Procedural Vegetation

Search the Procedural Vegetation add-node menu (UE 5.8 only)

Enumerates the vegetation graph's add-node menu exactly as the editor renders it, by driving the plugin's own UPVEditorSchema rather than a hardcoded table, so titles, categories and descriptions are always what this engine actually has. Pass --filters to run several keyword searches in one round trip; each is capped at --max-results and reports total_matches plus a truncated flag so nothing is dropped silently. Categories include Foliage, Growth, Growth Settings, Mesh, Mesh Builder Settings, Distribution Settings, Post Growth Modifiers, Input Output, Seed, Params, Math, Control flow, Subgraph and Development. Requires UE 5.8 and the Procedural Vegetation Editor plugin enabled; on 5.6/5.7 it reports that it is 5.8 only.

cfa search_pv_nodes --filters foliage,grower,mesh --max-results 5

List Procedural Vegetation node categories with node counts (UE 5.8 only)

Returns the add-node menu's real category names and how many nodes each holds. Use this before search_pv_nodes --category so the category string is exact rather than guessed.

cfa list_pv_node_categories

Get full schema for one or more Procedural Vegetation nodes (UE 5.8 only)

Returns each node's title, category, description, pins, and its editable property schema, dotted property paths, types, defaults, per-property descriptions, and the valid values inline for every enum. The paths returned are exactly what set_pcg_node_property_path and get_pcg_property_valid_values accept, so discovery chains straight into editing. Pass --nodes to describe several in one round trip. Unknown names come back with found=false and a pointer to search_pv_nodes rather than failing the whole batch.

cfa describe_pv_nodes --nodes PVGrowerSettings,PVFoliageDistributorSettings --max-depth 3

Write the full Procedural Vegetation node schema to a JSON file (UE 5.8 only)

Dumps the complete schema, every node, every pin, and every editable property with its category, type, default, Epic's own description, enum values, UI/clamp ranges and edit-condition, to Saved/CodeFizzEditorAgent/Exports/<name>_<stamp>/<name>.pvschema.json, and returns only the file path plus counts. Use this instead of describe_pv_nodes when you want everything: the Grower alone has over 600 properties, so reading them inline would bury the context that is supposed to be using them. Omit --nodes to export every vegetation node in one file.

cfa export_pv_schema --nodes PVGrowerSettings,PVMeshBuilderSettings --name GrowerAndMesher

Create a Procedural Vegetation asset (UE 5.8 only)

Creates a new Procedural Vegetation asset headlessly, with no modal dialog. Without --sample you get an empty graph holding only the Input and Output nodes. With --sample the asset is duplicated from an existing one, which is how the editor's "create from sample" works, run list_pv_samples to see what is available, including Epic's four shipped starter trees.

cfa create_procedural_vegetation --asset-path /Game/Vegetation/PV_MyTree --sample /ProceduralVegetationEditor/SampleAssets/StarterContent/ConiferTree_01/PVE_Sample_Conifer_Tree_01

Export a Procedural Vegetation asset to mesh assets (UE 5.8 only)

Runs the vegetation editor's own Export action, the same code path as clicking Export in the toolbar, and auto-confirms its modal dialog, so the whole thing completes without a human click. Epic exposes no scripted export entry point, so this drives the real UI command rather than reimplementing the mesh writer. Validates first and fails loudly on the conditions Epic's own handler treats as a silent no-op: no Export node in the graph, or an Export node with no MeshName. --force-append (default) sets ReplacePolicy=Append so the overwrite dialog never appears. Per-asset results land in the PVEditor message log, read them with read_message_log --log-name PVEditor. Two-call pattern: export reads the graph's EVALUATED mesh data, so on a graph that has not generated yet the first call opens the asset editor, starts generation, and returns needs_generation=true with assets_created=0. Wait for generation to finish, then call again and it succeeds. It cannot wait internally because generation runs on the same game thread the command occupies. Verify by reading assets_created / created_assets, never by success alone. A big tree with Nanite foliage can build for several minutes; pass --timeout 600 for those.

cfa export_procedural_vegetation --asset-path /Game/Vegetation/PV_MyTree

Verdict for a Procedural Vegetation asset before you export it (UE 5.8 only)

Checks the graph and every Export node without generating or exporting anything. Errors (fail): graph_error (required pin unconnected, dangling edge, node with no settings), export_no_mesh_name, export_invalid_path, export_invalid_name, export_conflict (ReplacePolicy Replace over an asset of another class), export_path_too_long, missing_asset (a soft reference in any node's settings that does not exist). Warnings: no_export_node (Export would do nothing), deprecated_node (produces no output), export_nanite_unsupported (Create Nanite Foliage is on in a project without Nanite foliage, so the export skips it). The target is the node's stable name. It cannot tell whether the graph generates data; preview it for that. On UE 5.6 and 5.7 it refuses and names 5.8.

cfa validate_procedural_vegetation /Game/Vegetation/PV_MyTree

Preview a node's output in the open editor viewport (UE 5.8 only)

Selects a node in the open asset editor, which is what drives the 3D viewport preview, select the Grower to see the point/branch skeleton, Bone Reduction to see bone colouring, the Foliage Distributor to see the finished tree. This reads cached inspection data and does NOT re-run the graph, so switching preview is cheap. Use it instead of reopening the asset. Note the graph already regenerates by itself whenever you change a node property, connect a pin, or add/remove a node, you do not need to trigger that. Selection lands over the next few editor ticks, so pause briefly before screenshotting.

cfa preview_pv_node --graph-path /Game/Vegetation/PV_MyTree --node-name ProceduralVegetationFoliageDistributor_0

Dump a PCG/vegetation graph's AUTHORED configuration to a file (UE 5.8 only)

Writes every node's non-default property values plus the full wiring to a JSON file. Only values that differ from the class default are emitted, which collapses thousands of properties down to the handful the author actually set, that is what makes two graphs diffable. Use it to learn from a working asset: dump Epic's shipped sample, dump yours, and compare. Each entry carries the current value and the default it replaced.

cfa export_pcg_graph_config --graph-path /ProceduralVegetationEditor/SampleAssets/StarterContent/DeciduousTree_01/PVE_Sample_Deciduous_Tree_01

List Procedural Vegetation assets available as creation samples (UE 5.8 only)

Lists every Procedural Vegetation asset the asset registry knows about, including Epic's shipped samples under /ProceduralVegetationEditor. Feed a path straight into create_procedural_vegetation --sample.

cfa list_pv_samples --filter Tree