the end of 3d modeling is near
its getting harder and harder justifying modeling models from scratch when you can just 3d scan an object and import it into your 3d application with all the textures and the materials all set, of course am over simplifying the process here but still, it takes you less time to 3d scan an object than modeling it directly, and if you dont have the time or skills to 3d scan an object, libraries like quixel mega scans and sketchfab have 1000s to millions of scanned models to choose from.
for things like trees and vegetations that are harder to 3d scan, procedural tools like speedtree exist that make far more accurate models with the ability to create hundreds of variations by just clicking the randomize or variation button.
and to add salt to the wound, Ai 3d model generators are around the corner.
it is for this reason that i made a video about how generators are replacing polygon modeling and gave a few examples, most of the examples in the video where paid generators which some of you pointed out and wanted to see a list of free generators for blender so this is going to be that list.
so lets jump in.
1 free blender stylized tree generator
this list is going to be your one stop center for every sort of generators, like this stylized anime tree generator, you can create endless variations thanks to the procedural nature of the generator and its free for you to download.
2 Easy Hair generator
in art, some artists enjoy the process, more than the final results, for those who care more about the results and not the technical process of getting there, then you are going to love this tool, it simply turns mesh objects into hair, how you ask? well, am in the i dont care how it does it group, i just want to see results and thats what this generator does.
3 Procedural feather generator
this is a generator you probably dint know you needed, it generates feathers that you can then instance onto your characters for up close shorts to make your movies look like high budget movies.
you can create all sorts of feathers thanks so its customization parameters that you can access in the modifiers panel.
4 Free abandoned city generator
if you are looking for a reason to learn polygon modeling, am afraid this is not it, because with just a few clicks and changing sliders on this generator you can generate a whole abandoned city without ever touching a polygon or vertex.
5 Pineapple generator
geometry nodes has been around for a while now, and i still get surprised with what it can do, i bet you 100$ 90% of people watching this video including my self can’t model a pineapple that looks this good, but this generator can, and can do it in just a few seconds, giving us yet another reason why polygon modeling is about to die.
6 free detective/ conspiracy boards generator
imagine an office scene with this board in the background, it would turn a boring shot into a story driven shot, i really love this conspiracy board generator and am sure you will love it to, all you have to do is buy it for just 0$ and it is yours.
7 buildify building generator
the purpose of this list was to show how polygon modeling is dying, no other generator demonstrates the reason why than this free building generator. in just a few clicks, you have a complete building with materials other decals like air conditioners, roof ventilations and more. such a building can take you hours to make with polygon modeling yet with this generator, you can make 10s of variations before the modeling artists can delete the default cube.
8 Free pipes generator
looking for another reason why less people are taking on polygon modeling, this generator should be it, you just extrude an edge and the generator takes over, turning that single edge into a pipe, that is fully textured with details like pipe joints, corners and valves.
9 the bagapie modifier
the bagapie modifier is a collection of generators that you can get for free, it comes with alot of features including, scattering tools, optimization tools, stair generator, pipes generator, tiles and more.
the advantage of using procedural generators compared to polygon modeled objects is how many variations you can make out of one generator, with basic polygon models if you share the model with other artists your arts starts to look similar because you are all using the same models, which is not the same case with generators, 10 people can have the same generator but as long as each changes atleast one parameter in the generator, all your models are going to look different, thats why more artists are not afraid of sharing there generators for free, because they know every artists is going to use the generator in a unique way.
10 Tessellation generator
if you want to create patterns on a mesh, this free tessellation generator is all you need, you just need the pattern objects you want to use in a collection, then apply the tessellation generator on to the mesh you want to have the pattern and you are good to go
11 free hair Generator
Hair was update in blender to take full advantage of geometry nodes, but its still requires alot of setup to make it work, this free procedual hair generator does the heavy lifting for you, so that you can focus on making hair look great. it also works with curves and mesh objects as hair, the list of all functionalities are listed on the download page
12 electric poles generator
small details like electric poles can make a big difference in your scenes, and with this free electric pole generator it wont even cost you time to add into your scene like it would if you decided to model them, the old fashion way.
13 free blender Crystal generator
i added this free crystal generator to further demonstrate how procedural modeling is going to obliterate polygon modeling, this crystal generator is not just generating the shape of the crystals but its also driving the materials of the crystal, while this is possible with polygon modeling , you have to resort to texture painting or vertex painting, with a procedural workflow, all you need is to generate masks, that you can send to the material like normals, edge neighbors, face angles and more, these fields are all easily accessible through the nodes of the generator which is not the case if you modeled this with polygon modeling.
14 Free xmass tree generator
we are not in christmass season yet, but if you want your movie project to be done by christmass season, you should be starting on it right now, to save on time here is a free christmass tree generator that generates a well detailed tree, with ornaments and decorations.
and thanks to the procedural nature of the generator when you generate a new tree, all the decals update correctly, you would have to update them manually if this was polygon modeled.
15 Free Melt generator
while on the topic of Christmas, if you substitute the melting lava material of this generator with snow, or glass you can use this melt generator as a snow melting effect. its free so why not.
16 Free blender snow generator
need snow, don’t waste time making it your self, unless if you want to learn how to do it own your own, but even then just get this free snow generator and reverse engineer it to make your own version ,you will likely learn more from the process than you think, or just use it directly as is.
17 CRT display generator
this is not really free but its only 1$ and its a really a cool generator that i know alot of you would like to have, it simulates a crt display, generating each pixel rbg light and you can scale things up if you want a close up short of the screen.
18 Free blender blust beam generator
there is no way this sort of thing would be possible with out setting up complicated simulations and you know how unpredictable those are or a simple procedural work flow like this, so
if you ever want to make a scifi shot, you will be glad to have gotten this blust beam generator, you get the destruction and laser beam all in one package, am very sure you will enjoy it.
19 ultimate suit up
if you like nano tech transformation effects from transformers or iron mans suit, then you are going to love this pack or transition generators
this free pack comes with a few suit up effects but you can also get more effects by getting a paid version for just 2.9$
20 Free ivy generator
blender has always come with an ivy generator but its not that good and its really slow, replace it with this free awesome and realistic geometry nodes based ivy generator, its quick and easy to setup. did i mention its free as well.
conclusion
its impossible to predict the future and its likely that polygon modeling is still with us for along time, its still hard to make stylized characters procedurally and you can’t scan them because they dont exist in real life, this video was just away to remind our selves how dynamic this industry is, while polygon modeling is here to stay, some areas of modeling have already gone to procedural workflows and 3d scanning.
if you are a new artist make sure to invest sometime learning about how the industry is changing and how you can take advantage of the fact.
