Sepal

Clicking on Sepal in the Flower Parts drop-down menu will add it to the Flower Layers list.

When Sepal is highlighted in this list, the following attributes will all be accessible.

Main tab

Count

The number of sepals can be increased or decreased.

Sepal Count setting of 3.

Count of 7, giving seven sepals.

Radius

This slider will adjust the radius of the sepals.

Position

The position of the sepals can be raised or lowered.

Layers

This is set to one layer, by default, but you can add more layers, which will have an identical number of sepals.

Layer Step

Increasing this will place a gap between the sepal layers.

toFlower_Sepals_Layer Step.png

The Layer Step is 1cm, in this image, with the 3 Layers set.

Layer Rotation

You can rotate the layers, in order to make them all visible.

toFlower_Sepals_Layer Rotation.png

The same settings as above, but with a Layer Rotation value of 33 degrees applied.

Layer Scale

This spline curves gives you finer detailed control over the sizes of the individual layers you have on your flower.

toFlower_Sepals_Layer Scale.png

Once again, the same settings as the image above, except the Layer Scale spline has a downward curve, reducing the size of the layers as they go from top to bottom.

Phong Options

These options allow you to adjust the smooth shading between neighboring polygons.

Smooth shading can be applied across all polygons, or it can be restricted using the Angle Limit and Phong Angle settings. **

Angle Limit

When activated, this will use the Phong Angle value to **restrict where smoothing occurs. **

Phong Angle

You can change this to set the angle limit, up until which the neighboring surfaces will be smoothed.

Geometry tab

Size

You can increase or decrease sepal sizes.

Size Variation

In order to make things look more organic, you can add variation here.

toFlower_Sepals_Size Variation.png

Size Variation set at 60%.

Width

This will change the width of your sepals.

In this image, the sepal Width is reduced to 0.5cm.

Length

Similarly, changes the length of your sepals.

Here, the sepal Length is increased to 10cm.

Width Segments

In order to alter the geometry, you can add width segments.

Length Segments

Similarly, you can add length segments.

Subdivisions

To smoothen out your sepals, you can add subdivisions to give more geometry.

Subdivisions set at 0 (zero).

Subdivisions raised to 2.

Thickness

Adding thickness will give your sepals depth.

Unfolding the drop-down arrow will reveal a Depth Profile spline curve.

The sepal Thickness is increased to a value of 0.3 here.

Symmetric

Enabling this parameter will apply symmetry to the Thickness setting across your Sepal layer.

Depth Profile

You can shape the Depth Profile to meet your needs and, similarly, you can use Load Preset to call up earlier saved designs and Save Preset to save any new petal creations.

toFlower_Sepals_Thickness_Depth Profile_01.png

A Depth Profile spline at full strength gives the same thickness along the length of the sepal.

toFlower_Sepals_Thickness_Depth Profile_02.png

By comparison, this Depth Profile curve is reducing the thickness at the sepal base and tips.

Profile

The default setting can be adjusted to personalize your sepals.

This profile can then be saved in Save Preset, or you can load a previously created design from Load Preset.

With the Profile curve set, the sepals mimic the spline setting.

A similar Profile setting, except the thickness continues further, before thinning out at the tip.

Edge Noise

Symmetric

Enabling this parameter will apply symmetry to the edge noise across the Sepal layer.

Strength

Controls the amount of noise along the edges of the sepals.

toFlower_Sepals_Edge Noise.png

100% Strength shaping the edge noise on the sepals.

Scale

Applies the usual scale control to the noise setting.

toFlower_Sepals_Edge Noise_Scale.png

The reduced Scale of 25% is giving the larger noise pattern, in this image.

Bias

Allows you to further control where, on the sepals, the noise is targeted.

Custom Object

You can import custom objects by simply dragging them into the Custom Object link field and then alter the different settings, as desired.

Orientation tab

Angle

You can angle the sepals up, or down, using this Angle slider.

Clicking on the drop-down arrow will reveal an Angle Bias curve.

Angle setting of (negative) -30 degrees, initially raising the sepals upwards.

Angle now set at 10 degrees.

Angle Bias

The X-axis represents the different layers and the Y-axis is the strength of the angles up to the degree set in the Angle parameter, above.

By manipulating this spline you can set different layers at different angles, to create a more natural, realistic look.

With the Angle Bias at full strength, the sepals have full angle throughout.

This second Angle Bias curve raises late, so there is no angle at the top layers, increasing to the full amount towards the bottom layers.

Twist

This setting will twist the sepals by a set degree.

Twist set at 35 degrees.

