New Project Proposal - VUE and PlantFactory

[ColinChargy]

Project description

VUE and PlantFactory are professional-grade software applications for the procedural creation of digital nature environments and vegetation, originally developed by e-on software.

• VUE provides tools for procedural terrain generation, atmospheric rendering, ecosystem population, and full-scene composition, used in film, television, and visualization.
• PlantFactory specializes in the procedural modeling and animation of plants, providing parametric control over morphology, wind, growth, and seasonal changes.

The tools have been used in VFX and animation pipelines for over two decades. The significance of this project to the ecosystem lies in its robust procedural technology and proven production value. Open-sourcing these tools would provide the industry with essential, mature solutions for nature generation and scene creation.

Sponsor from TAC

To be determined.

Proposed Project Stage

Sandbox

Please explain how this project is aligned with the mission of the Academy Software Foundation?

VUE and PlantFactory directly align with ASWF’s mission to support open-source software for visual effects and animation:

• They offer battle-tested solutions for environment and asset generation.
• They promote interoperability and reuse in CG pipelines.
• They help reduce duplicated effort across studios.
• They expand the foundation’s open-source portfolio into the underrepresented domain of nature and ecosystem creation.

By contributing these tools, we aim to empower a wider community of artists and technical directors with accessible procedural content generation systems.

What is the project’s license for code contributions and methodology for code contributions?

The codebase is not yet open. Once open-sourced, the project will adopt a Apache 2.0 licence, and intent to follow ASWF’s governance model and CLA guidelines for contributions.

What tool or platform is utilized for source control (GitHub, etc.), and what is the location

(e.g., URL)?

https://github.com/vue3d-project has been created by ASFW.

What are the external dependencies of the project, and what are the licenses of those dependencies?

Here is a csv export of the dependency list of the project:

