Geometry Nodes Sorting Vertices Tips and Tricks - Blender Tutorial

In this Blender tutorial, learn how to sort elements to control how the geometry is processed in Blender geometry nodes. Discover how to visualize the default order of elements in a mesh, how to reorder with your own logic, and how to specify multiple sort criteria (like top to bottom AND front to back).
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#blender #3d #geometrynodes #tutorial #howto

[@EnglishBob256]

Very informative. Thanks for taking the trouble to make the video

[@TiFiDesign]

No problem. I’m glad it helped!

[@pauloqrz]

hey i did’t knew about this node before THANK YOU. As a grasshopper user i can tell you that we rely so much on sorting components and blender geonodes kinda blends several components into only one node that i could not figure out by myself.

[@TiFiDesign]

Awesome! Glad to hear it was helpful for you.

[@ruben_meerman]

You legend! Thank you, this is exactly what I needed

[@TiFiDesign]

You’re too kind! I’m glad it helped!

[@Aaws424]

I didn’t know this node exists 😂 thanks

[@electronicmusicartcollective]

amazing, thx 4 share this

[@fertuffo1187]

Great explanation!
I wonder why it is not possible to see in the 3D viewport the index numbers to which the points are associated

[@TiFiDesign]

Great question. There's a String to Curve node that I thought might be used but it doesn't take a String field, only a single value, so the Index field can't be plugged in to provide a value for each vertex. In fact all the string related nodes I looked at deal with single values instead of field inputs. Something like this could probably done in a script, but that's unfamiliar territory. :)

[@themalmana]

It's possible to traverse the points with repeat zone. It takes an index input that starts from 0 and you have to increase it manually by 1. Then you pass it to output to the next iteration. During iteration it can be turned to string and placed next to a point.

[@themalmana]

I don't know how to rotate them so that they would always face to viewport "camera"

[@TiFiDesign]

Ah that’s a brilliant idea!

[@TiFiDesign]

Be sure to watch ua-cam.com/video/DQ1FBD6K0IE/v-deo.html where I demonstrate how to do this using Repeat Zone like @themalmana suggested.

[@ian2593]

Can you get it to build up the mesh edge-by-edge?

[@TiFiDesign]

Yep, an easy way is if you change the initial Delete Geometry node from "All" mode to "Only Edges & Faces", then add another Delete Geometry node immediately after it and set it to Only Faces, the edges will be built up. You'll get better results too if you change those two Delete Geometry nodes to be Edges instead of points, and go back and change the Sort Elements node from Points to Edges as well.

[@TiFiDesign]

@ian2593 You'll also need to modify the Domain Size to Edge, change its output to Edge Count, then make sure your End Frame is set large enough to have enough frames to appear or disappear. Thanks for following along! I hope that helps.

[@eclecticgamer5144]

But you can do the *exact* same thing, without sorting... and sorting takes an outsized portion of time.
Where ever you'd have the sorted "Index" plugged in, use the same waited position plugged in instead.

[@btn237]

The benefit to sorting the index is that it stores the data onto the vertices, so if they’re later shifted around in position, you can retain the original sorting.
There are alternative ways to do this by storing attributes, but the index sorting method can be neater for example by allowing you to recall the sorting later simply by plugging in the index node.