I can’t access Youtube right now. But will def check this out when I can 
There are Blender solutions available, but unheard of. Or not handled by Game Dev because I think of it’s technical nature. Like:
- Shapekeys
- Hooks (to vertices)
- Drivers
- and much more
So many not explained features. I understand the freedom of geo-nodes.
But for some geo-node solutions, there are appropriate existing Blender features.
I like geo-nodes, but it’s also a game changer … and a welcome addition to Blender.
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Not really sure what Shapekeys are. I used hooks one time to hook vertices from curves to a control emtpy. I started learning a little bit about drivers from a rigging course I’m taking. But jesus yeah there is so much to learn with this software. A lifetime is not enough. Haha
I think there might be other solutions for the things that geo nodes can do. But I am not aware of them yet
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Yes, geometry nodes are programming not making/creating in the normal maker way. It is a visual coding sort of thing instead of writing Python.
In possibly the most recent Pablo Blender weekly talk, he mentioned the first ready made geo node ‘modifiers’ being added into Blender by default. In effect ready made modifiers built from goe nodes. So normal users can just use them like we use standard modifiers, not coding the thing oneself. Hopefully, now this is the direction Geo Nodes will go in. Quickly be ready made node groups that do all the remotely useful common things that we just use as we do normal modifiers without even having to think about how they do it.
There are vanishingly small occasions that I might want cities, landscapes, etc. created for me, rather than me building exactly what I want them to be. Or variations on a theme of an object. We already have some forms of randomisation too. Perhaps repetitive games or animation/film environments do have more use for it.
Things like scattering we have already via particles, and the new geo node variation is fine and a good better variation. However, really it should be a ready made set up, no need to have to invent the wheel every time yourself. Yes, like procedural texturing nodes, most of us will dabble in the shallow end a bit, but not the super clever thousand nodes tree to make a cube into a flower of Nodevember style showing off.
Recently watched a terrible long boring node tutorial where he carefully showed us how it was done normally, curves to make stitches. Took him about 3 minutes. Then the next hour and a half showing how to get nodes to do it instead, (along with huge totally irrelevant rabbit hole diversions.) Ok yes the node version was probably more reusable, but not much really.
Greatest of respect for those whom programming is natural and they get on well with it, however I like electricity, but do not want to be a nuclear scientist making my own reactor to get it! I want to turn on the switch and it goes. For me there is a huge mental divide between traditional making, technical drawing, sculpting, etc mind types and programming mathematical ones. Of course some people can do both.
This may make me a dinosaur! I am fine with that at my age.
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. . . let me die young.
It’s not my best video clip. But it shows the power of the tutorial I did follow. See the previous message for the tutorial hexagon link.
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Nice. That’s giving me them sand table type projection feel you see in the sci-fi movies. Specially like the scrolling uv feel to it.
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Correct me if I’m wrong. Instancing geometry with geo nodes is more data efficient than using particle systems. From my understanding the geo node instances uses the same data for all of the instances, similar to linked duplicates, whereas the particle system duplicates all of the particles with separate data. So you’re able to create more complex scenes with less data. But I’m not completely sure about this and I can’t access google right now so that’s why I’m asking.
I can relate to this. It really feels like inventing the wheel all over again, when I could think of other more straight forwards ways of doing things with the little knowledge I have atm. But geometry nodes is still being developed, and is still relatively new in Blender. Who knows what it will look like in a year or so. I just started learning geo nodes, and have watched older videos from just a couple of years ago, and the functionality and ease of use is rapidly improving. Worth keeping an eye on.
Haha. Not everyone is able to make quality teaching videos that are fun to follow. But I hope more will come with geo nodes.
I’m not a programmer in the least, only understand some basic fundementals. But for a visual learner like myself, it is actually really nice to have a node system that lets you create and adjust things without lines of code, but that produces similar results (based on your statement that it is similar to coding).
For me, I really enjoy watching unexpected things happen on the screen when I learn new tools and adjust values in Blender. And that is another reason why I think geo nodes are pretty fascinating. But then there’s another part of me that feels like I should just focus on some particular area of Blender rather than trying to learn a bit of everything. Hmmm, this is getting deep. Geonodes are fun! That’s it.
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Yes re scattering I did say it is a better variation. Just that we should not have to ‘code’ it ourselves every time. It should be ready made modifier that we just add our items to be scattered and amounts.
I am not negative about them, they open up programming to a much wider use than if relying on Python or similar. Particularly those that want some bespoke solution for a particular need. A very basic understanding of them is going to be helpful, like with texturing nodes.
Specialisation in Blender and the whole area is fairly standard I believe, no one can master it all, especially in the more commercial sector.
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Don’t know what to say after reading everything.
What I felt is that while Geometry Nodes are good it is being over rated exposed.
As the name suggests, it is based on Geometry, and the way I experienced it, it makes usages of the Geometry concepts. Mostly of Sin, Cos and Tan theta. I was, am and will remain Bad at Mathematics. So, it is not for me, and I don’t want any tutorial to follow blindly to attain a specific effect and for not able to know where exactly to repeat the exact concepts.
I do know a bit of programming (though novice) and am doing a bit in Unreal. But, I keep steer clear of the Mathematics Concept. I do Program in Python in Anaconda but steer clear from Linear Algebra. I stick to Regression (as I know it as a old student of Economics) and leave other things for others more capable ones.
Like everything else, Geometry Nodes, to the best my limited brain could decode, is another way of doing the same thing. I would rather be focused on mastering the Art way than Sin Q way !
