Indian artists’ collective Oormi Creations has released MaxGrass, a simple 3ds Max script for creating grass and vegetation, including the option to animate growth.

The script generates geometry directly, rather than relying on hair or particles, and is designed to be simple enough to use that “a beginner needs to click just one button to start off”.

Power users get a range of parameters to control the blade shape and clumping, and six further parameters to control animation. Grass distribution, height and colour can also be controlled via 2D maps.

The script enables artists to use a custom base grass model, and supports basic environment creation (described in the feature list as “skydome, clouds, sunlight”).

So far, there’s no support for external forces, such as wind, but at around $20 a pop – the exact price depends on which reseller you buy it from – you can’t have everything. It works with 3ds Max 2011 and above.

Read the online documentation for MaxGrass

Download the trial version of MaxGrass

Buy MaxGrass via CGArena

Buy MaxGrass via TurboSquid

Tags: 3ds max, animated, cheap, create, Featured Articles, grass, low-cost, MaxGrass, Oormi Creations, plant, price, script, vegetation