Unity acquires IDV, makers of the SpeedTree® suite of vegetation modeling and environment-creation products for architecture, games, visual effects, and real-time simulations.
In recent years, we’ve seen the worlds created in Unity grow exponentially more complex. Greater numbers of Unity creators want to bring large, complex, and lifelike worlds to their experiences. Trees and foliage are an essential part of such worlds, and we believe that SpeedTree offers the best solution for anyone who wants to quickly and efficiently add natural, organic-looking vegetation to environments.
SpeedTree technology is already being used widely across the game industry, from indies to AAA, in media and entertainment, and for architectural visualization projects. SpeedTree has been a key part of Unity’s ecosystem for quite some time, and this acquisition will solidify and improve SpeedTree’s integration into the Unity portfolio to make it even easier for creators to add organic elements to their projects.
The SpeedTree portfolio – SpeedTree Modeler, SpeedTree Engine, and SpeedTree Games SDK – provides visual creators with the means to realize their own artistic visions using powerful procedural and hand-modeling tools. Creators can also leverage the SpeedTree Library’s comprehensive array of trees and foliage to start adding natural-looking assets to their experiences right away.
Source: Unity Technologies Blog