materials, such as noise and fractal components, to create realistic surface details that react to environmental factors like light and wind.

Suggested Assignment: Apply textures to your plant model, focusing on realistic UV mapping and the use of vertex colors and AO. Experiment with procedural materials to add surface detail.

Week 5 : Animation and Environmental Interaction

5.1 Animating Plants

Basic Animation Techniques: Introduce basic animation techniques, such as animating plants to sway in the wind. Demonstrate how to set up wind effects and control the intensity and direction of the wind. –

Using Breeze and Wind Nodes: Show how to use the breeze and wind nodes to simulate environmental effects on plants. Explain how to adjust settings to achieve different types of movement, from gentle breezes to strong winds.

5.2 Interaction with Environment

 Simulating Environmental Forces: Teach how to simulate gravity, wind, and other environmental forces that affect plant behavior. Show how plants can react dynamically to their environment. –

Advanced Animations: Introduce more complex animations, such as plants reacting to objects moving through them or changing over time (e.g., growing, aging, or changing with the seasons).

Suggested Assignment: Animate a plant model to respond to wind and other environmental factors. Experiment with different animation settings to create a realistic simulation of plant behavior.

Week 6 : Exporting Models to Other Applications

6.1 Exporting to DCC Tools

Exporting Basics: Teach the basics of exporting plant models to digital content creation (DCC) tools like Maya, 3ds Max, and Cinema 4D. Explain how to select the appropriate file format (e.g., FBX, USD) for your target application. –

Using Plant Factory Plugins: Demonstrate how to use Plant Factory’s plugins to ensure seamless integration with other software. Highlight the importance of maintaining animation and texture fidelity during the export process.

6.2 Troubleshooting Exports

Common Export Issues: Discuss common issues that can arise during export, such as mismatched textures, broken animations, or incorrect scaling. Teach students how to troubleshoot and resolve these problems. –

Maintaining LODs: Explain how to maintain levels of detail (LODs) when exporting models for real-time applications, ensuring that models perform well without sacrificing visual quality.

Suggested Assignment: Export your animated plant model to both Maya and Unreal Engine. Test the exported model to ensure that all animations, textures, and other details are preserved.

Week 7 : Integrating Plants in Real-Time Applications

7.1 Optimization for Real-Time Engines

 Optimizing for Performance: Teach how to optimize plant models for real-time applications, focusing on reducing polygon count, simplifying textures, and using LODs. –

Testing in Game Engines: Demonstrate how to import and test plant models in game engines like Unreal Engine. Explain how to adjust settings to achieve the best balance between performance and visual quality.

7.2 Creating Game Assets

Low-Poly Modeling Techniques: Introduce low-poly modeling techniques for creating plants that are optimized for use in video games. Discuss the importance of balancing detail with performance. –

Creating Variations: Show how to create variations of a plant model using random seeds and node adjustments, allowing for diversity in game environments.

Suggested Assignment: Optimize a plant model for use in a game engine like Unreal Engine. Test the model in a real-time environment and make adjustments as needed to ensure optimal performance..

Week 8 : Selling and Distributing your Plant Models

8.1 Commercial Use of Plant Models

Preparing Models for Sale: Teach how to prepare plant models for commercial sale, including how to package models with appropriate textures, animations, and documentation.

Platforms for Selling: Introduce popular platforms for selling digital assets, such as Turbosquid, CGTrader, and the Unreal Marketplace. Discuss the pros and cons of each platform.

8.2 Licensing and Intellectual Property –

Understanding Licensing: Explain the different types of licenses available for digital assets (e.g., royalty-free, extended licenses) and how to choose the right one for your products. –

Protecting Your Work: Teach students how to protect their intellectual property, including how to watermark assets and use metadata to track ownership.

Suggested Assignment: Prepare one of your plant models for commercial sale. Choose a platform to sell it on, create a listing, and ensure that all licensing and documentation are in order.

Who is this Coaching Course for?

This course is perfect for a variety of creative professionals and enthusiasts who want to master plant modeling with The PlantFactory by e-on software. If you fit into any of these categories, this course is ideal for you:

• Visual Effects Artists: Learn to create realistic plant models for film, TV, or games that integrate smoothly into your projects.

• Architectural Visualizers: Enhance your 3D renderings with detailed, accurate vegetation to bring your designs to life.

• Game Designers: Create optimized plant models for real-time environments, balancing performance with visual quality.

• 3D Artists and Animators: Expand your skill set to include detailed vegetation that adds depth to your work.

• Hobbyists and Enthusiasts: If you’re passionate about 3D modeling, this course offers a structured way to learn digital botany.

• Students and Educators: Perfect for those studying or teaching digital art or game design, providing a solid foundation in plant modeling.

Proven Experience

Vladimir Chopine : VUE Trainer and Coach

The founder of Geekatplay and with a background in film production and computer sciences, 3D graphic has long provided a passionate pursuit for Vladimir, with a particular specialism in VUE. Serving 3D digital artists across the world, he has created over 2000 tutorials on VUE, The PlantFactory, Photoshop, Terragen, World Machine  and a whole range of digital art software.

