Blender Exploder Tool

Blender Exploder Tool v2.1

Making exploded views has never been easier! 

What does it do?

Shortest answer: Take apart and then reassemble your 3D models and animate thousands of instances with a couple of sliders. But that's not all.

The Blender Exploder Tool allows you to easily make exploded views of your 3D models and show and animate all the meshes of the model in a visually appealing way.  An exploded view is often seen in manuals for products you purchase, so you can easily see all the outer and internal components of a product, but it's also very popular in 3D animation.

Blender Exploder Tool works well with the X-Ray and Hologram shader pack Tutorial videoThis video covers version 1.0 - the tool has been updated with more functions since making this video.

Lots of movement, only a few keyframes!

The beauty of this product is that it keeps your Timeline and Graph Editors clean. Animating 1 parameter can give awesome results, keyframe 1 or 2 more and you're done! Simple, clean, awesome results! This tool can be a HUGE timesaver, so you can worry about other things.

Have a cool smartphone model with lots of internal components? Make an exploded view with just one of the sliders to take apart every mesh and expose all the little details. Need to make a cool reveal animation of a digitally scanned environment? Use the sliders! Have a beautifully detailed model of your favorite sports car? Use the sliders!

100% Geometry Nodes based

Blender Exploder Tool has been 100% made in Geometry Nodes, and features some custom Node Groups to make everything well organized. All important parameters can be controlled from the Modifier window. That means no installations, no scripts that need to be run, no weird overlays or confusing UI's, no slow and unpredictable clicking of buttons and hoping for the best - just use the sliders and watch things move directly in the viewport, so you get instant visual feedback. You are fully in control of what's happening. 

There's absolutely no knowledge of Geometry Nodes required - all important parameters are in the Modifier window on the right of your screen.

Effortlessly animate thousands of objects

Procedural

Blender Exploder Tool allows you to position your models and even animate them in a procedural way. Since the tool references Collections in the Modifier window, you can always make it point to a different Collection, but keep your settings intact. That means you can quickly swap out models but apply the same settings or animation to different models, with the click of a button. Also, if you're using multiple Collections (the Tool supports up to 6 Collections), you can always swap meshes between Collections, by dragging meshes from one Collection to another. Say you have animated Collection 1 on the X axis, and Collection 2 on the Y axis, dragging meshes from Collection 1 (X axis) to Collection 2 (Y axis) will automatically update the animation from the X to Y axis. Don't like the change? Then quickly swap the meshes back - or not. You're in full control!

Click + drag one of the Explode sliders and watch everything move right in the viewport. Keyframe it if you want!

Very responsive

Blender Exploder Tool uses instances and vector math to achieve the exploded view effect, which is why it's very fast. There are a couple of functions that are a bit more demanding of your computer though, but they are all optional as you can check or uncheck the checkbox next to them and they are clearly labeled as "CPU heavy".

Here are some uses for the Blender Exploder Tool:

• Animate stylish product renders for your clients
• Create exploded views of CAD, BIM, STP, FBX, OBJ etc. Works on all kinds of meshes
• Animate thousands of instances easily, fast
• Create self assemble animations
• Create reveal animations for objects or complete environments
• Create mind bending digital art
• Repurpose and kitbash new 3D models from old ones on your computer

If you can import it into Blender and it's made of multiple meshes, you can make an exploded view of it! Just use the sliders in this tool - super easy!

Who is this for?

• Motion designers and graphic designers that need to make exploded views of products like smartphones, cars, buildings etc. for their clients, or for fun!
• Animators that want to animate thousands of instances with very little effort
• CAD and BIM modelers that need to explode their designs for better viewing and inspecting
• Automotive designers / animators that need their car models to self assemble in beautiful renders
• Artists and modelers that want to make new models from the 3D models on their hard drive
• Artists that want to make unique digital art
• Blender users that like time saving tools that seem quite simple, but can be surprisingly deep and usable in endless scenarios

Make your 3D models self assemble

Why do I need this?

