Seasonal Plant Changes
Drag one slider to walk clients through spring growth, summer canopy, autumn color, and bare winter branches.
Seasonal plant changes are available in Photo mode only. Plant species respond according to their own seasonal behavior profiles.
The Season tab appears only when Photorealistic is the active render style. If you cannot see it, open the style panel and switch to Photorealistic first.
Select a season
Choose from the four seasons:
Spring — fresh, bright green foliage with flowering plants in bloom and a lighter canopy density.
Summer — full, dense foliage with deep green tones and maximum canopy coverage.
Autumn — orange, red, and yellow foliage with gradual leaf drop on deciduous species.
Winter — bare deciduous trees and shrubs, evergreens retain their foliage. Snow overlay is controlled separately in Winter Rendering settings.
Override season for individual plants
Select any plant entity in the canvas. In the Inspector panel, find the Seasonal Behavior setting. You can override the global season for that individual plant — for example, keeping an evergreen looking full even when global season is set to Winter.
Drag the Year slider
Drag the Year slider left or right to move through the calendar year. The current season label at the top right of the slider — for example Early Spring or Late Autumn — updates as you drag so you always know where you are in the year. The foliage updates when you release the slider handle.
Read the foliage response per season
Each season changes the appearance of every plant in the scene. In Spring, foliage starts fresh and light green with smaller leaves. In Summer, the canopy is at full density with deep, saturated greens. In Autumn, deciduous plants shift to orange, red, and yellow tones and leaf density drops. In Winter, deciduous plants go bare while evergreens keep their full foliage.
Combine with lighting for a seasonal atmosphere
Switch to the Light tab and choose a matching time preset to complement the season. Low warm golden light reinforces an autumn mood; soft, slightly cool midday light suits a summer scene. Pairing the season with a matching light preset gives clients a convincing, emotionally resonant view of each time of year.
Add winter ground snow if needed
Snow on the ground is not part of the Season tab — it is controlled by the Snow Thickness slider in the Weather tab. Open the Weather tab and drag Snow Thickness to add accumulated ground snow on top of the bare-branch winter foliage from the Season slider.
Reset to the default season
Click Reset season at the bottom of the Season tab to return the Year slider and all plant foliage to the default state (Summer) in one step. This does not affect the lighting or weather settings.
For a compelling four-season client presentation, set up a different combination of Season + Light + Weather for each season, then capture a screenshot or AI render for each. Presenting four images side by side gives clients an immediate year-round picture of the design.
The foliage update is applied when you release the slider, not while dragging. This is intentional — updating every plant on every pixel of slider movement would cause the scene to rebuild continuously. Drag to the position you want, then let go to see the result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't I see the Season tab?
The Season tab is only available when the Photorealistic render style is active. Open the style panel at the top of the screen, select Photorealistic, and the Season tab will appear in the right-side panel alongside the Light and Weather tabs.
How do I add snow on the ground for a winter scene?
Snow on the ground is controlled separately from plant foliage. Open the Weather tab and drag the Snow Thickness slider to build up accumulated ground snow. The Season tab moves plants through the year; the Weather tab adds atmospheric and precipitation effects on top of that.
An evergreen plant appears bare in winter — is something wrong?
Each plant in the scene responds to the season according to its own species behavior. Evergreen plants should retain their foliage year-round, while deciduous plants go bare. If an evergreen appears unexpectedly bare, check that the correct species has been assigned to that plant entity.
Can I set a specific month rather than just a season?
Yes. The Year slider maps the full calendar year continuously from January (left) to December (right), so you can position it precisely within any month. The season label beneath the slider — Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, and so on — gives you a reading of exactly where in the year you are.
Does the Season setting affect AI renders?
Yes. When you trigger an AI render from a Photorealistic view, the current Season setting is included in the scene description sent to the AI engine, so the generated image will reflect the appropriate seasonal foliage state and atmosphere.