Originally from Moscow, he lives with his wife Ami Chopin, who is a professional writer in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Paul Bussey : Group Facilitator

I have been inspiring, promoting, educating and connecting digital artists since 2010. I’ve published over 125 issues of our magazines 3D Art Direct, Digital Art Live and VISNews, with in-depth interviews of fantastic artists that inspire others with their work.

I’ve hosted and organised over 300 live events to educate digital artists. Our webinars provide an interactive, informative and fun experience for our community.

Recently we’ve created a dynamic, informative and connective forum for 3D digital artists.

During the Course What Will you Learn?

See the full curriculum above – but here’s a summary…

Here’s a concise summary of what students will learn in 12 bullet points based on the full curriculum description:

1. Introduction to The PlantFactory: Understand the software’s interface, key features, and integration with other 3D tools like Maya and Unreal Engine.
2. Node-Based Workflow Mastery: Learn the fundamentals of the node-based system for flexible and non-linear plant modeling.
3. Custom Plant Creation: Create and shape plants from scratch using viewport drawing tools and custom node setups.
4. Advanced Branching and Leaf Placement: Design complex branching structures and precisely control leaf orientation and distribution.
5. Texturing and UV Mapping: Apply realistic textures to plants and master UV mapping techniques for accurate texture alignment.
6. Material Settings: Use vertex colors, ambient occlusion, and procedural materials to enhance the realism of your models.
7. Animating Plants: Animate plants to react to environmental forces like wind and gravity, creating dynamic and realistic movements.
8. Exporting Models: Export your plant models to other digital content creation tools while maintaining textures, animations, and levels of detail.
9. Real-Time Optimization: Optimize plant models for performance in real-time applications like video games, focusing on polygon reduction and LOD management.
10. Integration in Game Engines: Import and test your models in game engines such as Unreal Engine, ensuring they perform well in real-time environments.
11. Commercial Preparation: Prepare your plant models for sale, including packaging with appropriate textures, animations, and documentation.
12. Licensing and Distribution: Understand licensing options and protect your intellectual property when selling your digital assets online.

During the Course – what will you Experience?

• Weekly live training and coaching to learn TPF comprehensively.
• Clarity from a TPF expert : Vladimir Chopine
• Shared active learning during sessions working on provided scenes
• Belong to a close-knit group of artists
• A private chat group and forum to keep the class connected every day
• Recognition of your progress and improvements
• Weekly challenges to help your strive and grow throughout the course

What other coaching group members are saying

Working with Paul and Digital Art Live has given me such a fresh approach upon my art. From a friendly and welcoming environment, to a supporting and cohesive set of tutors and support. Going on the Studio Mastery Course was the biggest leap of faith I have taken with regards to artistic endeavours, and I do not regret a single moment of it. Paul is a wonderful host and lead for the courses and demonstrates the ability to nurture people of all skill levels and help them blossom into the creative delights that they wish to be. I would pick up another course like this in a heartbeat to continue my journey and growth through the creative landscape of my mind.

Ian Franklin

My experience with Esha and your program for learning rigging is beyond phenomenal. I came in with the impression that this was going to be a quick tutorial on how to setup basic technical settings on how to do a basic rig in DAZ Studio. Boy was I wrong! In a good way! Every time we set up a session, I am blown away by how much detail and problem solving Esha’s sessions go into! I would not have imagined the advanced techniques and attention to detail she brings into each session! I’ve heard a few students call this information priceless, and I agree 100%. The chat rooms are so full of information! Just reading people’s questions and people’s responses, it’s an invaluable time saver! When I read the questions and their solutions it reminds me, “I would have had to go thru those hiccups myself, and there’s the solution!”. The chat room creates a great sense that you’re not alone, and it gives you a freedom to test things out and get into “trouble”.  I am more than satisfied with this course. It has surpassed my expectations and more! I highly, highly recommend this type of session to anyone!

David Aguilera

Here’s How it Works

8 weeks of Support and Training

The group will run from mid September to mid November. Each week we’ll have a Zoom webinar meeting (up to 1.5 hours) composed of training , coaching and follow up. The topics of these training sessions will be based on the above, but we’ll pay special attention to coaching you through your sticking points. We’ll provide you with certain scenes for project work so that everyone is on the same page as we learn TPF. In our live meetings everyone will share wins, goals, and challenges to get support, accountability, and feedback from the group and guidance from us.

Private online forum to interact between live webinars

Any time you need some input or encouragement, you can turn to the private forum on a daily basis to connect with other group members. We’ve found that the private group forum area is a powerful connecting tool to keep the conversation going between the weekly meetings. This extends the benefits of the coaching group beyond the mastermind and workshop calls.

VIP Add-On

If you would like additional resources, there’s a VIP add-on option that gives you the following in addition to everything above:-

• An additional 2 VIP teaching sessions with Vladimir, learning deeper on The PlantFactory.
• TPF Mega Video Bundle (12 hours) by Daniel Seebacher
  • Daniel Seebacher presents three sets of PlantFactory tutorials, providing a searchable library where any word or phrase spoken during the tutorials can be searched for across the library. Over 12 hours of content are included and all videos are captioned.
    • Tutorial set 1 : Basics and more advanced concepts
    • Tutorial set 2 : Advanced features in PlantFactory
    • Tutorial set 3 : Project based presentations
• GeekAtPlay- TPF model set bundle