Easy Scattering

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Geometry Nodes isn't hard.

You can make insanely complicated node networks, but you don't have to. Lots of the most useful node setups only involve 3-4 nodes.

It always starts out simple. Then you think I could fix this with one extra node here. And tweak this part with one more node.

In the end it looks complicated—when really, it's still simple.

I'll teach you how to build a node setup like that. It's super simple, but after you customize it to your heart's content, it probably won't look so simple!

We'll make a simple scattering system. The goal is to instance one object all over another. This is great for scattering rocks on the ground, or toys across a sandy beach. Or french fries all over a sidewalk.

The first step is to prepare 2 objects: the object to scatter on, and the object to scatter.

Add a plane and a cube. We'll scatter copies of the cube all over the plane. Hide the cube so you can see the plane.

To start, select the plane and switch to the Geometry Nodes tab. Click New to make a new group, and name it Scatter.

Now for some nodes.

Start with a Distribute Points On Faces node, and plop it between the Input and Output. This scatters points all over the geometry. It gives you 2 controls: a density (how many points) and a random seed. Changing the random seed re-randomizes the points.

You'll notice that the plane is gone now. That's because the only thing connected to the output is the Distribute Points node. To fix this, we have to join the input geometry with the result from the Points node.

There's a node for this: add a Join Geometry node after the Distribute Points node. This is just like Blender's regular Join operation, but in node form.

Now connect the Input node to the Join, in the same socket the Distribute Points node goes into.

Now you have your plane + random points.

Time to add the cube. Click + drag the cube from the Outliner into the node editor. It'll magically become an Object Info node.

Now add an Instance On Points node. This node takes some points and an object and instances the object on every single one of the points.

Put the Instance On Points node between the Distribute Points and the Join Geometry. Plug the Object Info node (your cube) into the Instance input.

Your cube is now scattered!

It'll most likely look crazy at first, but you can adjust the Scale and Rotation values on the Instance node to adjust your instances.

You can even add Random Value nodes, set them to Vector, and use them to control the Scale and Rotation for added randomness!

Here's the final node group:

In only a few short minutes, you've become a master of scattering. You can reuse this network for all kinds of scattering tasks. It's easy to control, too: use the Density to control how many objects, and the Max and Mins of the Random nodes to tweak scale and rotation.

Have a great day!

— Samuel

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