Modifiers tab

These settings give you the ability to deform and twist your sepals.

Modifier

The available Modifier types are: Fold, Furling, Turbulence, Deform and Displacer.

Each comes with its own parameter settings.

Modifier Stack

The hierarchical list of modifiers affecting your plant layer.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_01.png

In this first image, there are no modifiers in the Modifier Stack, so none are active.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_02.png

All five Modifier types are active in the Modifier Stack.

Fold modifier

Here, you can fold the sepals upwards or downwards.

Angle

By default, this is set at 12 degrees but you can increase or decrease this.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_01.png

Fold Angle at (negative) -50 degrees.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_02.png

Contrast the previous image with a positive Angle setting of 50 degrees, folding the sepals in the opposite direction.

Fold Offset

Allows you to offset the fold by a percentage.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_Offset_v01.png

The Fold Offset is 45%, in this image.

Shape

This curve gives you extra control over where, on the sepal, the folding is taking place.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_Shape_01.png

This rising spline Shape setting gives the rising folding shape above.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_Shape_02.png

Contrast the previous image with this falling Shape curve and the different fold pattern it produces.

Bias

This controls the fold along the length of the sepal.

At 50%, the folding will begin halfway along the sepal.

Decreasing the percentage will start the folding from closer to the beginning of the sepal and increasing it will move the folding towards the tips..

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_Bias_01.png

This rising Bias spline results in more folding at the tip.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Fold_Bias_02.png

By comparison, this falling Bias curve has less folding at the tip.

Furling modifier

The Furling settings mimic the natural curling that can occur in plants as they grow.

Angle

Increasing this slider will apply an angle in one direction and decreasing it will curl in the other.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Furling_Angle_02_v02.png

The furling Angle of 100 degrees, furls the sepals upwards.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Furling_Angle_01_v02.png

With a (negative) -80 degree Angle value, the sepals furl downwards.

Bias

This dictates where, on the sepals, the furling takes place.

At the default setting of 50%, furling occurs from the middle of the sepal, towards the end.

Lowering the setting sets the furling beginning nearer the start of the sepal and raising it has the opposite effect.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Furling_Bias_01_v02.png

There is 0 (zero) % furling Bias, in this image.

Angle Bias

This setting (added with update 2024.2) simply acts as a multiplier to the existing bend angle along the length of the Sepal layer.

Untitled

The Angle Bias spline (added with update 2024.2) can be manipulated to shape and customize your sepal.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Furling_Bias_02_v02.png

Bias raised to 65%.

Layer Bias

This allows control over how much furling angle there is on a per-layer basis.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifiers_Furl_Layer Bias_01.png

Layer Bias at full strength, giving the same amount of furling for each Sepal layer.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifiers_Furl_Layer Bias_02.png

With this rising linear Layer Bias spline, there is no furling on the top layers of the sepals, going to up maximum furling on the lower layers.

Turbulence modifier

Seed

Changing this value will give a different, random look, based on the values set.

Vary Seed

Enabling this will give a further variety to the Seed setting.

Strength

You can increase this, to your taste, either by using the slider to 100% or manually inputting a higher value to further increase the deformation.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Turbulence_Strength.png

Turbulence Strength setting of 100%.

Frequency

Sets the rate at which the turbulence animates.

Scale

This slider increases or decreases the scale of turbulence that you have set, with much more detailed noise deformation at lower value settings.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Turbulence_Scale.png

With the Strength at 100%, the Scale is lowered, here, to 50%, giving a more detailed turbulence.

Bias

The Bias slider setting dictates where, along the sepals, the deformation begins.

At the default setting of 0 (zero) %, the entire layer is affected by the turbulence and at 100% there is no turbulence at all.

A negative bias value will isolate the deformation to affect the base of the layer, whereas a positive bias value will isolate the deformation to affect the tip(s) of the layer.

Deform modifier

Shape

You can also deform the sepals, along their length in conjunction with the Strength slider.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Deform_Shape_02.png

This image has a user defined Shape set, deforming the sepals.

Strength

This slider controls the amount of deformity in the sepals.

Displacer modifier

This modifier lets you bring in a Shader or a Texture to shape the sepals.

Selecting this modifier will give you the usual additional options (explained more fully in the Stamen layer page) to be able to import your Shader or Texture into the scene, including parameters for Channel and Tolerance settings.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Displacement.png

With the Texture Source set as Shader, a Fusion shader is driving the appearance of this sepal.

toFlower_Sepals_Modifier Stack_Displacement_Tolerance_v01.png

Increasing the Tolerance to a high value means that only the brightest areas of the shader will displace.