03::Tree

Introduction

The Tree cluster provides a series of components that draw parametric diagrams of multi-phased plant systems.

The current of which is the tree component. The tree component is used to draw parametric diagrams of tree systems that are both Unitary and Non-Unitary. The diagrams are generated based on parametric inputs of phase, height, and drawing plane.

Component Usage

Please refer to the following sections for each component from this cluster. Although the information is not needed to generate the tree diagrams, information from the Soil, and Root clusters are required to complete the full diagram illustration.

Tree

This component is used to generate sectional tree diagrams based on the given plane, height and phase.

Unitary

Non-Unitary

Parameter	Abbreviation	I/O	Optional	Explanation
Plane	P		Yes	Base plane or planes in which the tree is drawn, the default value is World-XY unless specified.
Height	H		No	Input parameter that controls the height of the drawn tree diagrams.
Phase	phase		No	The growth phase ( [1, 12] ) of the tree, allowing adjustment of the maturity of the tree.
Circumfrence	C			Circumfrence ellipses that control the boundary of the tree.
Trunk	T			Curves that define the trunk of the tree.
Canopy	C			The upper limit of the drawn branches of the tree.
SideBranch	SB			A list of curves that include branches that grow horizontally in respect to the tree trunk.
TopBranch	TB			A list of curves that grow from the upper portion of the trunk at different phases of tree growth.
BabyBranch	BB			A list of curves that are drawn to show the development of smaller branches in different phases of growth.
TreeInfo	Tinfo			Information about the growth of the tree that is used for tree root diagram generation.

• Context Menu: This component provides an additional option in the context menu choose between unitary or Non Unitary, due to the different tree forms. The selection will trigger different algorithm inside the component for drawing the corresponding diagram.

Tree Growth Phases Diagram

Forest

The forest section is an extension of the tree component. The tree component can automatically adjust the width of each tree according to its distance from neighboring trees. By modifying the spacing between trees in the Grasshopper file (.gh file), you can create a diagram of a series of trees that are accurately adjusted based on their relationship to one another.

Tree3D

This component is used to generate 3-dimension tree diagrams based on the given plane and other control parameters such as size, branch angle, and phase. Specifically, the phase parameter signifies the tree's growth stage and influences its overall shape. The components include 13 distinct phases, as detailed below.

Parameter	Abbreviation	I/O	Optional	Explanation
Plane	P		Yes	Base plane(s) where the tree(s) is drawn.
Global Scale	globalS		Yes	Global scale of the tree.
Trunk Scale	trunkS		Yes	Trunk scale of the tree.
Spread Angle Main	angMain		Yes	Spread angle of the primary tree branches.
Spread Angle Top	angTop		Yes	Spread angle of the secontary tree branches (the top part).
Phase	phase		No	Phase of the tree's growth. Typical Phase: 2, 8, 10, and 13.
Seed	seed		Yes	Seed for random number to varify the tree shape.
Trunk	T			Tree trunk curves.
Branches	B			All tree branch curves.
Tree Info	Tinfo			Information about the tree.

• Note on branches: The Branches parameter on the output side includes all the branch curves, which are organized into 11 levels. To distinguish between branch curves at various levels, such as top branch curves and side branch curves, users can use the component Explode Tree as shown in the example above.

Tree3D Growth Phases Diagram

Typical Growth Phases

Forest3D

The forest3D section is an extension of the tree3D component. The tree3D component is capable of processing multiple inputs simultaneously, enabling the generation of 3D trees in diverse phases and locations. The component can automatically adjust the shape of each tree according to its distance from neighbouring trees. The example in the demo file randomly selects points within a specified area to determine locations, and then generate trees in a variety of phases and shapes. The result is demonstrated below.

Demo File

The Tree Demo (.gh file) is a grasshopper file that contains example definitions for Tree, Forest, Tree Root, Tree3D, and Forest3D diagram generation. For more information on tree root component see Roots documentation section. Note that these examples use components from the add-on Human to define the width of curves. Users can install this package via the PackageManager in Rhino.