Growth stages

One generated timed tree can be rendered repeatedly and frozen at several raw normalized times. The renderer advances a path-distance growth front from the base, applies smootherstep locally to each developing segment, and delays organs until their supporting branch has matured.

Left to right: raw normalized developmental times 0.15, 0.35, 0.55, 0.75, and 1.00. Local segment growth is smoothed within each topological span.

import {
	PartPlantRenderer,
	PLANT_PRESETS,
	PlantCompiler,
	PlantGenerator,
	type PlantRenderHandle,
} from "@rbxts/a-plant-generator";

export const growthTimes = [0.15, 0.35, 0.55, 0.75, 1] as const;
export const growthSamples = growthTimes.map((time) => ({
	time,
	growth: time,
}));
export const growthPlant = PlantGenerator.generate(PlantCompiler.compile(PLANT_PRESETS["timed-tree"]!), {
	seed: 31415,
	iterations: 4,
	limits: { maxSymbols: 20_000, maxSegments: 2_000 },
});

export function renderGrowthStages(parent: Instance): () => void {
	const renderers = new Array<PartPlantRenderer>();
	const handles = new Array<PlantRenderHandle>();

	for (let index = 0; index < growthSamples.size(); index++) {
		const sample = growthSamples[index];
		if (sample === undefined) continue;
		const renderer = new PartPlantRenderer({
			parent,
			name: `Growth_${math.floor(sample.time * 100)}`,
			maxInstances: 2_000,
		});
		const handle = renderer.render(growthPlant);
		handle.updateTransform(new CFrame((index - 2) * 16, 0, 0));
		handle.setGrowth(sample.growth);
		renderers.push(renderer);
		handles.push(handle);
	}

	return () => {
		for (const handle of handles) handle.destroy();
		for (const renderer of renderers) renderer.destroy();
	};
}
Copy

setGrowth clamps values to the 0..1 range. Parent segments complete before their children emerge, partial cylinders remain anchored at their base, and organs follow the timing of their host segment. The returned cleanup function destroys handles before their renderer pools.

For interactive animation, advance a normalized value from RunService and retain the same handles instead of regenerating on every frame.