Getting Started · Pinescape

Download & Installation

1. Download

Grab the latest build from the Download page. Pinescape runs on PC or in PC-VR. VR requires a Meta Quest 3 headset.

2. Unzip: there's no installer

Unzip the download anywhere on your computer and you're ready to go. Unzipped, it takes up about 885 MB.

The unzipped Pinescape folder, with Forestry.exe visible. — The unzipped root folder, with Forestry.exe visible – double-click to launch the game.

3. Check system requirements

Take a look at the System Requirements on the Download page to make sure your PC can run it before diving in.

4. First launch: Windows SmartScreen warning

The first time you run Forestry.exe, Windows will likely show a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen. This is normal, it just means the app isn't yet signed with a recognized publisher certificate. Click More info, then Run anyway to continue.

Windows SmartScreen warning: Windows protected your PC, with Run anyway and Don't run buttons. — Click "More info," then "Run anyway" to launch Pinescape.

Setting Up: PC

There's not much setup here, just double-click Forestry.exe in the folder you unzipped, and you're in. Here's what you need to know to get around once you are:

Controls

WASD: move
Mouse: look around
Left Shift: sprint
Space: jump (though you won't really need it)
Q: spray/mark/un-mark a tree. Aim at it and be within reach.
E: inspect a tree, showing its height, diameter, and species (E again, or the Close button, to dismiss)
R: open the overhead map (WASD pans it, mouse scroll wheel zooms)
P: pause menu (P again, or the Close button, to dismiss)

Standing in front of a tree with the crosshair on it, right before marking it. — Standing in front of a tree with the crosshair on it, right before marking it, showing the Q control in action.

Setting Up: VR

VR requires a Meta Quest 3.

Requirements

Meta Quest 3
An NVIDIA graphics card, driver version [driver version TBD] or later
Meta Horizon Link installed on your PC

Setup

Install Meta Horizon Link on your PC.
Connect your Quest 3 to your PC with a USB-C cable.
When prompted on your headset, select the option to connect to your PC (usually shown as "Quest Link" or similar).
Use the controller trigger to launch Pinescape from your PC's app list, inside the headset.

Screenshot placeholder The Quest Link connection prompt on your PC, right after plugging in the headset.

VR Controls

Left joystick, forward: teleport move
Left joystick, left/right: snap-turn 45°
Left grip: bring up the tablet device
Left X/Y buttons: zoom the overhead map in/out
Left trigger (tablet up): enable the pointer laser, which also lets you:
- Right A button: click/select on the tablet screen
- Right joystick: move the overhead map, while pointing at the tablet
- Right trigger: inspect a tree (point the laser at it; results show on the tablet)
Right grip: enable the spray can
Right trigger (spray can enabled): spray/mark/un-mark a tree

Screenshot placeholder The in-VR tablet, pulled up mid-session with the pointer laser active.

Menus & Sessions

Main Menu

Start Session: loads the default Pinescape setting (longleaf pine from Ichauway). It downloads straight from Google Drive into SavedData/Download automatically the first time. You never need to place anything there yourself, and never delete that folder, since removing it breaks the download link. There's a brief delay while the data downloads, then a short "freeze" while the trees generate. That's expected, not a bug.
Load Session: loads a custom session from SavedData/Local (see Loading Custom Maps below). This is usually faster than Start Session, since there's no download to wait on.
Exit Session: asks you to confirm before quitting.

Pause Menu

Open it with P on PC, or the hamburger icon on the VR tablet.

Hide/Show Marked Trees: toggles whether marked trees are visible. While they're hidden, marking and inspecting trees is disabled. That's intentional, tied to how Pinescape generates thousands of trees efficiently.
Export Session: writes your marked-tree data to SavedData/Export/MarkingExport.csv. This overwrites any existing file of that name, so rename or move it first if you want to keep more than one export.
Back To Main Menu: only use this once you're done, or have already exported. Starting a new session from the main menu removes the current forest.
Anti-Aliasing (Off / FXAA / TAA / TSR): higher settings look great on PC but can cause visual artifacts in VR, so pick whichever looks best on your setup.

Screenshot placeholder The pause menu, showing the toggle-marked-trees, export, and anti-aliasing options.

Loading Custom Maps

Clicking "Start Session" loads the built-in map by default, but you can also build your own.
Use our Stand Generator to create a natural (random) or planted (grid) map.
Download your map. It comes as a CSV file.
Place the CSV into the SavedData/Local folder inside your Pinescape install directory.
Choose "Load Session" in-game. It loads the first CSV alphabetically in that folder, so keep just one stand in there at a time.

Screenshot placeholder The "Load Session" option on the main menu.

Tips & Troubleshooting

Ghosting/trailing behind moving objects in VR? That's the Quest 3's Auto-Frame Generation. Turn it off with Ctrl + Numpad 1 while Pinescape is open. It has to be the 1 on the numpad, not the number row.
You don't need to close Pinescape to swap CSVs between folders. Files are only read when you click Start Session or Load Session, so it's safe to do while the game is running.
The overhead map pans faster the further you're zoomed out, handy for covering a large stand quickly.
If a CSV is missing height, diameter, or "alive" data for a tree, that tree generates as dead.
A tree showing 0.0 m for height in the inspection window is a dead "snag" tree, shown as dead.
Grass-stage trees are visual only, not interactable.
Saplings are interactable, but tend to sit close together, sometimes almost overlapping, which can make them tricky to mark or inspect individually.