Shrub Tool — In Depth
The Shrub tool places scattered lights inside a boundary area — perfect for bushes, hedges, ground-cover landscaping, and any area that needs a filled cluster of lights rather than a linear strand.
What you'll learn
- Plot mode for precise polygon boundaries
- Freeform mode for quick outlines
- The Density slider
- How shrub lights differ from strand lights
Plot mode (default)
Plot mode lets you click vertices to define a polygon boundary. Lights scatter randomly inside the polygon.
Activate: Press S (or click "Shrub" in the toolbar). Make sure Plot is selected in the options bar.
Drawing flow
- Click to place the first vertex — a green circle appears.
- Click to add more vertices — a green outline connects them, showing the boundary shape.
- After 3 or more points, scattered lights appear inside the polygon as a preview.
- Finish the boundary:
- Double-click to close the shape.
- Click near the first point (within ~15 pixels) to close the loop.
- The green guide disappears and the scattered lights remain.
Undo and cancel
- Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z — Removes the last vertex.
- Escape — Cancels the entire shrub boundary.
Tip: You don't need to trace the exact outline of the bush. A rough polygon that covers the area is fine — the lights scatter randomly inside it, so the edges don't need to be perfect.
Freeform mode
Freeform mode lets you draw the boundary by hand — click and drag around the shrub outline.
Activate: Press S, then switch to Freeform in the options bar.
Drawing flow
- Click and hold at the edge of the shrub.
- Drag around the outline — Lumineer samples points as you move, building the boundary in real-time. Lights scatter inside as the boundary grows.
- Release — the boundary closes automatically and the shrub element is created.
Density slider
The Density slider appears in the options bar when the Shrub tool is active. It controls how many lights are scattered per square foot inside the boundary.
| Position | Density | Effect | |----------|---------|--------| | Left (Dense) | 10 lights/ft² | Packed coverage, lots of lights | | Center (Default: 3) | 3 lights/ft² | Standard look for most bushes | | Right (Sparse) | 1 light/ft² | Minimal, widely spaced lights |
Note: The slider is inverted from what you might expect — Dense is on the left, Sparse is on the right. This matches how most people think about it: sliding left means "more."
How shrub lights differ from strands
| Property | Strands | Shrubs | |----------|---------|--------| | Light pattern | Evenly spaced along a path | Randomly scattered inside a boundary | | Control | Spacing (inches between bulbs) | Density (bulbs per square foot) | | Best for | Rooflines, eaves, window outlines | Bushes, hedges, ground cover | | Editing | Drag path points, lights re-space | Drag boundary points, lights re-scatter | | Color pattern | Repeats along the path in order | Distributes randomly within the boundary |
Editing shrub boundaries
After creating a shrub, switch to the Select tool (A) and click it:
- White handle circles appear at each boundary vertex.
- Drag any handle to reshape the boundary — lights re-scatter inside the new boundary in real-time as you drag.
- Change bulb type, colors, and density in the sidebar.
The scatter pattern uses a consistent seed, so the same boundary shape always produces the same light arrangement. This means your design looks the same every time you open it.
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