HOW Do I make plant models for my archviz scenes?

Architectural scenes serve many purposes, from demonstrating designs to clients to use in other projects. No matter your final use, it’s almost always the case that a scene centred on a man-made structure will benefit from a touch of the organic. The contrast in colour, texture and form can really help add interest to the final render, as well as bring life and interest into what could be a sterile look (unless of course, sterile is what you’re going for).

The problem here is that it’s not always possible to find plant models that properly fit your use. There are lots of ready-made options, but it’s best to know how to efficiently create your own, and it’s actually pretty easy. To do this, you can make good use of Cinema 4D’s Mograph tools, with a very low polygon proxy object used as a placeholder. This method means you can keep the scene light and easy to navigate, only turning on the full level of detail once you are ready to render.

The process might be simple, but it can yield great results and is easily adaptable to different needs. In essence, you create a single leaf or cluster of leaves. which are then cloned onto your low-poly proxy (which is hidden from the render view). To take it a step further, you could model the main trunk or stem and a few of the larger branches. You can use the Cloner controls to define the amount of total leaves and to decide on how you want them placed. This works with everything

from a simple surface covering to a full volume set-up for close ups.

A good trick for this kind of set-up is to keep the geometry of the leaves as simple as possible, which will help come render time. To do this, you can create a material for your leaf with an alpha, so you can use planes with just a handful of polygons.

My files are available should you need them, but I’d advise creating your own in order to get a better understanding of how it all comes together in practice.