Learn how to achieve stunning laser cutting effects in Blender with this comprehensive tutorial from Blender Made Easy. Discover techniques for object preparation, rigid body physics, dynamic paint, and particle systems to bring your animations to life.
Are you ready to add some electrifying destruction to your 3D scenes? Stephen Pearson, the talented creator behind the popular YouTube channel Blender Made Easy, has crafted an in-depth tutorial demonstrating how to create realistic laser cutting effects in Blender. This guide combines multiple advanced Blender features, including the Bisect tool, rigid body physics, dynamic paint, and particle systems, to achieve truly dynamic and visually appealing results.
Whether you’re a seasoned Blender user or looking to expand your skillset, this tutorial offers a fantastic opportunity to delve into complex simulations. The creator’s approach breaks down a seemingly daunting task into manageable steps, proving that even intricate effects can be “made easy” with the right guidance.
Here’s the full tutorial from Blender Made Easy if you’d like to follow along:
How to Cut Anything With Lasers in Blender! by Blender Made Easy
Preparing Your Object for the Cut
The foundation of a great laser cut begins with proper object preparation. Stephen advises starting with any primitive object or a custom mesh. The key is to create a backup of your object (Shift+D) and hide it – this will be crucial later for particle effects. Next, enter Edit Mode on your original object and utilize Blender’s powerful Bisect tool. This allows you to define the exact paths your laser will follow. After each bisect cut, you’ll press ‘V’ to separate the mesh and ‘F’ to fill the newly created face. The separated piece is then selected (Ctrl+L) and made into a new object (P > Selection). Remember to also fill the edge loop on each separated piece to ensure a solid surface. This meticulous process ensures that your object is perfectly segmented for the physics simulation.
Animating the Laser Path and Object
To give your laser movement, the tutorial suggests adding a Bezier curve. This curve acts as the trajectory for your laser. Position and scale it to trace the desired cutting path, extruding points to match your bisect cuts. Increase the curve’s resolution for a smoother animation. A simple cylinder serves as the “laser handle,” which is then constrained to “Follow Path” targeting your curve. The offset factor of this constraint is animated from 0 to 1 with linear interpolation to ensure a consistent, smooth movement.
For the laser itself, a thin, extruded circle is parented to the laser handle. The artist then animates the laser object’s Y-scale, making it extend from 0 to 1 at the start of each cut and retract back to 0 at the end. This creates a visually convincing effect of the laser beam appearing and disappearing as it cuts.
Unleashing Destruction with Rigid Body Physics
Now for the fun part: making things fall apart! The creator guides you through setting up rigid body physics. First, set the origin to geometry for all your cut pieces. A large plane acts as a passive floor. All cut pieces are then given active rigid body properties, but crucially, their “Dynamic” property is initially unchecked (while holding Alt) to keep them static. The magic happens when you animate the “Dynamic” checkbox to turn on one frame after the laser completes its corresponding cut. This timing ensures pieces only fall once they’ve been “cut.” Stephen also recommends lowering the plane’s friction for a more dramatic slide and extending the rigid body world’s end frame. Don’t forget to bake your simulation!
Dynamic Paint for Realistic Burn Marks
To add burn marks or glowing edges, Dynamic Paint is employed. Each cut object needs to be UV unwrapped (Smart UV Project). Each piece is then set as a Dynamic Paint Canvas, configured as an “Image Sequence” with a “Wet Map” output. It’s vital to assign a unique cache path for each canvas. The laser object, on the other hand, becomes the Dynamic Paint Brush, set to “Mesh Volume + Proximity.” This setup allows the laser to literally “paint” a texture onto the object as it passes. The tutorial notes that copying modifiers can streamline this process, but you might need to reselect the UV map for each object. Baking these image sequences is the final step for this section.
Crafting Materials for Glow and Realism
With the dynamic paint maps baked, it’s time to apply them in the Shader Editor. A new material is created for the cut pieces. An Image Texture node, loaded with your baked wet map sequence, drives the factor of a Mix Shader. An Emission shader (typically red for a laser glow) is mixed with a Principled BSDF shader (your object’s base material). A Color Ramp can be inserted to fine-tune the glow’s dissipation. This material is then linked to all cut pieces, with a crucial step to “Make Single User > Materials” for independent editing, allowing each piece to use its specific wet map. The laser object itself also receives an emission shader for that iconic bright beam.
Adding Sparkle with Particle Systems
No laser cut is complete without sparks! The creator demonstrates how to add particle systems to simulate debris. An empty plane axis is added and parented to the laser handle, with a Shrinkwrap constraint targeting the backup object. A small circle mesh, acting as the particle emitter, is parented to this empty. A particle system is added to this emitter, with settings adjusted for number, lifetime, velocity, and random variations. Crucially, the particle system’s start and end frames are precisely matched to the laser’s active cutting periods. The particles are rendered as instanced icospheres, which are then given a yellowish emission shader for a bright, fiery spark effect. Remember to bake all dynamics for a smooth playback.
Final Touches: Rendering and Compositing
To make your animation truly shine, the tutorial covers rendering and compositing. Position your camera, then enable Ray Tracing and Motion Blur in your Render Settings for added realism. Set Color Management’s Look to “High Contrast” to enhance visual punch. In the Compositing Workspace, a Glare node (set to Fog Glow) is added between your Render Layers and Composite nodes. This simple yet effective step adds a beautiful, ethereal glow to your laser and particles, elevating the entire scene. A helpful tip from the creator: start your render from frame 2, as frame 1 might occasionally show an unexpected red glow due to texture initialization.
Dive Deeper with Blender Made Easy
Stephen Pearson’s dedication to making complex Blender techniques accessible is evident in this comprehensive tutorial. If you found this guide helpful, consider exploring his other resources:
- Support on Patreon: Access blend files and exclusive content on the Blender Made Easy Patreon.
- Blender Simulations Book: Check out his book on Blender Simulations.
- Join the Community: Connect with other Blender enthusiasts on the Blender Made Easy Discord.
- Learn More: Explore his courses on Skillshare and Udemy.
Blender, a powerful open-source 3D creation suite, continues to amaze with its capabilities, and creators like Stephen Pearson are instrumental in showcasing its potential. This tutorial is a testament to the sophisticated effects achievable within Blender, transforming a simple object into a dynamic, laser-sliced spectacle. You can always download the latest version of Blender from Blender’s official website to start your own creative journey.
Source:
Blender Made Easy – How to Cut Anything With Lasers in Blender!
