3D Pixels
Create transformative 3D renders from 2 images, a height map and a color map.
Creating 3D renders by just changing a few settings in an art generator in an exploratory way, instead of creating everything from scratch, can be a fun way to quickly generate new artwork.
What is 3D Pixels?
3D Pixels is a Blender project that allows you to create abstract 3D renders from two images: a height map and a color map. The height map is used to create the 3D geometry, while the color map is used to apply colors to the geometry.
The main idea is that by changing these two images, you can quickly create a wide variety of different renders without having to create everything from scratch and have fun in the process.
The project is built using Blender’s Geometry Nodes and an additional script to expose some settings to the user interface. This allows you to easily change settings without having to dive into the geometry nodes themselves.
Example
Here are 2 images that were used to create the render at the top of the page. The first image is used as a height map, which represents the height of the grid geometry. The second image is used as a color map, and is used to apply colors to the geometry.
More Examples
You can see more high-resolution examples of renders created with 3D Pixels on my ArtStation page. The examples show how different height maps and color maps can create a wide variety of different renders.
Where can I get it?
3D Pixels is available on the following marketplaces:
Features & Documentation
A full set of documentation about features, the installation process, and usage can be found here: documentation
Future Plans
In the future, I plan to explore a full code version instead of combining geometry nodes and a script. This would allow for more flexibility and control over the project, as well as the ability to add more features and functionality.
The current approach is difficult to maintain and update, as Geometry Nodes is actively being developed and updated, which can cause issues with the project in almost every update. A full code version would allow for more control over the project and would make it easier to maintain and update in the future.
Inspiration
The idea for 3D Pixels comes from using the Aerialod renderer, which I used to use to create 3D renders from height maps as a fun experiment to create some artwork.
I wanted to create a similar project in Blender that would allow me to create 3D renders from height maps, and additionally color maps, but with more control over the final result.