Learn to craft stunning particle patterns like fingerprints and butterflies in Blender using the powerful Extra Nodes addon. This tutorial by 3D Singh VFX guides you through setting up complex Geometry Nodes simulations for captivating motion graphics.
Dive into the captivating world of Blender’s particle effects with a fantastic tutorial from 3D Singh VFX. Known for his clear and detailed explanations, the creator demystifies the process of generating intricate and dynamic particle patterns using the game-changing Extra Nodes addon. This guide is perfect for anyone looking to elevate their motion graphics or abstract designs, offering a professional yet friendly approach to complex procedural generation.
3D Singh VFX consistently delivers high-quality content, making advanced Blender techniques accessible to a broad audience. His focus on Geometry Nodes, a powerful system introduced in Blender 2.92, has been instrumental in showcasing the software’s evolving capabilities for procedural content creation. This particular tutorial highlights the flexibility of Blender’s open-source nature, allowing developers to create powerful extensions like Extra Nodes that significantly enhance creative workflows. Let’s explore how he brings these stunning particle effects to life.
Setting Up Your Particle Emitter
The journey begins by adding a simple plane as your host object in Blender, then applying a Geometry Nodes modifier. Inside the Geometry Nodes editor, a grid is introduced as the emitter. The magic starts with the KS Distribute Points node, scattering points across your grid, ready to become particles.
The Core of the Simulation: Extra Nodes
The heart of this intricate effect lies within three essential Extra Nodes: the XPBD Solver, the Bake node, and the XPBD Instancer. The XPBD Solver handles the physics, while the Instancer brings your chosen particle geometry (like an Icosphere) to life. Key settings include setting the Solver’s Start Frame to 0 and the Instancer’s Start/End Frame to 1 for immediate particle appearance. You can also decrease substeps for better performance. These powerful nodes, also available on Gumroad, are fundamental to achieving dynamic particle behavior.
Customizing Particle Appearance and Dynamics
To add visual depth, you’ll randomize particle size and rotation. The KS Random Value node generates diverse sizes, and a clever Multiply and Switch node setup allows you to make a fraction of particles significantly larger, adding compelling variation. Dynamic movement is controlled by setting the track to zero and introducing forces. A KS Curve Force node, paired with a Bezier Circle, dictates particle paths, while decreasing the solver’s velocity factor (e.g., 0.25) creates smooth, slow motion. Radial and tangent strengths on the curve force further refine particle interaction with the path.
Advanced Interactions: Collisions and Turbulence
Achieving realistic particle behavior often requires self-collision. This is enabled in both the XPBD Solver and XPBD Instancer. To ensure particle rotation is solely collision-driven, the Instancer’s Align Factor is set to 0. For an extra layer of organic motion, a Turbulence Force node can be introduced, with adjustable strength, scale, and speed, or even randomized strength using a noise texture.
Shaping Your Particle Flow
To confine particles to a specific shape, a main curve (your “pattern” object) is brought into the Geometry Nodes setup. The KS Curve Edge Falloff node is then used to limit particle generation to areas near this curve. By increasing the grid resolution and falloff width, and plugging the falloff into the selection input of the distribute points node, you can create intricate shapes like fingerprints or butterflies. Adjusting particle density and the proportion of larger particles refines the effect further.
Final Touches and Rendering
To achieve a dreamy, slow-motion look, the Time Step in the XPBD Solver is decreased. Once all settings are perfected, the simulation is baked. For materials, the XPBD Info node’s “Random” attribute, fed into a Color Ramp, allows for highlighting specific particle subsets with different shaders—for example, giving some a dark, rough Glass BSDF shader for a distinct visual contrast. Finally, for rendering, switch to the Cycles engine (GPU), enable denoising, and add depth of field with a low f-stop for a cinematic finish. You can support 3D Singh VFX’s work on Patreon.
Sources:
Create Stunning Particle Patterns with Extra Nodes in Blender – Tutorial – 3D Singh VFX
