Notch Notch Manual 0.9.23
 Light | Dark
Procedural

Procedural

Method #

In Notch a procedural is a 3-dimensional field of signed distances, where an position in the field hold a value of its distance to a “surface”, defined by shapes added to the field. This is often known as a Signed Distance Field (SDF). An SDF alone does not represent geometry, but surfaces and volumes can be generated from the field and rendered conventionally using procedural rendering nodes. For this process to work most efficiently, the SDF must be well-formed and devoid of extreme distortions. Some rendering nodes such as Procedural Meshing provide an Error Tolerance which relaxes this restriction at the cost of decreased performance.

The following node categories are available for working with procedurals:

  • Procedural Root, Root node from which all other procedural nodes should have connection path to.
  • Cloning, Repeat their child systems in various ways.
  • Displacement, Displace and modify the generated SDFs.
  • Generators, Generate SDFs using Particles, Meshes, Images, Etc.
  • Render Nodes, Change how the generated SDF is rendered in the scene.
  • Texturing, Change how a texture is applied to the material.

Cloning

Clone the shapes in a Procedural system.

CloneClone

Clone children in a Procedural System.

MirrorMirror

Mirror children in a Procedural system.

RepeatRepeat

infinitely clone children in a Procedural system.

Displacement

These nodes apply spatial displacements in a procedural.

FBM DisplacementFBM Displacement

Apply FBM deformation to a procedural.

Fluid AffectorFluid Affector

Apply a fluid deformation to a procedural.

MeltMelt

Smooth a procedural.

OnionOnion

Layer the surfaces of the procedural.

Pyroclastic DisplacementPyroclastic Displacement

Add blobby noise to a procedural.

Generators

These nodes generate a distance field for use in a procedural.

3D Object3D Object

Generates a 3D Object for a procedural.

3D Primitive3D Primitive

Generates a 3D primitive for a procedural.

Cellular NoiseCellular Noise

Generates a cellular noise pattern for a procedural.

Editable CodeEditable Code

Generates a shape for a procedural system from custom code.

Fractal NoiseFractal Noise

Generates 3D fractal noise for a Procedural system.

ImageImage

Genreate a Procedural shape from an image.

Level Set (Field)Level Set (Field)

This node allows a Field to be used as a procedural generator source.

NullNull

Combine multiple generators together before adding them to a Procedural system.

ParticlesParticles

Generate shapes from particles for a procedural.

Particles As PrimitivesParticles As Primitives

Generate primitive shapes from particles for a procedural.

Reaction-DiffusionReaction-Diffusion

Performs reaction-diffusion simulation to a Procedural system.

VoronoiVoronoi

Generates a 3D Voronoi pattern for procedurals.

Render Nodes

These nodes convert the procedural distance field into rendered geometry, voxel grids, or other systems.

Heightmap GeneratorHeightmap Generator

This node is currently in development.

Procedural MeshingProcedural Meshing

Renders a procedural system as geometry.

Procedural Shading NodeProcedural Shading Node

Adjusts the shading of an object based on a procedural system.

Volume GeneratorVolume Generator

Renders a procedural system as a volume through voxels.

Volumetric TracerVolumetric Tracer

Renders a procedural as a volume through direct tracing.

Texturing

These nodes allow for textures to be applied to the procedural system.

Meshing Texture MapMeshing Texture Map

Applies a texture to a procedural system.

Nodes

Procedural RootProcedural Root

The root for a Procedural system.