It will make your clients’ product renders look awesome or save you a lot of time by animating everything in the scene at once. It can also be used for fun art projects. It’s a Swiss army knife of a tool, that does quite a lot, but the results can vary a lot depending on what kind of 3D models or entire scenes you use with it, and what settings you use. It can go quite deep, but it’s also very easy to learn and use, there is NO knowledge of Geometry Nodes required. Anyone can dive in and start using the sliders.

• Huge time saver, very fast to animate thousands of objects right in the viewport
• Animated exploded views are a visually satisfying effect that will impress your clients
• Versatile tool usable in lots of scenarios, with lots of options
• Fully controlled from the Geometry Nodes Modifier window - NO knowledge required, everybody can use this

Easily add material overrides to radically change the look (or not!)

Easily swap Collections to explode and apply materials to specific Collections from the Modifier window
Explodes individual polygons/faces too!

Kill geometry or instances inside or outside a mesh of your choice

Position, scale and rotate all the polygons/faces in your Collections

Explode faces / polygons for crazy sci-fi, cyberpunk or glitch art too!

Create new 3D models from existing ones 

What else does it do?

• 3 sliders (XYZ) to offset / correct  the position of the entire scene / 3D models used with the tool
• Rotate the entire scene / 3D models 360° around the X, Y or Z axis
• Scale the entire scene / 3D models uniformly
• Scale individual polygons / faces of the entire scene / 3D models (X, Y or Z axis)
• Rotate individual instances around their own axis (X, Y or Z sliders)
• Rotate individual polygons / faces around their own axis (X, Y or Z sliders)
• Delete random polygons / faces from 0 (none) to 1 (all) + change random seed
• Delete all polygons within a cube volume + invert switch + select custom volume / mesh
• Camera dependent backface culling + camera selector
• Master material override switch + material selector
• Material override switches for all 6 layers + 6 material selector
• 6 Layers to explode in  X, Y or Z, rotate in XYZ and scale in XYZ + explode, rotate or scale EVERY object in viewport
• All CPU heavy options can be checked / unchecked for increased performance (delete polygons, material override, explode polygons etc.)
• Easily swap Collections (3D models) and materials in your scene from the Modifier window

How do I use it?

1. Append the Blend file
2. Import ALL the Collections
3. Import a 3D model from your own model collection into Blender (make sure it’s made of multiple meshes)
4. Put the 3D models in one of the 6 layers of the tool (or spread multiple meshes between Layers for more control)
5. Start sliding or animating the sliders!

Is it not working? Try selecting all the meshes and go to the Viewport, press Object > Set Origin > Origin To Geometry and try again. Or take a look at the video on this page for more information.

USP's

• Geometry nodes project made with Blender
• Use the explode slider to move the position of all your objects
• Add your own objects to 1 of the 6 Collection layers
• Use 1 slider to explode all objects and create an exploded view of your meshes
• Uses clever math/logic to animate based on position of objects
• Swap out your models in the Collection layers, but keep the same animation intact
• Lots of highly customizable settings in the Modifier window, to make it your own (explode all objects, rotate, multiply the effect, material override, 6 layers with lots of control, position offset and more)
• For quickest result, put everything in 1 layer, but if you want more control, split your meshes between 6 Collections
• Rotate all objects as one, or rotate every mesh in your scene around their own axis (locally)
• 6 layers with their own controls – explode, multiply effect, position offset, checkboxes for exploding in X, Y or Z axis
• Explodes 3D models, and explodes their individual faces/polygons too!
• Includes optional camera-based backface culling + random face deletion to save render time
• Scales and rotates individual faces/polygons as well, with their own separate sliders
• Swap between Collections (Layers) easily in the Modifier tab
• Future updates of version 1.x are FREE for all purchasers
• A percentage of the revenue goes to the Blender Development Fund!
• Be quick, this product will get updated regularly and the price might increase

