Blender 4.2: Ray Portal Node Tutorial

Jun 16, 2024

Blender 4.2: Ray Portal Node Tutorial

Introduction

  • Blender 4.2 has many new features, including the ray portal node.
  • Ray portal node allows accessing portals within the Blender Shader menu.
  • Enables creating interesting effects and illusions.
  • Tutorial covers the basics of the ray portal node and an illusionary effect with a rotating cube.
  • Advanced topics and resources for deeper exploration will be mentioned.

Basic Setup

  • Example: Cube and Plane (portal) with a regular shader.
  • Steps to add portal node:
    1. Delete the default shader and drag out the surface.
    2. Add a portal node.
  • Initial Effect: Appears as a transparent shape.
  • Position and direction controlled via Shader.
  • Add texture coordinate and mapping vector node for positioning.
  • Various transformations (moving, rotating) create different effects.

Creating the Illusionary Effect

  1. Setup Plane and Material
    • Create a plane and move along the z-axis.
    • Add and name a new material (e.g., portal1).
    • Ensure Blender 4.2 is installed for this setup.
  2. Advanced Node Setup
    • Use nodes like tangent, geometry, vector math, cross product, dot product.
    • Create a system to control direction and position of the portal.
  3. Positioning and Viewing
    • Modify positions via the shader menu.
    • Add a texture coordinate node and mapping vector node for final adjustments.
  4. Creating Multi-Scene Effect
    • Insert objects like cubes, and move them as needed.
    • Use shader adjustments to create a seamless effect between different scenes.

More Complex Setup

  • Mention of Patreon for additional content and project files.
  • Advanced Vector math node setup inspired by CG Matter.
  • Example setup continued with duplicating planes (portal2) and managing scenes.
  • Steps for managing multiple shader portals to view into different cubes.
  • Fine-tuning like setting vertex alignment and rotations to achieve desired effects.
  • Detailed walkthrough on creating complex environments and using planes to create dynamic views.

Conclusion and Resources

  • Encouragement to experiment and create unique setups.
  • Mentions and links to resources for deeper learning:
    • CG Matter for vector math explanations.
    • Cartesian Caramel for innovative artwork and effects.
  • Call to action for sharing creations on social media (handle: Southern chotti).

References

  • CG Matter’s video on vector math for portals.
  • Cartesian Caramel’s YouTube tutorials and live streams.

Full transcript