3D foliage swaying

Sway foliage of 3D objects according to the wind.

Authors and contributors to this experimental extension: justBo, D8H.

Warning

This is an extension made by a community member and it only got through a light review by the GDevelop extension team. As such, we can't guarantee it meets all the quality standards of fully reviewed extensions.

Sway foliage of 3D objects according to wind.

Multiple sway types: Grass, Bush, Tree Trunk (dead tree), and Tree Leaves (more coming soon)
Works with both regular meshes and GPU-instanced foliage for better performance
Global wind controls: strength, speed, and wind direction
Optional gust system with texture-driven gust masks
Optional visual tuning: gradient tint, saturation/contrast, PBR tweaks
Distance-based fading/culling for better performance

Limitations

Collision is not yet supported for GPU instanced objects but is planned.
The mesh complexity auto-detection (SwayResponse parameter) is not perfect and can produce inconsistent sway intensity across assets. If you encounter overly strong or weak sways, experiment with the SwayResponse value to make your asset's sway consistent. Use the debug option to find the auto-selected value, then increase or decrease it.
Foliage material auto-detection works well and can usually be left empty, but there are edge cases with multi-material objects. If you don't have access to the source file of your 3D object, you can find your object's material name using the debug option in object's Foliage swaying behavior.
The optional wind gust texture can create natural-looking gusts and is worth creating. If not, one will be automatically created.
To make one yourself, use only black and red colors (black will be ignored and red will be the actual gust map). For the best results, create a tileable 512x512 image or download one of the examples below. 01 / 02 / 03 / 04
Hot reload supports all basic behavior property changes, excluding Sway settings (Material to sway, Sway type, Enable uniform sway toggle) and Distance culling, Debug output, GPU instancing, and Custom PBR settings toggles. However, if PBR settings are enabled as you start the preview, changes to specific PBR values will be updated on hot-reload.

Tip

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Actions

Fading update frequency
Change how often distance-fade culling updates (times per second; 1-120; default: 10).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetFadingFrequency.

De/activate wind
Activate or deactivate the wind.

See parameters & details

Parameter 1 (❓ Yes or No): Enable wind gust

Technical note: parameters 0, 2 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindActivated.

Wind direction angle
Change the wind direction angle (default: 0).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindAngle.

De/activate wind gust
Activate or deactivate wind gust.

See parameters & details

Parameter 1 (❓ Yes or No): Enable wind gust

Technical note: parameters 0, 2 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustActivated.

Wind gust contrast
Change the sharpness/strength of gust mask transition (default: 1.6).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustContrast.

Wind gust scale
Change the wind gust noise/wave spatial scale, pattern size (default: 0.0005).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustScale.

Wind gust speed
Change the wind gust animation speed (default: 0.25).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustSpeed.

Wind gust strength scale
Change the wind gust strength multiplier (default: 3).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustStrenghtScale.

Wind gust texture
Change the image used for the wind gust map texture (optional; red channel drives gust mask).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1 (imageResource): Gust texture

Technical note: parameters 0, 2 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustTexture.

Wind gust threshold
Change where gust texture starts affecting motion (0-1, default: 0.28).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindGustThreshold.

Wind speed
Change the wind speed. It controls sway animation speed (default: 4).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindSpeed.

Wind strength
Change the wind strength. It controls how strong the sway is (default: 6).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this action internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::SetWindStrength.

Conditions

Fading update frequency
Compare how often distance-fade culling updates (times per second; 1-120; default: 10).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::FadingFrequency.

Wind gust activated
Check if the wind gust activated.

See parameters & details

There are no parameters to set for this condition.

Technical note: parameters 0, 1 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::IsWindActivated.

Wind gust activated
Check if the wind gust activated.

See parameters & details

There are no parameters to set for this condition.

Technical note: parameters 0, 1 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::IsWindGustActivated.

Wind direction angle
Compare the wind direction angle (default: 0).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindAngle.

Wind gust contrast
Compare the sharpness/strength of gust mask transition (default: 1.6).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustContrast.

Wind gust scale
Compare the wind gust noise/wave spatial scale, pattern size (default: 0.0005).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustScale.

Wind gust speed
Compare the wind gust animation speed (default: 0.25).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustSpeed.

Wind gust strength scale
Compare the wind gust strength multiplier (default: 3).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustStrenghtScale.

Wind gust threshold
Compare where gust texture starts affecting motion (0-1, default: 0.28).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustThreshold.

Wind speed
Compare the wind speed. It controls sway animation speed (default: 4).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindSpeed.

Wind strength
Compare the wind strength. It controls how strong the sway is (default: 6).

See parameters & details

Parameter 1: 🟰 Relational operator
Parameter 2 (🔢 Number): Value to compare

Technical note: parameters 0, 3 are internal parameters handled by GDevelop.

Technical note: this condition internal type (in GDevelop JSON) is FoliageSwaying3D::WindStrength.

Expressions

Expression	Description
`FoliageSwaying3D::FadingFrequency()`	Return how often distance-fade culling updates (times per second; 1-120; default: 10).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindAngle()`	Return the wind direction angle (default: 0).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustContrast()`	Return the sharpness/strength of gust mask transition (default: 1.6).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustScale()`	Return the wind gust noise/wave spatial scale, pattern size (default: 0.0005).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustSpeed()`	Return the wind gust animation speed (default: 0.25).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustStrenghtScale()`	Return the wind gust strength multiplier (default: 3).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindGustThreshold()`	Return where gust texture starts affecting motion (0-1, default: 0.28).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindSpeed()`	Return the wind speed. It controls sway animation speed (default: 4).
`FoliageSwaying3D::WindStrength()`	Return the wind strength. It controls how strong the sway is (default: 6).

