# Getting started {% embed url="" %} Two steps to quickly get you started with Skatter: 1. [**Download Skatter here**](https://lindale.io/skatter?download) 2. **Install it, then start the 15 days trial**\ Once the trial is expired, you can [purchase a license here](https://lindale.io/skatter#buy) ## Tutorial ### 1. Create a new composition In Skatter, we call a distribution of objects a *composition*. A composition has many parameters (density, distribution type, filters...) and controls *what* is scattered ([objects](/manual/scattered-objects.md)) and *where* ([hosts](/manual/hosts.md)). A SketchUp model can contain many compositions. For instance, a landscape architect could create a composition for grass, another one for a tree grove, yet another one for gravel on the ground, and so on. There are several ways to create a new composition: * Click the *New composition* button in Skatter's toolbar * Click the *Composition manager* button in Skatter's toolbar and then click the icon * Use `Extensions > Skatter 2 > New composition` in SketchUp's menus ![](/files/-MkCuUCAFoj7l5rxX-w_) A composition is made of three main parts: * The *What*: the [objects](/manual/scattered-objects.md) that you want to scatter. For instance, a tree model that you want to clone many times to create a forest. * The *Where*: the location where you want to distribute these objects. In our forest example, that would be the terrain. These are the [hosts](/manual/hosts.md). * The *How*: the parameters used to define how the objects are distributed. This can be the density, the objects' orientation, and other parameters used to fine-tune the distribution, such as [masks](/manual/masks.md) and [filters](/manual/filters.md). ### 2. Pick a host We call the geometry that will receive scattered objects "[hosts](/manual/hosts.md)". Here, we select the terrain as a [surface host](/manual/hosts.md#surface-hosts).
![](/files/-MkCu8VcuSbwRzDsKmwW) ### 3. Pick objects to scatter Now, select which [objects](/manual/scattered-objects.md) will be automatically cloned thousands of times by Skatter. We call each copy of an object that is scattered on the host an *instance*.
![](/files/-MkCub6V4dsWI-xg9FLn) ### 4. Generate the composition Click the Generate button to create the instances in the SketchUp model Congratulations, you just made your first Skatter composition!
![](/files/-MkCufIo_kDQ2IdQXFcg) Alternatively, switch to [Render only](/manual/generating.md#render-only-generation) mode. This time, instances won't be generated in the model, but they will be sent directly to your render engine (V-Ray in this example). This is very useful when you want to generate thousands of objects without slowing down SketchUp's viewport. ![](/files/-MkCuis9dgEpGneihUyQ) ### 5. Draw a mask There are [many types of masks](/manual/masks.md) available to restrict where objects can and cannot be scattered. ![](/files/-MkCuo6X_SpZ40Im6ckU) ### 6. 3D Bazaar Browse the [3D Bazaar marketplace](/manual/3d-bazaar.md) to find pre-configured Skatter compositions, like grass, trees, etc. ![](/files/-MkNX3qYwPqURaESzeqf) ### 7. Explore You can now play with each setting to understand what they do. All the parameters are described in [the manual](/manual/things-to-know.md), but there's nothing better than experimenting by yourself!
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