3D node
Metaballs
Generates blobs that smoothly merge into one another rather than intersecting with hard edges, surfaced via marching cubes over a summed field of up to 8 balls. Can also take a point-cloud input, letting a particle system be surfaced as a liquid-like blob.
What it does
Metaballs is a 3D node: it builds, changes or lights geometry that Render 3D turns into a picture. It takes 3D shape in and gives 3D shape out.
Try it
Feed a particle emitter's point cloud in to turn a scattering of points into a single flowing liquid mass.
Particle SystemMetaballsRender 3D
Inputs and outputs
Inputs
- 3D shape cloud
Outputs
- 3D shape out
Controls
Every control with a range can be driven by a modulator, a note, an audio level or a sketch.
| Control | Range or options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| balls | 1 to 8 | 3 |
| resolution | 8 to 96 | 40 |
| threshold | 0.5 to 40 | 8 |
| bounds | 0.5 to 6 | 1.5 |
| radius | 0.05 to 1.5 | 0.349999994 |
| spread | 0 to 2 | 0.5 |
| orbit / beat | -1 to 1 | 0.150000006 |
Example patch
This patch wires Metaballs to what it needs and shows the result. Download it, then use File, Open in Infinite, or read it here: it is plain text.
infinite-patch 1
rev 2
# Metaballs: a starting patch for the Metaballs node
node 1 3D Metaballs
id node
pos 520 300
end
node 2 3D Cube
id in0
pos 0 300
end
node 3 3D Render 3D
id view
pos 1080 300
end
node 4 Utility Output
id out
pos 1640 300
end
geo node 0 in0
geo view 0 node
cable out 0 view