Geometry Nodes

Just finished a new video.

It teaches you how to make an exploding bridge. If that sounds cool, then you'll want to watch the first few seconds at least:

Welcome to today's email.

I remember reading the Blender Developer Blog—an article about a project called 'Everything Nodes.' The idea was that, in the future, you could create anything using just nodes. Especially particle systems.

That caught my eye.

I'd been working in Unity and the particle systems there were easy, fast, and moderately realistic. Having that level of customizability or more in Blender sounded cool.

I kept an eye on the Everything Nodes project. They renamed it 'Geometry Nodes' and decided that it would focus on modifying mesh geometry first.

They showed a demo 'Pebble Scattering' file where they used nodes to scatter pebbles on a patch of ground. They were developing it for digital set-dressing. I didn't understand it (at all), but I liked the idea.

The nodes gave you building blocks, simple tools, and you could combine them to make bigger, more powerful tools. Like a 'build-your-own-modifier.'

This building-block approach makes it really powerful. But it can be hard to get the hang of it. It took me a while.

Once you figure it out, though, it becomes something you use all the time. I can't imagine having Blender without Geometry Nodes now.

Here's what we'll cover today:

• Why They Made Geometry Nodes

• How Geometry Nodes Work

• Why You Should Learn Geometry Nodes

Why They Made Geometry Nodes

There's this add-on called 'Animation Nodes.'

It was created by an independent developer. The add-on lets you build and manipulate objects, geometry, curves, and animations using a node-based system.

This was the inspiration for the Geometry Nodes project. Manipulate geometry, move objects around, perform most basic tasks in Blender—using nodes.

This means you can build automatic tools to do things that would be nearly impossible to do by hand. For example, a task as simple as scattering pebbles on the ground. Before Geometry Nodes, you would do this by hand with a Particle System set to Hair mode, using the Collection render mode to pick the particles randomly out of a collection.

The particle system was limited, though, and hard to use.

With Geometry Nodes, scattering is probably the simplest possible thing to do. You use a Distribute node to scatter random points, then you use an Instance node to instance objects from your collection onto the points.

And it's all infinitely customizable—add Random nodes when you want randomness, access the mesh normals to guide the rotation—anything.

How Geometry Nodes Work

Geometry Nodes setups are located in their own modifiers. You add a Geometry Nodes modifier to you object, open the Geometry Nodes editor, and build your node group in there. You can even Apply the modifier if you want to, like an ordinary one.

Geometry Nodes setups work in 3 stages.

• Data (like vertex positions) comes into the group through some kind of Input node

• The data is changed or transformed (for example, changing the positions)

• The data is set—for example, the updated vertex positions are applied to the mesh using a Set Position node

Just like that. Data comes in, gets changed or updated, then applied to the geometry.

Why You Should Learn Geometry Nodes

Geometry Nodes has already taken over a large part of my workflow. For example, I use nodes for any scattering task—I haven't scattered anything with a particle system for at least a year now.

Simply put, nodes are the future. They're leaking into more and more areas of Blender—for example, the hair system is being migrated to nodes currently.

Knowing at least the basics of nodes will be very helpful. For tasks like particles, hair, abstract renders, scattering, rigging, nodes will be more and more useful.

At some point, you'll find yourself needing nodes for something.

So yeah, probably a good idea to start messing around with Geometry Nodes. The best place to start is by learning how to do basic scattering.

That's it for today. Have a great week.

I'll see you again next Monday!

Weekly render prompt if you're out of ideas:

> Something dripping. Anything from a rainy window to a dew-encrusted leaf.

P.S. (unrelated) Love reading fiction? Check out Voyage. You get a new, original piece of short fiction every other Friday. (And it's totally free.)

Enjoy this newsletter? Please forward to a friend. It'll only take 15 seconds. Writing this took way longer. I think.

Not in the club? Join here (no pressure. But I really, really think you should click the button. Click the button. Click...the...button...) ↓