This page updated: August, 2003
GLS TReal help on Tracing a Leaf or Fruit for input parameters and the description of the parameters
- Image of a Leaf is traced to derive input to the Tree / Leaf
- Prepare the photograph if necessary by rotating (stem is down - at bottom so leaf grows UP), resizing (256x256 : power of 2, Square), formating (jpg or tga), eliminating the background... black-transparent background so when used as the Texture the area outside the leaf will Not show: tga format for leaves with transparent regions within the selected leaf area. (uhm yeah, still buggy boundary)
- Load the leaf image
- Start the Tracing Activity from the Menu or the Pushbuttons on the High Level Parameters page. (Yes, load the image on one page, trace on another, then go back to continue... or use the menu)
- Mouse click points from the Center Base of the leaf to the left (clockwise), clicking the extremities, until the center base point is reached again. The Points clicked MUST be in a fan shape with NO points behind other points (Convex Not Concave).
- Finish: clicking the Menu or the Pushbuttons will stop the tracing operation and input the points into the Leaf Shape parameters.
- Save the Shape file
- Go back to the Leaf page (or use the menu commands)
- Press the Save as [Disk] icon
- Enter a file name ... same as the image file with a .lsf extension rather than the .jpg, .tga or .png extension.
- Record the Image file as the Texture by clicking the Leaf Texture: Open [Folder] icon and selecting the image file as the Texture file... it will not be loaded, only stored till used in the Rendering.
- Image of a Fruit is traced to derive input to the Tree / Leaf / Fruit ... similar to a Leaf except with added flavor. Image is not required to be square, although it must still be a power of 2 in width and height. More likely to require transparent regions and thus be a tga format image.
This will not work
This will work
If points 1,2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,19 were the points selected and the texture was a transparent .tga then the oak leaf would be functional.
- Parameters on the left: standard original leaf parameters
- Leaves: the number on each branch at the last level... the total number of branches is a factor of all levels. ~1000 branches times the number of leaves (40) = 40,000 leaves.
- Leaf Scale: (size in meters) (0.3 = ~ 1 foot)
- Leaf Scale X: (as these are traced probably always 1) (often used to 'warp' an oval into a needle)
- Attraction Up: Tendency to face light. (0.5).. face upside down for rain?
- Leaf Offset determines the amount of 'fake invisible stem' offset from the stem to the leaf base. This can be used to move the leaf out from a stem, or center the leaf over the stem like some leaves.
- how they are grouped at the location (NA)
( , , , )
- Leaf Quality has been deleted. Values >1 would increase the number of leaves and reduce their size.
- Leaf Shape has been deleted.
- Parameters on the right: new leaf parameters
- Leaf Image File loads an image displayed to the left. This is used to trace: Mouse point the extremities. Not really needed after tracing finishe, kept for reference, should be the same image used for texture.
- Leaf shape file is used to load or save a file after the points are pointed. Save after Tracing finished, Load to use as the leaf shape file. If a file does not exist it will revert back to the default leaf shape and texture.
- Leaf shape file type selection.
- Leaf Texture selects an image to be used as a texture for the leaves. Note the Shape and Texture are 'pairs'.
- Leaf color [] allows variation of the color selected to be the leaf top color
- Leaf color [] allows variation of the color selected to be the leaf bottom color
- The number of leaves per place (NA) and
- Location allows the selection of where the leaves are to be located (NA)
(Length, Alternate, Clumps, End)
- Parameters on the bottom: Fruit
- Left side
- Fruit location on the stem (NA)
- Number of Fruit to be displayed
- Fruit Scale (size in meters)
- Fruit Scale X (as these are traced probably always 1)
- Fruit type selection (NA) (See ___.txt for list)
- Right side
- Fruit Image File loads an image displayed to the left. This is used to trace: Mouse point the extremities.
- Fruit shape file is used to load or save a file after the edges are pointed
- Fruit shape file type selection.
- Fruit Texture selects an image to be used as a texture for the fruit/nuts/berries.
- Fruit color [] allows variation of the color selected to be the base Fruit color
GLS TReal Help
- glstree
- Data - Changes - (GLS) Tree
Copyright
© 1991..2003 by Ivan Lee Herring