SDK	Library	Version	license	license link	library link
	apr	1.7.4	Apache 2	https://www.apache.org/licenses/	https://apr.apache.org/
	apr-util	1.6.3	Apache 2	https://www.apache.org/licenses/	https://apr.apache.org/
	Cycles	?	Apache 2	https://projects.blender.org/blender/cycles/src/branch/main/LICENSE	https://www.cycles-renderer.org/
	IODN	1.4.3	Apache 2	https://github.com/RenderKit/oidn?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://www.openimagedenoise.org/
	log4cxx	1.1.0	Apache 2	https://github.com/apache/logging-log4cxx?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://github.com/apache/logging-log4cxx
	Nvidia NanoVDB	9.0.0	Apache 2	https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openvdb/tree/master?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openvdb/tree/master/nanovdb/nanovdb
	oneAPI Deep Neural Network Library (oneDNN)	1.6.0	Apache 2	https://github.com/uxlfoundation/oneDNN?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/tools/oneapi/onednn.html
	oneTBB	2020.3.3	Apache 2	https://github.com/uxlfoundation/oneTBB?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://github.com/uxlfoundation/oneTBB
	openCL	?	Apache 2	https://github.com/KhronosGroup/OpenCL-SDK?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://github.com/KhronosGroup/OpenCL-SDK
	openCV	4.5.5	Apache 2	https://github.com/opencv/opencv?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://opencv.org/
	openSSL	3.0.12	Apache 2	https://github.com/openssl/openssl?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://www.openssl.org/
	openSubdiv	3.5.0	Apache 2	https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/OpenSubdiv?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://graphics.pixar.com/opensubdiv/overview.html
	openUSD	23.08	Apache 2	https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/OpenUSD?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://openusd.org/release/index.html
	openVDB	10.0.1	Apache 2	https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openvdb?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://www.openvdb.org/
	parallel_hashmap	1.33	Apache 2	https://github.com/greg7mdp/parallel-hashmap/?tab=Apache-2.0-1-ov-file	https://github.com/greg7mdp/parallel-hashmap/
	Radeom ML	0.9.10	Apache 2	https://github.com/GPUOpen-LibrariesAndSDKs/RadeonML?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://gpuopen.com/radeon-ml/
	Radeon Image Filter	1.7.3	Apache 2	https://github.com/GPUOpen-LibrariesAndSDKs/RadeonImageFilter?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://gpuopen.com/radeon-image-filtering-library/
	spatial-media	2.1	Apache 2	https://github.com/google/spatial-media/blob/v2.1/LICENSE	https://github.com/google/spatial-media
	boost	1.81	Boost	https://github.com/boostorg/boost/tree/boost-1.88.0?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://www.boost.org/
	cryptopp	8.8.0	Boost	https://www.cryptopp.com/License.txt	https://www.cryptopp.com/
	lemon	1.3.1	Boost	https://lemon.cs.elte.hu/trac/lemon/wiki/License	https://lemon.cs.elte.hu/trac/lemon
	rapidxml	1.13	Boost	https://rapidxml.sourceforge.net/license.txt	https://rapidxml.sourceforge.net/
	svgpp	1.3.0	Boost	https://github.com/svgpp/svgpp/blob/v1.3.0/LICENSE_1_0.txt	https://github.com/svgpp/svgpp/
	threadpool	0.2.5	boost	https://threadpool.sourceforge.net/license.html	https://threadpool.sourceforge.net/
	utfcpp	2.3.4	Boost	https://github.com/nemtrif/utfcpp?tab=BSL-1.0-1-ov-file	https://github.com/nemtrif/utfcpp
	blosc	1.21.3	BSD	https://github.com/Blosc/c-blosc?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://www.blosc.org/
	zdict	?	BSD		https://github.com/facebook/zstd/blob/dev/lib/zdict.h
	zstd	1.5.5	BSD	https://github.com/facebook/zstd?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/facebook/zstd
	lz4	1.9.4	BSD2	https://github.com/lz4/lz4?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/lz4/lz4
	openJPEG	2.5.0	BSD2	https://github.com/uclouvain/openjpeg?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://www.openjpeg.org/
	cache	0.0.4	BSD3	https://github.com/vpetrigo/caches?tab=BSD-3-Clause-1-ov-file	https://github.com/vpetrigo/caches
	imath	3.1.5	BSD3	https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/Imath?tab=BSD-3-Clause-1-ov-file	https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/Imath
	ISPC	1.21	BSD3	https://github.com/ispc/ispc?tab=BSD-3-Clause-1-ov-file	https://github.com/ispc/ispc
	libjpeg-turbo	2.1.5	BSD3	https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo
	Nvidia MDL-SDK	?	BSD3	https://github.com/NVIDIA/MDL-SDK?tab=BSD-3-Clause-1-ov-file	https://github.com/NVIDIA/MDL-SDK
