Beginner Blender 4.0 Tutorial - Part 6: Geometry Nodes

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Creating Sprinkles on a Donut Using Geometry Nodes in Blender

1. Accessing Geometry Nodes:

   • Open Blender and load your scene with the donut model.
   • Go to the top menu and select the "Geometry Nodes" feature.

2. Closing Unnecessary Windows:

   • If the spreadsheet window is open, right-click on it and select "Join Areas" to collapse it.
   • This will give you more space to work with in the main Blender interface.

3. Creating Geometry Nodes for Icing:

   • Select the icing on your donut.
   • Click on the "New" button to create a new geometry nodes setup.

4. Understanding Geometry Nodes:

   • Geometry nodes are modifiers that allow you to manipulate objects in Blender.
   • The node-based system lets you create custom tools and effects.

5. Adding Sprinkles:

   • To scatter points for sprinkles, use the "Point Distribute" node.
   • Connect it to the existing setup to scatter points on the icing mesh.

6. Rendering Sprinkles:

   • Add a UV Sphere object to represent the sprinkles.
   • Adjust the segments and scale of the sphere to create realistic sprinkles.

7. Distributing Sprinkles:

   • Use the "Instances on Points" node to distribute the sprinkles on the icing mesh.
   • Adjust the density and distribution settings to control the placement of the sprinkles.

8. Customizing Sprinkle Density:

   • Use weight painting on the icing mesh to control where sprinkles appear.
   • Create a weight paint mask and connect it to the density factor in the geometry nodes setup.

9. Fine-Tuning Sprinkles Placement:

   • Paint the weight paint mask to control the density and placement of sprinkles on the donut.
   • Adjust the strength and values to create a natural-looking sprinkle distribution.

10. Scaling and Applying Transformations:

    • Ensure the scale and rotation of objects are applied to maintain accurate dimensions.
    • Resize the donut and other objects in the scene to real-world proportions.

11. Adjusting Sprinkle Density:

    • If scaling affects the density of sprinkles, use a math node to adjust the density value accordingly.
    • Multiply the density value by a factor to maintain the desired sprinkle density.

12. Finalizing Sprinkle Setup:

    • Fine-tune the density and distribution of sprinkles using the math node.
    • Experiment with different values to achieve the desired sprinkle effect on the donut.

13. Additional Tips:

    • Remember to save your project regularly to avoid losing progress.
    • Experiment with different settings and values to customize the sprinkle effect on your donut.

By following these steps, you can create realistic sprinkles on your donut using Geometry Nodes in Blender. Experiment with different settings and have fun customizing your donut model!