2.5D Trees

[gilius]

Hello all! I've been following the OneMonk site for a while. I'm always amazed at the quality of the models and I have been using some of them to play miniature games, so I decided to try to contribute with something.

I've been building some paper terrain for 15mm and 28mm, and that includes trees. I started making them with brown cardstock and green paper (there are pictures of those at my blog). I liked the results in terms of structure, but visually they were lacking, so I decided to try a printed version. Here is my first attempt, drawn at 150dpi on Gimp, about 50mm tall:



The basic difference from other 2.5D trees I've seen around is that you get a three-sided structure that, in my opinion, gives a wider view of the tree without being flat. To build it, you have to score the vertical lines and fold it making a "Y" shaped profile:



To test this version, I printed one tree in normal (90g/m) paper and glued it with glue stick. Here it is with a 15mm mini (reduced print from OneMonk's Dungeon Heroes, using the flat basing techniques from this forum) and a 28mm one (custom made) for reference.



I'd really like to hear any suggestions or comments about this.

[Dominic]

Your trees look good and match the style of the mini, but there are three-fold trees out there. Fat Dragon Games has a (rather older) set out there, and so does World Works Games (rather new) using exactly that system to make trees.

Still, good work .

[WaffleM]

That's a really nice tree. How difficult was it to cut out? I imagine that it was fairly easy.

For our trees we used a slotted technique and flat basing to make the trees in singles and groups (see image below), but your tri-fold method looks like a really great way to make single trees. The three sections would allow miniatures to fit in closer to the trunk of the tree than a slotted trunk would allow. This would make it easier to see which miniatures are under the cover of a tree and which are out in the open. My only suggestion would be to make the treetop larger and more irregular in shape.


Trees from Armor Grid: Terrain Pack

[paladin]

Sometimes mankind reinvents the wheel and does not know it (that happens to me in the last years all the time, knowledge is exploding, everybody knows nothing to little - and I blame the internet for that ... ).

As Satrek pointed out: your trees fit the simple, colorful forms of your minis very well. I would prefer some more "grunge" on the wood (fissures) and more contrast to the "head" of tree (leaves in different green shades, you can dot them very easily in with a proper sized leaf-brush in GIMP (search for on the web)). Don't forget some really dark shadows, as trees are usually not completely covered by leaves - you could see some branches. But anyway - that's a matter of taste. And it's 15 mm, so more abstraction of reality is OK.

I like your rough Mutant Pistol Hero. Would work also on 15 mm, even 10 mm .

[cowboyleland]

I'm all about fold up scenery. I bet there is a way to permanently attach a base with a slot in it. Then it would all fold flat and when you pulled the slot back together it would pop up. There are some Christmas decorations like this. When I retire I'll have time to work it out

[Vermin King]

cowboyleland had a 2.5d tree on the papermakeit archive site at one time. not sure of the link

[gilius]

Thanks for all the comments! Now for specific answers:

Dominic: I wasn't expecting this to be something completely new but you're right, I should have researched more, at least on the ranges from well-known paper minis/terrain makers.

WaffleM: I was able to cut out this version with scissors, without any problems (anyways, it's a very simple contour). I agree that this tri-fold is only for single trees (my intention is to place a couple over a small terrain patch to represent woods). By the way, I have recently got the Mech Attack bundle and I should be building some terrain and minis soon.

paladin: yeah, completely agree about reinventing the wheel... also, thanks for the tips, I'll look for the leaf brushes.

I'll post again on this when I have a new version of the tree, updated with the suggestions.

[cowboyleland]

I actually find that papermakeit tree a little embarrassing these days I do like the fact that there were places to set figs in the tree. I think there is a commercial product that does that now as well. I did not know that at the time.

[gilius]

Here's my updated 2.5D tree, based on received feedback. I actually used a leaf brush from Hawksmont's Leaf Brush Megapack (hawksmont.com/blog/gimp-brushes-leaves-mega-pack/) but it is hard to see on-screen (and pretty much impossible in print).

[gilius]

And here is my first set - a pack with two tree models and one recolor, fit for printing in A4 or letter at 150dpi.

[Kimerlin]

Greetings. I ask of the permission to use your trees in my project other Middle Ages. The reference to authorship will be certainly added on sheet with trees.

[gilius]

Feb 12, 2011 9:52:21 GMT -9 Kimerlin said:

Greetings. I ask of the permission to use your trees in my project other Middle Ages. The reference to authorship will be certainly added on sheet with trees.

Cool! Feel free to use them; I should have added some license information.

Ok, to make it more official, I'm releasing these 2.5D trees under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC-BY 3.0) creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Attribution to: "Ricardo (Gilius on Carboard Warriors Forum)"

There, I guess this is it.

[paladin]

Oh, I am a bit late, gilius ! Yes, I think your trees are much better now. My leaf-brush advice was overkill for sure at this scale, but it's adding up to subtle detail (especially in 300 dpi). Thanks for the brush-link, gilius, I've never used any leaf-brushes, it was just an idea to search ;D. The overall shading of your trees adds alot depth and texture. I like those branches peeking through the green. Seems to be that you are a very diligent follower of advice ;D ... .

Also, thanks for your kind sharing .

[Vermin King]

I actually came across your blog today. Your minis have a lot of character. You should do more of them. I think your pizza box is getting rather full. You might have to get another one. LOL

[gilius]

Mar 1, 2011 11:37:22 GMT -9 Vermin King said:

I actually came across your blog today. Your minis have a lot of character. You should do more of them. I think your pizza box is getting rather full. You might have to get another one. LOL

Thanks for the comments! I plan to make more types of trees, hopefully soon. As for the minis, I got a little carried away when I saw how many of them could be printed on a single sheet at a reduced scale

[squirmydad]

Now available at the new "Legends of Gilius" download page; www.onemonk.com/legendofgilius.html