	openEXR, lex, llmthread, lmath	3.1.5	BSD3	https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/openexr?tab=BSD-3-Clause-1-ov-file	http://openexr.com/
	openVR	1.0.6	BSD3	https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr?tab=BSD-3-Clause-1-ov-file	https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr
	ptex	2.3.2	BSD3	https://github.com/wdas/ptex?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://ptex.us/
	glext	?	CC-BY		https://sourceforge.net/projects/glextwin32/
X	3DConnexion	?	Custom
X	3DSMax		Custom		https://aps.autodesk.com/developer/overview/3ds-max
	bzip2	1.0.8	Custom	https://sourceware.org/bzip2/manual/manual.html	https://sourceware.org/bzip2/
X	Cinema4D		Custom		https://developers.maxon.net/downloads/
X	Cineware Melange SDK	?	Custom		https://developers.maxon.net/downloads/
	cuda	11.2	Custom	https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/eula/index.html	https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-toolkit
X	FBX SDK	2020.0.1	Custom		https://aps.autodesk.com/developer/overview/fbx-sdk
	FreeImage	?	Custom	https://freeimage.sourceforge.io/freeimage-license.txt	https://freeimage.sourceforge.io/
	libpng	1.6.39	Custom	http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/src/libpng-LICENSE.txt	http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/libpng.html
	libreSSL (MACOS)	3.6.3	Custom	https://github.com/libressl/openbsd/blob/master/src/lib/libssl/LICENSE	https://www.libressl.org/
	libtiff	4.5.0	Custom	https://gitlab.com/libtiff/libtiff/-/blob/master/LICENSE.md?ref_type=heads	http://www.simplesystems.org/libtiff/
	LightWave		Custom		https://docs.lightwave3d.com/2025/software-development-kit-sdk.html
X	Maya		Custom		https://aps.autodesk.com/developer/overview/maya
	Nvidia Carbonite		Custom	https://docs.omniverse.nvidia.com/kit/docs/carbonite/latest/docs/LicenseInfo.html	https://docs.omniverse.nvidia.com/kit/docs/carbonite/latest/docs/carb/Framework.html
	Nvidia Optix	7.2	Custom	https://developer.nvidia.com/designworks/optix/download	https://developer.nvidia.com/rtx/ray-tracing/optix
X	Omniclient	1.11.21	Custom		https://docs.omniverse.nvidia.com/kit/docs/client_library/latest/index.html
X	Poser	11.0.5	Custom
	Substance	9.0.3	Custom	https://wwwimages2.adobe.com/content/dam/cc/en/legal/servicetou/Developer-Terms-en_US-20240618.pdf	https://developer.adobe.com/substance3d-sdk/
X	Unreal	5.3	Custom	https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/license	https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US
X	V-Ray		Custom		https://www.chaos.com/vray/application-sdk?srsltid=AfmBOopG8LKKYPjM7Hy2oadxGbTtgcajalY4weBZhe5K8OJyGwdagTT2
	xz (lzma)	5.4.4	Custom	https://github.com/tukaani-project/xz/blob/v5.4.4/COPYING	https://tukaani.org/xz/
X	Zbrush		Custom		https://developers.maxon.net/downloads/
	pcre	?	Custom (BDS3)	https://github.com/PCRE2Project/pcre2?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://www.pcre.org/
	HDF5	1.14.0	Custom (BSD)	https://github.com/HDFGroup/hdf5?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/HDFGroup/hdf5
	pybind11	2.10.1	Custom (BSD)	https://github.com/pybind/pybind11?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/pybind/pybind11
	Alembic	1.8.3	Custom (BSD3)	https://github.com/alembic/alembic?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://www.alembic.io/
	Google BreakPad	?	Custom (BSD3)	https://github.com/google/breakpad/blob/main/LICENSE	https://chromium.googlesource.com/breakpad/breakpad
	wxpython, wxwidget	2.9.2.4	Custom (LGPL)	https://github.com/wxWidgets/wxWidgets/blob/master/docs/licence.txt	https://wxpython.org/index.html, https://github.com/wxWidgets/wxWidgets
	compressonator	2.3.2953	Custom (MIT)	https://github.com/GPUOpen-Tools/compressonator/blob/master/license/license.txt	https://github.com/GPUOpen-Tools/Compressonator
	libcurl	8.4.0	Custom (MIT)	https://curl.se/docs/copyright.html	https://curl.se/libcurl/
	swig	4.0.2	GPL3	https://www.swig.org/legal.html	https://www.swig.org/
	mapbox/earcut	2.2.3	ISC	https://github.com/mapbox/earcut?tab=ISC-1-ov-file	https://github.com/mapbox/earcut
	FFMPEG (libavcodec, libavformat, libavutil, libswscale, libswresample)	4.4	LGPL	https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://ffmpeg.org/
	geos	3.11.1	LGPL	https://github.com/libgeos/geos?tab=LGPL-2.1-1-ov-file	https://libgeos.org/
	libiconv	1.17	LGPL	https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/libiconv/	https://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/
	openAL32	1.0	LGPL		https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAL
	Qt	5.6.2	LGPL3	https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/licensing.html	https://www.qt.io/
