If you ever wanted to make a good palm tree for your computer game or animation, this is the right tutorial. This Tutorial is a step-by-step modeling and texturing tutorial in 3DS Max of how to model a good Palm Tree.
Final Result
Start by going to www.my3dtextures.com. You can download many free textures here for any kind of project you are working on, there are many other free texture web sites available but I like to advertise my own. :D
First click on Foliage then Foliage again. Next scroll down to the bottom and chose your type of palm leaf. Do the same with wood, we will need one wood texture and one palm texture.
First click on Foliage then Foliage again. Next scroll down to the bottom and chose your type of palm leaf. Do the same with wood, we will need one wood texture and one palm texture.
Next in Photo Shop make a new blank document, you can put the size to anything you like, but I am going to use 2048X2048 because it is a good size and also it is a power of 2.
Color it black
Next cut and paste the palm tree texture and the bark texture into your blank page. You can flatten or Merge both textures together by selecting the top texture and Right Clicking it, then chose Merge Down.
Next save this texture in any folder you want, then with your texture selected, hold down CTRL and click your texture, this should make a selection. Next create a new Layer and paint everything White. This texture you will want to save in the same folder as the previous texture, but at the end of the texture put MASK.
Once you have created these textures, you can open up 3DS Max. Chose the Front view port.
In the Shapes tab, chose Line.
In your front view port you want to create the side of one of your palm tree barks. You know how many palm trees you see in photos have ridges all the sway up their spines, well this is what we are trying to achieve. We only need the side, so create something like below.
Below you can see that next we apply a Lathe modifier. Go to your modifier stack and apply it. Follow the setting given below.
Next Right Click on your top modifier and chose Collapse To. Then if you like using Editable poly better than editable mesh, like I do, Right Click again and chose Editable poly.
This is what your object should look like after you are complete with the lathe command.
Next open up your Material editor, you can press M on your keyboard to open it up quickly. Next select a blank texture spot, click on the small button near Diffuse and then chose Bitmap from the menu.
Next pick your new texture you created.
When you are back in your Material editor, you can scroll down to the Maps section and see many different map slots. Do the same procedure as before but this time click on Opacity and instead of choosing your first texture, chose the Mask you created.
Apply your texture to your model, also clicking on the checkered button will help display your texture in the view port.
Next we will need to apply a Unwrap UVW modifier. Go to your modifier stack and chose Unwrap UVW by pressing U on your keyboard. Once you have the unwrap modifier, click the Icon and chose face. Follow the image below.
Selecting your object in your view port and then hitting Edit on your unwrap modifier should show you a screen like this one here. Once you have this screen up, click on Mapping and then Normal Mapping.
We want to chews Box Mapping for this object.
You should get something like this.
Next you will need to arrange your mapping as seen below. consolidate all your sides into one object and your top and bottom into one. Then place them over your wood texture.
To view your texture in your texture window, you can load your texture from the drop down menu at the top right of your screen where it says checker pattern.
To view your texture in your texture window, you can load your texture from the drop down menu at the top right of your screen where it says checker pattern.
After your first texture is applied to your model you should get something like this.
Next Right Click your texture modifier and chose Collapse to. Then go into your front view port again and while holding down SHIFT drag up a copy of your object until you get something like this. Give it 30 copies and press OK.
You should now get something like this. You can now decide how tall you want your palm tree. To make your palm tree smaller, just delete a few of the palm pieces. My palm tree is smaller so I am going to delete 9 of them.
Next scroll down in your modifier panel and click on the Attach button.
Then Attach all your palm pieces together.
So Next to start creating our palm leaves go to your Top view and click on your Geometry panel, then click on Plane.
Draw out a plane as long as you want for your palm leaves.
Then Right Click on your palm leaf in your modifier stack and turn it into an Editable Poly object.
Next we can apply our same texture to our model. Open up your material editor, and apply it.
Next apply a Unwrap UVW modifier to your palm leaf.
If you scroll down in your Unwrap UVW modifier you should see a section like this. To make a quick and easy layout of your palm leaf texture, select one of the Map X Y or Z and click on Quick Planar Map. I chose Z because that is what made my leaf flat.
Once your leaf is in the editor, arrange it to cover your leaf, remember that anything black will be invisible.
You should now have something like this. Next activate Edge mode in your polygon editor and select these edges. You will then need to drag them down a little to give your leaf the curved look.
Next click on your Hierarchy button and select Affect Pivot Only, then move your pivot to the end of your palm leaf as seen below.
Next we want to apply a bend modifier to our leaf, go to your modifier and press B on your keyboard until you get the bend modifier. Apply these settings below.
Next while holding down SHIFT rotate your leaf a few times as a copy, like the image below.
Continue to copy and rotate your leafs until you get something like this.
To finnish up our model, click on the base of the palm tree and then Click on the attach button on your modifier panel and attach everything.
Then again apply a bend modifier and bend your palm tree the sway you want it.
The final image here I added a sand box, and a building for the palm trees but you can do what ever you like.
This is the End of this tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it. Please spread the word. Thanks.
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