Are there any good rock generators out there? I did a few google searches but cant find anything worth a second look.

May I ask, what is a rock generator? Does it make rock models? Or just place them in the world or something like that?

Maybe they are gas-powered rocks!

hahah they would make the rock model. Generate the rocks. I have tree generators so I figure ti onyl make sense if people would make a rock generator here and there also.

I tried searching "boulder generator" and all I got was a bunch of stuff about power plants in Colorado.

It's called a sphere and the squish/bend/warp/flatten/round/cut modifiers.

Maybe you could use a tree generator and just make a short, wide, branchless trees?

I want a menhir generator, maybe I'll make one and call it http://asteriximages.asterix.co.nz/obelix/img13.htm.

Is he a pagan?

Yeah, he's a pagan. I used to love Asterix when I was a kid!



If you want a simple rock, go with this.
For more detailed rocks, you could generate some terrain, then chop a piece off of it.

And for something unique, sculpt it in Blender.
TheDayWalker has made some great looking, unique terrain meshes, so you could ask him how he does it, though it's probably just sculpting in blender.

I doubt there are a lot of, if there are any, rock generators out there, rocks are pretty easy to make, when you get a good method going.

I always use noise modifier.

I've never used the noise modifier on a sphere.
I usually use the noise modifier on a high poly plane, it's a good way of generating rocky terrain in max, if you can't be bothered to make a smoke map, and if you just need a rock, then chop a piece off.

I'll have to try it out.
Also remember, zackg is a Blender user AFAIK, so naming max modifiers might not help.

My rocks were space rocks, good old days..

The Max modifiers are named after what they do, so even for Blender users it'll give an idea of what function to use (assuming Blender has the equivalent).


I don't know about the whole chopping a piece off part. If you leave it as a complete sphere-ish rock, you have a lot more freedom in placing it. The original rocks, you couldn't flip them upside-down, so they were all more or less the same way. If you leave the bottom on, you can flip them any which way, which can provide more variety.

May I present http://www.selleri.org/Blender/scripts/text.html? Some of the included presets include asteroids, which could probably become rocks with a little tweaking (eg. removing the craters) Or, you could just find some real rocks, and model them... :rolleyes:

You haven't used Blender have you? It has a lot less modifiers than max, though then again, it has had sculpting for a while unlike max, and most of the modifiers missing were pretty pointless anyway.
You should try it out, it has some nice features. The same names have different meanings in the two programs, and modifiers that do the same thing have different names too.

I haven't seen a noise modifier similar to max's in Blender myself, just a noise tool which seems to do something different, but I've seen displacement maps used, Zackg could use that.



For simple spherical rocks, you can use your method (though tbh I think zackg doesn't want something like that), my method is for making craggier rocks.
It takes two seconds to make a bottom to it if you really want one though, just select the bottom edges, bridge, and extrude. Alternatively use symmetry then FFD and optimize.

Anyway, he's using Blender, so if he wants to edit a sphere, he might as well sculpt it.
I suggest just sculpting the rocks anyway, no need to get overly compicated, sculpting is easy and looks great.

Generators do not http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC06V8vXUqI consume fuel

Yes they do. They may used special techniques, as demonstrated in the video you posted, to consume less fuel. But there is always an energy input.

Zack, if i were you i would simply make some low poly spheres and apply a noise modifier. Possibly cut the bottom off or whatever. Rocks take seconds to model.

If you want i could model a load of rocks for you.