	DirectXShaderCompiler	v1.5.2003	LLVM	https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler/tree/v1.5.2003?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler
	DirectXTK	jun2017	MIT	https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXTK/blob/jun2017/LICENSE	https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXTK
	EFX-Util	1.0.0	MIT	https://github.com/bibendovsky/oal_efx_util?tab=MIT-1-ov-file	https://github.com/bibendovsky/oal_efx_util
	expat	2.5.0	MIT	https://github.com/libexpat/libexpat/tree/master?tab=MIT-1-ov-file	https://libexpat.github.io/
	exprtk	?	MIT	https://github.com/ArashPartow/exprtk?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/ArashPartow/exprtk
	Fcollada	3.05B	MIT	https://github.com/rdb/fcollada	https://github.com/rdb/fcollada
	GDAL	3.6.2	MIT	https://gdal.org/en/stable/license.html#id2	https://gdal.org/
	giflib	5.2.1	MIT	https://sourceforge.net/p/giflib/code/ci/master/tree/COPYING	https://giflib.sourceforge.net/
	glew	2.2.0	MIT	https://github.com/nigels-com/glew#copyright-and-licensing	https://glew.sourceforge.net/
	glm	0.8.4	MIT	https://github.com/g-truc/glm?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/g-truc/glm
	json-c	?	MIT	https://github.com/json-c/json-c?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/json-c/json-c
	libexpat	2.6.2	MIT	https://github.com/libexpat/libexpat?tab=MIT-1-ov-file	https://github.com/libexpat/libexpat
	libffi	3.4.4	MIT	https://github.com/libffi/libffi?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/libffi/libffi
	libgeotiff	1.7.1	MIT	https://github.com/OSGeo/libgeotiff/blob/master/libgeotiff/LICENSE	https://github.com/OSGeo/libgeotiff
	libsquish	1.15	MIT	https://sourceforge.net/projects/libsquish/files/	https://sourceforge.net/projects/libsquish/
	libxml2	2.10.3	MIT	https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/blob/master/Copyright	https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/wikis/home
	MlOpen	?	MIT	https://github.com/ROCm/MIOpen?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/ROCm/MIOpen?tab=readme-ov-file
	nlohmann-json	3.11.2	MIT	https://github.com/nlohmann/json?tab=MIT-1-ov-file	https://github.com/nlohmann/json
	node.js	10.3.0	MIT	https://github.com/nodejs/node/tree/v10.3.0?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://nodejs.org/en
	node-addon-api	3.1.0	MIT	https://github.com/nodejs/node-addon-api/tree/3.1.0?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/nodejs/node-addon-api
	nvtt, nvcore, nvimage, nvmath	2.1.2	MIT	https://github.com/castano/nvidia-texture-tools?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/castano/nvidia-texture-tools
	oneAPI Level Zero	1.6.0	MIT	https://github.com/oneapi-src/level-zero?tab=MIT-1-ov-file	https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/docs/dpcpp-cpp-compiler/developer-guide-reference/2025-1/intel-oneapi-level-zero.html
	onnxruntime	1.10.0	MIT	https://github.com/microsoft/onnxruntime?tab=MIT-1-ov-file	https://github.com/microsoft/onnxruntime
	proj	9.1.1	MIT	https://github.com/OSGeo/PROJ?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://proj.org/
	rapidjson	1.1.0	MIT	https://github.com/Tencent/rapidjson/?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://rapidjson.org/
	sse2neon	1.5.1	MIT	https://github.com/DLTcollab/sse2neon/blob/v1.5.1/LICENSE	https://github.com/DLTcollab/sse2neon
	Pillow	10.0.0	MIT-CMU	https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/blob/10.0.0/LICENSE	https://he-arc.github.io/livre-python/pillow/index.html
	eigen (Caymus)	3.3.9	MPL2	https://eigen.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Main_Page#License	https://eigen.tuxfamily.org/
	igl (Caymus)	2.3.0	MPL2	https://libigl.github.io/#license	https://libigl.github.io/
	lzma	?	Public Domain		https://www.7-zip.org/sdk.html
	sqlite3	3.40.1	Public Domain	https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html	https://www.sqlite.org/
	cPython	3.11.0	Python	https://github.com/python/cpython?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/python/cpython
	python	3.10.13	Python	https://docs.python.org/3/license.html#bsd0	https://www.python.org/
	portable-file-dialogs	0.1.0	WTFPL	https://github.com/samhocevar/portable-file-dialogs?tab=WTFPL-1-ov-file	https://github.com/samhocevar/portable-file-dialogs
	minizip-ng	4.0.2	zlib	https://github.com/zlib-ng/minizip-ng?tab=License-1-ov-file	https://github.com/zlib-ng/minizip-ng
	tinyxml	2.6.2	zlib	https://sourceforge.net/p/tinyxml/git/ci/master/tree/readme.txt	https://sourceforge.net/projects/tinyxml/
	tinyxml2	9.0.0	zlib	https://github.com/leethomason/tinyxml2?tab=Zlib-1-ov-file	https://github.com/leethomason/tinyxml2
	zlib	1.3	zlib	https://zlib.net/zlib_license.html	https://zlib.net/

