What is the most efficient way to create a lot of grass without p.c slowing

[tonyhaer]

What is the most efficient way to create a lot of grass without p.c slowing down too much?

[joojaa]

Most is not defined. Depends quite much on yoru circumstaces. Do you need a proxy? Is api code to represent teh data acceptable. Howabout just using fur with custom sheders. Do you need to interact with the grass. What kind of renderbuget do you have. Can you wirte a geometry shader=

I would write a geometry shader that reads fur data descriptions. Or possibly paint fx and dunp things in segments to mentlalray files that i then load in at rendertime into the render. That way they arent loaded untill rendering time, Thsi not slowing you donw except during rendering.

Offcourse if you have the option to use PRman then thet would be one path lots f work mayabe but you can find vendors who sell thsi solutions tough.

[daikath]

Maybe for one practical method, if you don't know to do most of the stuff Joojaa suggests (although all valid points). Make a plane and get a grass texture for it, now desaturate a copy of the texture file, play with the contrast and use it as a bump and displacement map. Place with the tesselation settings for the right ammount of detail.

Here is a nice grass texture tutorial. http://www.myinkblog.com/2008/06/11/create-an-awesome-grass-texture-in-photoshop/

It won't react to anything and it won't be the prettiest, but you got some grass things sticking up with the lowest rendertime to do so.

If you want to do it right, create a hair system where each blade of grass is a hair (perhaps even poly gras driven by a curve using a IKSpline). Then have some wind and make it collide with objects interacting with the grass.

If you want i'd give you some pointers on how to do that. including very realistic shading of the grass.

[joojaa]

Fur has basically same property but is even lighter. Hair may be able to do a lot fo tricks tough.

[tonyhaer]

thanks guys