You've done it- you modeled the perfect tree. The UV's and textures are done, and now it's time to place the leaves- but where do you start? How do you get them to look natural? This article will provide three strong tips for kickstarting the process and making your leaves look as realistic as possible. 

I use Autodesk Maya, but these tips should apply for most other modeling programs as well!

Tip #1- Size them appropriately!

It may seem obvious, but making sure your leaves are the appropriate size makes a big difference in appearance. Too-small leaves will overpopulate your tree and drive up the poly count, and too-big leaves will look clunky and unrealistic. The best way to make sure your leaves are the right size is to drag in a human-size model and put them side-by-side, using a reference photo of an average-sized person standing next to the species of tree you're making. 

Comparing them to the branches you modeled can be misleading, and it's very disheartening to realize you have to start over halfway through placing them because your leaves are the wrong size.

TIP #2- Bend your planes!

After placing your textures on the plane, reduce the number of edges until it's just an outlined square. 

Then, place edge loops along the plane, making sure they trace through the center of the texture. 

Manipulating these edges will take away the paper-like quality of your leaves, and make them visible from multiple angles!

TIP #3- Make some clusters!

After assembling your planes, it may be tempting to just dive right in and start plastering them everywhere- but resist that urge! Assembling a few different clusters of leaves beforehand will give your tree a much fuller appearance, and cut down your assembly time. 

This doesn't mean just adding multiple leaves to one plane, but layering the planes themselves on top of each other to create depth and shadows. Group them together, adjust the pivot point (CRTL + D) and get to leafing!

I struggled a lot when assembling my cherry blossom tree, and knowing these tips before I started definitely would've made a difference. I'm hoping some other people can get some use from them as well- and I'd love to see the final results! Feel free to tweet me @nat_gallo if you use any of these :) I've also assembled a few links I found to video tutorials that may be helpful:

How To Make and Place Alpha Maps

A Good Method For Making Clusters - starting at 9:59

A Helpful Speed Tutorial For Bending Planes - starting at 5:40

Thanks for reading!

~Nat