Implementing the Space Colonization Algorithm in Unreal Engine PCG has been an exciting challenge to tackle in my free time!
Resources:
https://algorithmicbotany.org/papers/colonization.egwnp2007.html
https://medium.com/@jason.webb/space-colonization-algorithm-in-javascript-6f683b743dc5
So far, I’ve got the algorithm working with basic parameters. PCG generates the branch points, which are then sent to Blueprints to create branch meshes using spline meshes.
Added some new features:
Sub-branch generation for more natural growth
Size filtering to remove short branches
Merge & export to save ivy as a new static mesh
Using Geometry Scripting in Unreal, I saved branch length and spawn time into a new UV channel during StaticMesh export.
Then used that data in a custom shader to animate ivy growth over time.