Custom Mesh Instance

Is it possible to Add a custom mesh in the place of where the Cone Node is?

Or is it possible to make the cone look like this?

Yes to both.
You just have to use an Object Info node to use a custom mesh.
You can use nodes from Curve, Mesh and or Geometry submenus to create a custom shape.

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Do not yet mark this solved. I am trying to learn the suggestions. Any other hints as to how I would specifically make the cone/dot shape the most efficiently is still appreciated. I assume it is extremely easy once understood. I want to shift all my work to Blender so I’d rather learn Blender than use my previously made cone shape from Freecad.
I’m tryin’. I’m learin’.

I’ve been watching videos and trying different things but I feel like I shouldn’t need a complicated node tree to make a simple rounded cone. I don’t want anyone to do it for me but I am stuck. I see the connections to the Cone Node and assume I can connect a node or two to the Cone Node to get the simple shape I am looking for…?
I believe the best way to learn is to figure it out but I need a hint.
Am I correct and do I understand you correctly that I can connect nodes to the cone node to get the rounded cone shape? If you tell me the specific nodes I should experiment with it will save me days or weeks of time trying to figure it out and I sure would appreciate it. I feel like plugging something into the “Side” is what I’m looking for?
I wish I would have spent the last three years learning nodes and not as much Freecad.

Not really. A Set Position node or a Scale Elements node may be the only operation necessary to deform a Cone.
But you will need more than 2 nodes to modify vectors used for Set Position node offset or to define selection of elements scaled by Scale Elements node.
When you are modifying meshes with Geometry nodes, you need to start with a field to transform ( Position, Normal, Edge Vertices, …). Then you use Vector Math, Vector Curves or Math, Float Curve node to modify values of field.
To make a selection, you can outputs of primitive, compare position of elements to a value using a Compare node.Then, you can use Boolean Math node to add or subtract conditions of selection.

Vector Curves and Float Curve node can allow you to define a profile for the primitive.
In fact, you are not forced to start with a Cone primitive to obtain that shape.
You can used Curve primitives instead. A Curve to Mesh node allows to obtain a mesh surface from 2 Curve primitives. One curve can be resampled to have enough points with different radius to allow to create a profile, by changing Radius field.
Or you can repeat extrusion of an arc converted into a mesh.
That may correspond to more operations, but less nodes.

The interest of using nodes is that, when nodetree is built ; you can change profile, at any time. The node tree was not built to create only one shape, but a family of similar shapes.

If you are only interested in one shape, you can create it without geometry nodes, modifying a cone primitive in Mesh Edit mode or Sculpt mode.
Or creating a surface from Curve objects from add menu.
Then, a simple Object Info node will be necessary to be able to instance it, using Instances on Points node and Distribute Points nodes or Mesh primitives.

OK. A lot to unpack for me but I think I understand most of it. I tried to use the cone shape I made in Freecad but nothing I’ve tried will alight the bottom with the faces. I was going to try to make make the cone shape in Mesh Edit as you suggest but I feared having the same problem with alignment. I can’t figure out how to get it to put the flat part on the faces/surface. I can get them to align on one side but not the other.

Since the primitive cone was lining up good I thought it easier to use it. But ok, I will abandon trying to use the cone.
Yes, I like the nodes and want to learn them because I expect to make other shapes than a cone in the future and hope to be able to just plug them in.

It’s all quite overwhelming to me right now.

Are you sure your object is aligned on Z-axis? Do you have un-apllied rotation transform on it?

Woooooo! So I made a new Dot on the XZ. Pugged it in and Shizzzammmm!

I would still like to better understand the whole work flow but it seems like this has been SOLVED!

Thank you so much. I did consider making a new Dot on the Z axis but all credit goes to you!

It’s quite simple: Align Euler to Vector aligns a chosen axis (you chose Z-axis here), to a certain vector (face Normal in your case).
So the object in question needs to point up (along Z-axis) to be rotated as you expect it to :person_shrugging:

If your object is leaning on the side, for example, along Y-axis, you would need to check Y-axis in the node.

I clicked all the different axis and none of them would align. Making a new dot fixed it instantly.

However, may I ask you another question or should I make a new topic?

When I export the stl, the dot that is the instance also gets exported. Did I do the right thing by importing the stl dot or should I have brought it into the scene a different way since I need to export stl? Hiding it or selecting everything but it does not help.

The only way I see to export the instances with the main Object is to Realize Instances but even without that, the dot gets exported.

OK I FOUND IT. THE SETTINGS IN THE EXPORT WINDOW.

Thanks for your help!