Let’s learn how to use guide plains in Voxel Max by modeling a detailed tree. While you can still do parts of this tutorial without a 3D Touch device or stylus, it will be very difficult to get a good looking result without pressure sensitivity.
Start by opening the brick wall we created in the previous tutorial. Tap the back button to go to the Scene Mode. Here we can make a new object without making a mess of our wall.
Tap the Add Object button, and double tap on the new orange block to edit it. You will still be able to see the wall and grass, but they are protected while we are editing this new object.
Using the Erase Tool, double tap on the orange block to remove it. Remember that you need to have the Camera Rotation Lock turned off in order for double-tap features to work.
Long press on the View Cube and tap the Guide Plane button.
From the Color Palette, select a medium brown swatch. Turn on Color Randomization with Low Pressure and set Texture Pressure to medium. This will give our tree trunk a lot of variety.
Make sure you’re using the Create Tool in Centered Mode and set the Spherical Brush to size 10. Tap on the ground to begin a tree stump.
Set the brush size to 1 to allow fully tapered tips on a Free Hand stroke. With very slight pressure, press a short distance away, then draw a curvy stroke toward the stump while increasing pressure. Do this several times all the way around the stump to create roots.
If you do not have pressure sensitivity available, you can use a Size 1 stroke and use the Resize Active Control Point tool to adjust the thickness. This will take a lot longer than using pressure sensitivity, so a pressure-sensitive stylus like the Apple Pencil is recommended to enjoy the full capabilities of Voxel Max.
Set the brush size to 2. Now pressing on the vertical side of a voxel in the center of the tree trunk, draw a winding stem upwards. Notice how the Guide Plane allows you to draw in the air.
If your stem is flat on the backside, make sure to go to the settings and disable the “constrain to guide plane” option, which should be off by default.
Add some branches shooting off from the stem by pressing on the vertical sides of voxels and drawing more freehand strokes on the guide plane. Rotate the camera 90° every once in a while to get a sense of the 3-D volume that the tree branches are filling up.
Disable the Guide Plane and begin thickening the trunk and branches by drawing up from the roots using a varied pressure. You can use a thicker or thinner Spherical Brush to your preference.
The size 2 brush in the previous step was to ensure that it’s easier to draw on the branches. If the branch is too thin it is easy to miss and the Free Hand stroke will jump all the way to the edge of the volume. If this happens you can switch to the Erase Tool and disconnect the mistake from the rest of the tree then double-tap on it to erase it entirely.
Sculpt the tree trunk and branches until you’re happy with the shape by alternating between the Create and Erase Tools. Then, turn the Guide Plane back on, set the brush size to one, and Pressure Sensitivity to low. Add smaller branches on all of the limbs to fill out the top of the tree.
You can use the Move Tool to adjust branches in a third dimension off of the guide plane.
Turning off the Guide Plane again, choose a darker brown swatch and use the Paint Tool to shade the cracks between pieces of bark. I find it sometimes helpful to turn on Rotation Lock so I can quickly sketch colors along the tree without worrying about accidentally moving the camera.
With our tree trunk complete we can now add leaves. Press the Back Button to return to the Scene Editor and create another new object. Double-tap the new object to edit it, and double tap with the Eraser to remove the default orange block.
We’re making the leaves in a new object to protect the branches we made, which will also allow us to make multiple versions with autumn leaves, snow, or bare branches.
Set the Spherical Brush size to 10, turn on Color and Texture Randomization, set both Pressure Sensitivities to high, select a dark green color, and set the Create Tool to Centered Single Mode. Begin tapping around all of the branches with varied pressure to create bunches of leaves with different sizes and colors. You can also use the stretch menus to squash the sphere in different dimensions for more shape variety.
And with that, you have an impressive and beautiful voxel tree. From here you can do all sorts of other things like adding a hole for an owl, putting fruit on the tree or trying cubes with object rotation for a unique style.
You can follow this tutorial in video form!