Change log

• New in V2.1 - Extrude section expanded, extrude up to 4 layers with modifiers, you can also scale extruded faces with modifiers
• New in V2.03 - Modifiers added to the Normal Selector (also known as Normal Filter) and new features for Curve Explode like follow along curve + modifiers, selectors and falloffs.
• New in V2.0 - Modifier, Selector and Falloff system added for procedural animation of parameters within Exploder Tool.
• New in V1.66 - Lots of new features added to Split Faces, Normal filter and Falloff Sphere settings are moved to the parameters they influence and are no longer their separate foldout category. Foldouts rearranged to more closely resemble the Geometry Nodes node flow.
• New in V1.65 - Every Tool category is now collapsible, simplify geometry effect (merge by distance) added, Normal filter slider can now influence multiple parameters, Delete random geo can now delete mesh OR split faces, Normal filter has probability slider added, Noise displacement for split faces has more options now
• New in V1.6 - Displace noise for instances added, randomize explode added to all layers, sphere falloff moved up in menu, extra mode added to displace noise for faces
• New in V1.57 - Split faces and all its options now available in all layers
• New in V1.55 - Curve explode added to all layers
• New in V1.5 - Curve explode added, use Curves to guide the explode effect
• New in v1.45 - Checkbox explode added back in to all layers
• New in v1.4 - Noise displacement, filter split face normals to displace by vector + Sphere falloff (experimental)
• New in v1.35 - Kill volume now deletes faces and/or instances + Camera FOV culling added
• New in v1.3 - Explode XYZ, Add to position XYZ and Scale XYZ for all 6 Layers
• New in v1.21 – Kill geometry inside or outside a (custom) volume
• New in v1.2 – Random face deletion by probability with random seed
• New in v1.1 – material overrides for all 6 layers + master material override + explode individual faces/polygons

Blender Exploder Tool v2.0 and 2.1 bring a lot of new features. Please refer to my Youtube channel and check out the latest videos that dive into it a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/@studiospeets

https://youtu.be/P9LrIyFaTOI

https://youtu.be/WU-Y_zSRL_g

https://youtu.be/5WnlmCmzE7U

Change log

• New in V2.1 - Extrude section expanded, extrude up to 4 layers with modifiers, you can also scale extruded faces with modifiers
• New in V2.03 - Modifiers added to the Normal Selector (also known as Normal Filter) and new features for Curve Explode like follow along curve + modifiers, selectors and falloffs.
• New in V2.0 - Modifier, Selector and Falloff system added for procedural animation of parameters within Exploder Tool.
• New in V1.66 - Lots of new features added to Split Faces, Normal filter and Falloff Sphere settings are moved to the parameters they influence and are no longer their separate foldout category. Foldouts rearranged to more closely resemble the Geometry Nodes node flow.
• New in V1.65 - Every Tool category is now collapsible, simplify geometry effect (merge by distance) added, Normal filter slider can now influence multiple parameters, Delete random geo can now delete mesh OR split faces, Normal filter has probability slider added, Noise displacement for split faces has more options now
• New in V1.6 - Displace noise for instances added, randomize explode added to all layers, sphere falloff moved up in menu, extra mode added to displace noise for faces
• New in V1.57 - Split faces and all its options now available in all layers
• New in V1.55 - Curve explode added to all layers
• New in V1.5 - Curve explode added, use Curves to guide the explode effect
• New in v1.45 - Checkbox explode added back in to all layers
• New in v1.4 - Noise displacement, filter split face normals to displace by vector + Sphere falloff (experimental)
• New in v1.35 - Kill volume now deletes faces and/or instances + Camera FOV culling added
• New in v1.3 - Explode XYZ, Add to position XYZ and Scale XYZ for all 6 Layers
• New in v1.21 – Kill geometry inside or outside a (custom) volume
• New in v1.2 – Random face deletion by probability with random seed
• New in v1.1 – material overrides for all 6 layers + master material override + explode individual faces/polygons