Plant Area Wizard
Draw a closed boundary polygon and the Plant Area Wizard fills it with a procedural mix of plants — forest, meadow, formal bed, ground cover, or scattered.
Plant Area WizardThe Plant Area Wizard fills a closed polygon with a parametric planting area populated with a procedurally distributed mix of plant species. Draw the boundary polygon on the canvas first, then launch the wizard and select that shape to adopt it. Choose from five character presets — Forest, Meadow, Formal Bed, Ground Cover, or Scattered — then configure the species mix, spatial distribution, and visual maturity in a guided four-step flow. Because the result is a parametric object, you can re-open the wizard at any time to adjust species ratios, density, or age gradient without redrawing. Use it to design planting beds, woodland edges, wildflower meadows, or any area that needs a naturalistic multi-species planting.
Step 3: Species Mix
Build the list of plant types in the area. Each row shows a visual profile icon, name, percentage share (auto-normalised so all shares sum to 100%), ecological layer (Canopy, Mid-story, Understory, Ground), and height min/max. Click Add Species to open an inline plant profile picker and add another entry. At least 1 species must remain. Ground-layer entries can also have a surface material assigned via the material library browser.
Step 4: Distribution
Fine-tune the spatial algorithm. Forest and Meadow styles show cluster radius and average cluster size sliders. Formal and Ground Cover styles show grid spacing (X and Y), grid angle, and a stagger toggle. All styles share: density multiplier, minimum spacing between plants, and a seed field with a Regenerate button to produce a new variation.
Step 5: Visuals
Set global maturity level (slider: 0–100% drives plant size and density across the area). Toggle Age Gradient on to make plants at the edge of the area appear younger and smaller than those at the centre. Each species entry shows a foliage colour swatch (set to null to use the profile default) and a flower toggle (available for SmallPlant, Bush, SpreadingShrub, MoundShrub, and VaseShrub profiles).
Fine-tune the distribution
The Distribution step controls the spatial algorithm and shows different controls for each style. Forest and Meadow expose Min spacing, Clusters (count), Cluster radius, Edge density, and Species zone scale. Formal Bed and Ground Cover expose Spacing X, Spacing Y, Jitter, Grid angle, and a Stagger rows toggle. Every style shares a Density multiplier and a seed control — click New random layout to produce a fresh spatial variation without changing any other setting.
Set visual maturity and insert
In the Visuals step drag the Maturity slider (0–100%) to scale plant sizes and density across the whole area. Enable Age gradient to bias larger plants toward the centre, so plants near the boundary edge appear younger and smaller. Each species row shows a Foliage colour swatch — leave it at the default to use the plant profile's color, or pick a custom tint; profiles that flower also show a Show flowers toggle. Click Apply to place the parametric plant area on the canvas.
To edit an existing plant area, select it on the canvas and click Edit in the Inspector panel, or double-click the area directly. The wizard re-opens at the last active step with all current settings intact, so you can adjust species ratios, swap the style preset, or regenerate the layout without starting from scratch.
The Insert as individual plants checkbox in the Visuals step inserts the area as separate plant entities instead of a single parametric area. This is a one-way operation — once inserted this way, the plants can no longer be edited as a single parametric area. There is a limit of 500 plants for individual insertion; if your area exceeds it, reduce the density or area size, or leave the option off. Use it only when you need to move or style individual plants independently.
A Plant Area and a meadow surface fill are two separate things. The Plant Area Wizard places individual plant objects on top of the canvas. To give the ground itself a meadow texture in 3D or photo mode, apply a meadow surface fill to the same polygon through the Style Inspector. Use both together for a fully dressed meadow scene.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start a plant area? Do I draw inside the wizard?
Draw the boundary first. Create a closed shape — a polygon, rectangle, circle, ellipse, or closed path of at least 3 points — on the canvas. Then open the Add Object panel, go to the Plants tab, and click Plant Area. If the shape is already selected the wizard adopts it immediately; otherwise it prompts you to click a closed shape to adopt. The adopted shape becomes the parametric area's boundary.
Can I use a shape I already drew on the canvas as the boundary?
Yes — that is the intended flow. The wizard adopts an existing closed polygon or path as the plant area boundary and takes ownership of it, so it is no longer a separate standalone shape. There is no separate in-wizard boundary-drawing step.
My planting area looks too crowded or too sparse. How do I fix it?
Open the Distribution step and adjust the Density multiplier (overall count) and, where it appears, Min spacing (closest distance between plants). For Forest and Meadow styles, reduce the cluster count or cluster radius for a more open feel. For Formal Bed and Ground Cover styles, increase Spacing X and Spacing Y to widen the gaps between plants.
How do I get a different layout without changing species or density?
In the Distribution step, click the New random layout button. This produces a new spatial variation using the same style, species mix, and density settings. Each click gives you a different result; when you find one you like, click Apply.
Is the Meadow preset the same as a meadow ground surface?
No — they are separate tools. The Meadow preset scatters individual wildflower and grass plants across the polygon. A meadow ground texture is applied as a surface fill through the Style Inspector on the same polygon. For a fully dressed meadow in 3D or photo mode, apply both: the surface fill for the ground color and texture, and the Plant Area for the plants growing on top of it.