Tree rendering - SpeedTree and alternatives.

Reading through the documents I see that Multiverse has implemented SpeedTree. While this is a good thing, SpeedTree is quite expensive for the Hobby level and for the low budget Indi house. SpeedTree for games (The license to use the API) runs around $9000 per title, or alternatively you can opt for a yearly Sub at around $1000/yr.

So the question is, since the engine already is coded to use a 3rd party Tree system how difficult would it be to add more options? For instance there is Woody3D http://woody3d.com/home/. Its not quite as powerful or all encompassing as SpeedTree but a license is only ~$195 and includes the API and Tree editor. And you only have to pay the additional license fee of $5000 if your title grosses over 250k.

It looks like it is written in c++ so we would have to write a wrapper for it. One of the problems I see with it is we would not be able to distribute their api so we would only be able to distribute the attachment to Multiverse.

I missed the c++ api. I had only seen that someone else had already made a Ogre connector for it and was thinking it might not be that hard to do.

Too bad, because it looks like an affordable alternative to SpeedTree.

http://woody3d.com/home/
"Woody3D was developed by Neil Kemp at Rendering Systems Inc. as an inexpensive solution for developers to bring fully animated trees and foliage to their applications and engines. Woody3D was discontinued in July 2012. "

Makes you sort of appreciate what Multiverse did when they released it as open source rather than just discontinuing it.

Haven't seen this one before.

Price just dropped... $29

http://www.treegenerator.com/

They have an old free version?? http://www.treegenerator.com/TreeGeneratorv12.zip




Realtime forest scene example in Ogre, click here ! http://www.treegenerator.com/ogre.htm

http://www.ogre3d.org/tikiwiki/tiki-index.php?page=PagedGeometry+Engine

"Real-time rendering of massive, dense forests, with not only trees, but bushes, grass, rocks, and other "clutter". Supports dynamic transitioned -LOD between batched geometry and static impostors (extendable). "

MOGRE might already have this...
http://www.ogre3d.org/addonforums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=29456&p=99352&hilit=PagedGeometry#p99352