Foliage swaying

Sway foliage according to the wind.

Behavior properties

Ambient Occlusion strength (🔢 Number). Ambient occlusion intensity. (0-1; default: 1). Default value is 1.
Bottom color (🎨 Color). Bottom gradient color. Default value is 65;117;5.
Color contrast (🔢 Number). Color contrast multiplier (0-3; default: 1.05). Default value is 1.05.
Color saturation (🔢 Number). Color saturation multiplier (0-3; default: 1.2). Default value is 1.2.
Culling mode (Choice, one of: "UseSource", "BackfaceCullingOn", "BackfaceCullingOff"). 3D model face culling mode.
Debug output (🔘 Boolean). Prints material/mesh and auto-scale debug info to console. (requires object to be in the scene; default: off). Default value is false.
Fade distance end (🔢 Number, Distance). Distance where fade reaches zero. Requires enabled distance culling. (0-100000; default: 1600). Default value is 1600.
Fade distance start (🔢 Number, Distance). Distance where fade-out starts. Requires enabled distance culling. (0-100000; default: 1200). Default value is 1200.
Environment strength (🔢 Number). Environment reflection intensity. (0-1; default: 1). Default value is 1.
Gradient end (🔢 Number). Gradient end point (0-1; default: 1). Default value is 1.
Gradient start (🔢 Number). Gradient start point (0-1; default: 0). Default value is 0.
Ignore UV map (🔘 Boolean). Uses world-height gradient instead of UV gradient (only when color grading is on; default: off). Default value is false.
Material to sway (🔤 String). Material name to target. (empty = auto-pick).
Metallic factor (🔢 Number). PBR metallic value. (0-1; default: 0). Default value is 0.
Normal strength (🔢 Number). Normal map strength. (0-1; default: 1). Default value is 1.
Roughness factor (🔢 Number). PBR roughness value. (0-1; default: 1). Default value is 1.
Specular factor (🔢 Number). Specular intensity. (where supported; 0-1; default: 0.1). Default value is 0.1.
Sway response (🔢 Number). Sorts unexpected visual behavior. For low-poly models use smaller number. (0-200; 0 = auto). Default value is 0.
Sway type (Choice, one of: "Grass", "Leaves", "Bush", "TreeTrunk"). Wind animation model.
Top color (🎨 Color). Top gradient color. Default value is 184;233;134.
Use color gradient (🔘 Boolean). Enables top/bottom gradient tint and color grading (default: off). Default value is false.
Custom PBR settings (🔘 Boolean). Enables custom PBR tuning controls. (default: off). Default value is false.
Distance culling (🔘 Boolean). Enables distance-based dither fade/culling. (default: off). Default value is false.
GPU instancing (🔘 Boolean). Uses GPU instancing for supported sway types. (better performance; default: off). Default value is false.
Use two sided lighting (🔘 Boolean). If enabled, both frontface and backface are lit. Useful for planes/cards (default: on). Default value is true.
Enable uniform sway (🔘 Boolean). If enabled, all instances sway similarly. If off, each gets random phase variation. (default: on). Default value is true.

See internal technical details

Ambient Occlusion strength is stored as AmbientOcclusionStrength (Number). Default value is 1.
Bottom color is stored as BottomColor (Color). Default value is 65;117;5.
Color contrast is stored as ColorContrast (Number). Default value is 1.05.
Color saturation is stored as ColorSaturation (Number). Default value is 1.2.
Culling mode is stored as CullingMode (Choice). Default value is ``.
Debug output is stored as DebugOutput (Boolean). Default value is false.
Fade distance end is stored as DistanceFadeEnd (Number). Unit is Pixel. Default value is 1600.
Fade distance start is stored as DistanceFadeStart (Number). Unit is Pixel. Default value is 1200.
Environment strength is stored as EnvironmentStrength (Number). Default value is 1.
Gradient end is stored as GradientEnd (Number). Default value is 1.
Gradient start is stored as GradientStart (Number). Default value is 0.
Ignore UV map is stored as IgnoreUV (Boolean). Default value is false.
Material to sway is stored as MaterialName (String). Default value is ``.
Metallic factor is stored as Metallic (Number). Default value is 0.
Normal strength is stored as NormalStrength (Number). Default value is 1.
Roughness factor is stored as Roughness (Number). Default value is 1.
Specular factor is stored as Specular (Number). Default value is 0.1.
Sway response is stored as SwayResponse (Number). Default value is 0.
Sway type is stored as SwayType (Choice). Default value is ``.
Top color is stored as TopColor (Color). Default value is 184;233;134.
Use color gradient is stored as UseColorGradient (Boolean). Default value is false.
Custom PBR settings is stored as UseCustomPBR (Boolean). Default value is false.
Distance culling is stored as UseDistanceFade (Boolean). Default value is false.
GPU instancing is stored as UseGPUInstancing (Boolean). Default value is false.
Use two sided lighting is stored as UseTwoSidedLighting (Boolean). Default value is true.
Enable uniform sway is stored as UseUniformSway (Boolean). Default value is true.

No expressions for this behavior.

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