I’ve always thought coastal areas covered with mangrove trees are very scenic. When they are away from human interference, they usually turn out to be attractive waterways suitable for sailing in small crafts and excellent for exploration. Unfortunately, when these woodlands are close to industrialized/urbanized zones, they end up stinking because the slow movement of the sea water passing through their root system traps unwanted deposits, debris and contaminants that complicate the environment.
I guess that, because most SL users are not from tropical or subtropical areas, mangal trees are not that well represented in garden and landscaping stores. For a long time, the best examples –from my point of view– were those of Heart’s Garden Center. Their photographic likeness closely reproduce what a mangrove tree should look like in real life. What they lack, though, is a believable 3D appeal due to being two or three 2D panels linked together.
About a year ago, 3D Trees introduced a 3D mangrove tree to their product line (in the picture above, right side). This one had a nice foliage texture, and a not-so-bad root ensemble. Yet the roots were too flat to be convincing. Shortly thereafter, a second model from the same creator showed up (in the picture above, left side). This one had bigger leaves, and its roots were pointing downward. It was a slight improvement, but yet not the best solution.
Just a few weeks ago, 3D Trees came up with a newer mangrove set, with three models to choose from: and adult tree, a sapling, and a group. And OMFG, these are (almost) PERFECT!
Not only are the roots curvy and pointing downward, very naturally looking, but the branches, twigs and leaves have been “polished” as well. These are simply amazing trees! So if you need to create a salty swamp environment, 3D Trees is now the best way to go.
Note about this post’s title: “Mangle” is the Spanish form for mangrove. The word itself comes from the Taino or Carib languages (the definitive one is unknown). From Spanish or Portuguese (“mangue”), it crossed to English as “mangrove” by association with “grove”, small forest [see Wiktionary].