These tree models are studies based off of the Bristlecone Pine trees (Pinus longaeva) that grow in the high mountains of California and Nevada. They are some of the oldest living non-clonal organisms on Earth.
These trees are thousands of years old, so I really wanted to make them look gnarled, ancient, and almost magical. The unique “hero” tree is based off of a particular tree named Methusaleh. The other tree is a more modular tree that could be used in a high alpine environment repeatedly.
I sculpted the high polys in Zbrush, retopologized the lower poly models in Maya, baked the high poly maps in Marmoset Toolbag, and textured in Substance Painter. Final texture tweaks were done in Photoshop.
