book

Procedural 3D Modeling Using Geometry Nodes in Blender

by Siemen Lens

March 2023

Beginner to intermediate

282 pages

6h 39m

English

Packt Publishing

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ForewordContributorsAbout the authorAbout the reviewers
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the supporting filesDownload the color imagesConventions usedGet in touchShare your thoughtsDownload a free PDF copy of this book
Technical requirementsUnderstanding the Geometry Node systemIn what situations are Geometry Nodes applicable?Understanding the Geometry Node editorExploring the standard Geometry Nodes blocksThe different node connections and how to use themExploring different shapesExploring different node connection colorsMulti-connection inputsExercise – accessing the Geometry Node systemSummary
What are basic nodes?Exploring Mesh nodesThe Subdivision Surface nodeThe Join Geometry nodeThe Set Shade Smooth nodeThe Extrude Mesh nodeUnderstanding how to manipulate PointsThe Distribute Points on Faces nodeThe Mesh to Points nodeThe Instance on Points nodeInstance nodesTranslating InstancesThe Geometry to Instance nodeThe Realize Instances nodeThe Curve to Mesh nodeThe Mesh to Volume nodeVolume to MeshSummary
Exploring must-have add-onsThe Node Wrangler add-onHow to use the add-onShortcutsThe Node Arrange add-onHow to use the add-onExercise – how to install add-ons in BlenderEnabling add-ons
Introduction to Node PrimitivesWhy use Node Primitives?Where can you find Node Primitives?Mesh nodesWhere can you find Mesh Primitive Nodes?The Cube Primitive NodeThe Grid Primitive NodeThe UV Sphere Primitive NodeThe Ico Sphere Primitive NodeThe Mesh Line Primitive NodeThe Cone and Cylinder Primitive NodesCurve nodesWhere can you find Curve Primitive Node?The Curve Line Primitive NodeThe Curve Circle Primitive NodeThe Bezier Segment Primitive NodeThe Star Primitive NodeThe Spiral Primitive NodeExercise – your first Geometry Nodes projectSummary
Distributing the points on a Grid primitiveExploring the nodes we will be usingBuilding up the node treeInstancing objects on pointsRandomizing instancesExperimenting with Group InputsHow to utilize Group Inputs?Exercise – creating a grassy fieldSketching the ideaThe nodes we will needModeling the terrainModeling a blade of grassSetting up your Geometry Node editorDistributing and instancing the pointsRandomizing the grassLinking a material to your meshCleaning up your node treeUsing Group Inputs to add sliders to the modifierSummary
Introduction to the SpreadsheetWhat does the Spreadsheet do?Exploring the different datasets in SpreadsheetFiltering items using the SpreadsheetDemonstrating how the Spreadsheet can be usefulIntroducing the nodes you’ll needBuilding the structure of the node treeExercise – creating a rotated tesseract cubeSketching the basic ideaIntroducing the nodes you’ll needBuilding the node treeAdding a material to your tesseract cubeSummary

Introducing stringsThe various nodes we will use in this chapterWhere can you find String nodes?Introducing you to the different String nodesConverting strings into a usable meshThe String to Curves nodeThe Fill Curve nodeThe Extrude Mesh nodeExercise – making a procedural countdownSketching the basic ideaExploring the nodes required to make a procedural countdownBuilding the node treeSummary
Adding noise to your CurvesOffset by Random valuesOffset by Noise TexturesGiving thickness to your CurvesBasic thickness controlAdvanced thickness controlExercise – making a simple lightning boltSketching the basic ideaMaking the node treeSummary
Extruding your meshDemonstrating the Extrude Mesh nodeUsing Booleans in your meshDemonstrating the Difference modeAdding noise to your meshDemonstrating how to add noise to your meshExercise – making a procedural treeMaking the node treeSummary
Creating the node treeCreating the stemCreating the leavesUtilizing group inputsWhat inputs will we include?Renaming the group inputsSummary
Creating a scene in our ViewportCreating our node treeWhat’s a convex hull?Creating a convex hull around our objectsMaking a wireframe from the convex hullAdding detail and randomizationGroup inputsOrganizing your node tree using ReroutesSummary
What are named attributes?How do LED panels work?Creating the node treeCreating a single subpixelCreating an array of pixelsCreating an array for every subpixelStoring the RGB values in named attributesCreating materialsLinking the named attributes to the materialsAdding group inputs to the node treeSummary
Converting a mesh to a wireframeRemeshing in the Geometry Node editorUsing volumes to model in the editorAligning instanced objects along a normalLinking weight paint with Geometry NodesMaking use of geometry proximityManual calculationUsing the Geometry Proximity nodeExercise – making two meshes merge togetherSummary
Exploring the most common problems in Geometry NodesMy shading behaves weirdlyMy node tree is very slowCommon mistakes when working with Geometry NodesWhen the chosen material doesn’t appear on the modelApplying a modifier makes parts of the mesh disappearSummary
Important Shortcuts
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Content preview from Procedural 3D Modeling Using Geometry Nodes in Blender

6 Working with the Spreadsheet in Blender

In the previous chapter, you saw how to distribute points on a mesh. Now, we will teach you how to make use of the Spreadsheet in Blender. Just like in the previous chapter, we will also be using instances in this chapter.

While not part of the Geometry Node editor, we can make great use of the Spreadsheet when using this editor. For example, we can use the Spreadsheet to obtain information about what’s going on in our Geometry Node editor.

We will cover the following topics in this chapter: