Alex Cheparev shows a few easy techniques for building a tree and roots system on a patch of ground.

3D is all about the process, and this new tutorial from Alex Cheparev is an excellent testament to that. Alex shows how you can use a few simple tools in Autodesk Maya to create a tree trunk and some roots on a patch of ground.

The tutorial shows how you can leverage curves, the shrink wrap deformer, and the fact that Maya’s extrude tool can accept curves as a path for an extrude to create a tree’s base.

If you need to build an entire forest of trees, then have a look at this tutorial from VFX Artist Sam Biddle that shows how you can use MASH and Arnold to make one.