What roles does the project have (e.g., maintainers, committers?) Who are the current

core committers of the project, or which can a list of committers be found?

The project is not open-sourced yet. The project intend to follow ASFW guidelines on this.

What mailing lists are currently used by the project?

None currently active. Mailing lists and community communication channels will be established during the open-sourcing phase (e.g., Google Groups or ASWF Slack channels).

What tool or platform is leveraged by the project for issue tracking?

Currently uses a proprietary internal system. Upon migration to GitHub, all issue tracking will be managed via GitHub Issues and Projects.

Does the project have an OpenSSF Best Practices Badge? Do you foresee any

challenges in obtaining one?

Not yet. We anticipate no major challenges in attaining a passing or silver-level badge after migration. Some internal infrastructure and documentation will need to be formalized.

What is the project’s website? Is there a wiki?

• Current website for the closed source products : https://info.e-onsoftware.com
• A dedicated open-source portal and GitHub-hosted wiki will be created upon project approval and public code release.

What social media accounts are used by the project?

• Twitter/X: @eonsoftware
• YouTube Channel
• Social media will be transitioned to include community and contributor updates post-open-source.

What is the project’s release methodology and cadence?

Currently follows a proprietary versioning schedule based on the released year. The future open-source project will adopt a time-based release cadence (e.g., quarterly or biannual releases) using Calendar versioning and continuous integration practices.

Are any trademarks, registered or unregistered, leveraged by the project? Have any

trademark registrations been filed by the project or any third party anywhere in the world?

Yes. "VUE" and "PlantFactory" are trademarks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated (formerly e-on software).

[lgritz]

Hi, can you clarify who is TAC sponsor (member company rep or project lead) for this proposal?

Also, can you say more about on what films or by what studios VUE and PlantFactory have been used? Who's depending on it, and are any of those stakeholders intending to participate in the development?

[ColinChargy]

Hi @lgritz,
At this stage, I don’t yet have a confirmed TAC sponsor. I understand that @jmertic is currently in contact with the code’s current owner (Bentley Systems), and he may be able to provide clarity or help identify a suitable sponsor.

While I don’t have a full studio-by-studio usage breakdown, I’ve been reaching out to former colleagues, and they provided me with archived screenshots from the previous e-on software website. These highlight some of the well-known productions that used VUE and/or PlantFactory:

I don’t currently have an up-to-date list of studios actively using the software, but I can confirm that a number of former colleagues and users from the community have expressed interest in contributing once the project is open-sourced. This includes both developers and non-dev.

Does it answer your questions ?
Regards
Colin

[jmertic]

Hey @ColinChargy - I think @lgritz is seeing if one of the current TAC members ( https://tac.aswf.io/#tac-members ) would be willing to be a sponsor for this. I see some of the productions were from current ASWF members, so that might be an avenue to consider.

[lgritz]

Hey @ColinChargy - I think @lgritz is seeing if one of the current TAC members ( https://tac.aswf.io/#tac-members ) would be willing to be a sponsor for this.

Just to be extremely clear with the language and expectations here -- John means "Larry is asking you if you have found a TAC member who would be willing...", NOT "Larry is taking on the task of finding a TAC member who would be willing..."