After studying Computer Science and Game Engineering, I took that knowledge to an unusual place: not into the game industry, but into the institute for landscape development at the BOKU University in Vienna. Since then, I have primarily been working on a landscape visualization which we use in studies on collaborative landscape planning with a focus on climate change, biodiversity, and renewable energy. We develop this visualization with Godot, which is why I also maintain the open source Geodot Plugin , a tool for loading geographic data into Godot at runtime.
I am currently working on my PhD with the working title “Virtual Nature: Perception, Modelling, Processing, and Rendering of Vegetation and Biodiversity in Digital Experiences and Landscape Visualizations.” On the side, I teach a class at a game development college focusing on Godot and shader programming. I share some of my material for that course on my website hexaquo.at .
At GodotFest 25, Karl will present on large-scale vegetation rendering in Godot, sharing insights from developing realistic landscape visualizations. This talk will cover workflows for creating 3D assets of realistic foliage and trees using open-source tools, shading techniques for vegetation, level-of-detail systems, and impostors for large-scale open worlds. Attendees will learn comprehensive approaches to rendering foliage and trees in Godot for both stylized and realistic applications.
