Allow using instance fields to transform geometry
Massive roadblock for doing some otherwise very neat stuff is not being able to use the Transform node to deform geometry based on instance data. As of now, you have to realize the instances, which isn't a solution and doesn't work for all cases.
To give an example, since this is completely procedural geometry (built up using a cylinder mesh here), I am artificially disallowed from parameterizing the radius of a string of bamboo chutes per-instance, making for a very boring setup.
PLEASE give us a way to do this. It is absolutely aggravating to be stunted creatively whenever I want to procedurally generate random geometry.
8 Comments
Is this about associating data with instances and wanting to access that data after realizing the instances? I've just made a very specific proposal to tackle that problem: blender.community/c/rightclickselect/l78M
It would still require you to realize instances, but then you could pick your transformation parameters from what was associated with the instances before.
Something I thought of was a highlight Indicie node that functions like how you'd select verticies, edges, or faces in Edit Mode. From what I understand, we're pretty much asking for the same thing; being able to transform the geometry like in Edit Mode
Or please god just a way to query the geometry's location... or just a random value... or anything, really.
Instance are just links to the originals If you can't realize instances for your transformations, what should you edit? where should the result be stored? -OOO, I have too many of them (((I feel sad from memory (((And let's make it so that there is geometry and memory is not needed)))))
Right and you seem to miss my point. You cannot do per-instance deformation in the instance's local coordinate space using geometry node. It is a huge limitation of instances right now.
I'm aware this might have a memory overhead...
If you want to change the original, that means you are still making copies of the objects you know you can represent them as points and just reset the geometry to a new deformed one?
So mesh to points, then points to vertices, then vertices to mesh, then plug that into the instance?
It's been a month now and I absolutely cannot figure out what you mean by this. So far I have failed to modify geometry randomly as I've described above.
I am hitting this same roadblock over and over again, making geometry nodes merely a toy and not useful for real world use so far.