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Yeah 
I’m not a real developer? 
But seriously, GeoNodes UX is fine, but it has a long way to go before it will be for “real programmers” 
. I’m really enjoying coding with Unreal’s Blueprints, but geonodes not so much…
I don’t think so (unless you want to make a game in Blender). Game engines already have tools for doing those things. I actually would really like to see real use cases on game side of things that can’t be done easier with existing tools. Esp. when things like https://altermesh.com/ exists.
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This a very lovely example of the use of procedural modeling (Geo nodes).
But I don’t think that a graphical artist, wants to use three parameters to generate a city.
It doesn’t give the artist any freedom whatsoever. It is too random. So who’s going to use this?
I’ve developed programs for many, many years. Seen a lot of visual tools to build applications. Oracle Forth generation language, Lego robotics. Macromedia Authorware, CMS, and now Blender Geo nodes. Most of these tools, have a way to add application code, to allow more specific solutions.
While these were very nice environments to work with. They are only suited for simple solutions. Of course, complex layouts are possible, but then it is very difficult to maintain or reuse.
Geo nodes will give the artist more freedom in creativity, without the need for a developer. But this means also more knowledge of Blender internals to the user.
It will be exciting to see, where this leads to.
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I might not have been clear enough, but that’s more or less was my point… i.e., I’m not seeing anything useful for games at the moment with geonodes that isn’t possible to do already without them.
Same . And on top of my head I can just give 2 really successful examples of visual scripting that’s good from a software engineer perspective: shaders (esp. Unreal’s material editor) and Unreal’s blueprints.
Some artists. It’s still a programming, that many artist just don’t like (and if that’s a first programming thing - the learning curve is steep).
Yup.
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To add where I think GeoNodes might be useful, but that’s Blender only perspective:
- assembling stuff in blender from parts (procedural buildings, cities, guns, etc.)
- already mentioned scattering with better control over it vs particles. I remember when I was doing donut tutorial there was issue with sprinkles intersecting with each others - that was impossible to solve.
- when you need many variations of a thing it sometimes will be faster to take time and make it procedural. One example that I used is lighting bolts: it’s cool to have a generator so that each lighting bolt is different. Another interesting example I’ve seen is making cables.
- when randomness is inherent to a thing. It’s really tedious to model a lighting bolt by hand, and I think it will take as much time as learning it to do in geo nodes.
- making abstract things
- making repeatable things that are procedural, but dynamic in nature (like fences, tree branches, cables mentioned earlier, cobwebs, etc)
And I’ll leave this for more examples:
And also this twitter account has many cool examples of using GeoNodes:
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No doubt !
Maths always have some good things to offer that seems exciting all the time.
But everybody is not made for Maths.
Also, all these Maths grabs attention quickly, but fades from real life usage silently.
Why ? Because all these Maths are applied Mathematics and no where and by no means Pure Mathematics which has Universal Usages.
Applied Maths, well I know the concept (metaphorically) , so I in UE will use it differently than in Blender ! I would not want to change the core !
Of the total Population who are Maths Experts, how many of them are in Pure Mathematics ? < 2% and they are not interested in Game Engines or 3D Softwares’ !
They have much better things to solve !
And this is the reason of cross platform ambiguities that has been left for the users to solve per case basis !
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My VPN is working again, so just gonna share those tutorial videos in case anyone is interested. My scene is very messy and not that well put together but the tutorials are nice for anyone who wants to learn about geo nodes.
And I do believe that you can learn a lot from following tutorials if you actively try to understand and tinker a bit, don’t have to follow them “blindly”. I didn’t stray away from the tutorials much, but tried to understand what all the nodes I used did and in what situations I might be able to use them in the future.
EDIT: But I forget that this is a website that is mainly focused on games (even though the name is GameDev 
). So don’t know how useful they actually are to you.
Getting started with geo nodes:
Build a sci-fi city:
Ready player one inspired stacks:
Other things I didn’t try yet but that I think look interesting:
Abstract animation loop:
Text to object transition effect:
Blender team building a procedural fantasy city with geo nodes:
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Amazing !
Thank you for all these collections at one place.
I’ll try my hands on a few when I’ll have some time and will revert with my observations and experiences,
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Just saw this. Beautiful 
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Congratulation to FedPete and zeRgenTa!
I (FedPete) didn’t expect to win this Collab, because my entry was just the outcome a interesting tutorial. So I decided to give also credits to zeRgenta as second best!
I know, we all use examples found on the web, which is good! But each entry needs to have something of own input into the scene.
- Gordon - I like your scene, because it’s mysterious. The composition is good, colors in the middle. The feel of dimension at the sides of the view. Foggy background to emphasize the feel. It’s food for thought!
- joey_Cuevas - It is a great scene, but it has to many different styles. The floor looks realism, the bed is low poly simple.
Note: I don’t want to offend anyone for any reason. I try to write down positive ideas and visions that I have in my simple use of the English language. I am also sometimes more inspired by a particular subject or solution. I’m also learning from you!
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This is not the right way setting up origin in Geometry Nodes.
I am commenting after a lot of ado around Geometry Nodes and a couple of Courses down that got complimented with my ongoing learnings of C++ and Python.
If we need to apply pure Geometry Nodes to create this scene, the origin needs to be set up with Transform Nodes. It is Python based Vectors and Functions, and this is why I am saying all the time, one need some concept of Geometry and Trigonometry to play around with.
If it becomes mix of Destructive and non - Destructive method, it will become nearly impossible using created asset cross platform.
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