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Not to be confused with Meatballs.
1: The influence of 2 positive metaballs on each other. 2: The influence of a negative metaball on a positive metaball by creating an indentation in the positive metaball's surface.
In computer graphics, metaballs, also known as blobby objects,[1][2] are organic-looking n-dimensional isosurfaces, characterised by their ability to meld together when in close proximity to create single, contiguous objects.
In solid modelling, polygon meshes are commonly used. In certain instances, however, metaballs are superior. A metaball's "blobby" appearance makes them versatile tools, often used to model organic objects and also to create base meshes for sculpting.[3]
The technique for rendering metaballs was invented by Jim Blinn in the early 1980s to model atom interactions for Carl Sagan's 1980 TV series Cosmos.[4] It is also referred to colloquially as the "jelly effect" in the motion and UX design community,[5] commonly appearing in UI elements such as navigations and buttons. Metaball behavior corresponds to mitosis in cell biology, where chromosomes generate identical copies of themselves through cell division.
^"blobby model". A Dictionary of Computing. Oxford University Press. 2019. Retrieved 2023-10-27 – via www.encyclopedia.com.
^Ward, Matthew. "An Overview of Metaballs/Blobby Objects". Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
^"Art of Joe Daniels: Digital Sculpting Tutorial". 8 October 2007.
^"CG Notes: Metaballs Intro".
^"The "jelly effect" has recently been very popular and used in lots of animations. … | After effect tutorial, Adobe after effects tutorials, Motion graphics tutorial". Pinterest. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
meshes are commonly used. In certain instances, however, metaballs are superior. A metaball's "blobby" appearance makes them versatile tools, often used...
images, and special effects or 3-D modelling with what is usually called metaballs or other metasurfaces. The marching cubes algorithm is meant to be used...
will work as blobs that will connect with each other. These are called metaballs. Some of the 3ds Max Primitives as they appear in the wireframe view of...
surfaces. Supported surface types are polygons, curves, NURBS surfaces, metaballs, and particles. This is perhaps the oldest part of TouchDesigner and has...
resolution. Particles can be rendered as Metaballs in off-line rendering; isosurfaces computed from particle-metaballs make quite convincing liquids. Finally...
spline, polygon, patch, and NURBS primitives (later releases also included Metaballs). Boolean operations, extrusions, revolves, and bevels, as well as lattice...
maintain continuity of the manifold surface Examples of isosurfaces are 'Metaballs' or 'blobby objects' used in 3D visualisation. A more general way to construct...
Computer Graphics. 2000, Elected to the National Academy of Engineering Metaballs See Wayne Carlson's history of JPL Archived 2007-02-20 at the Wayback...
modes of operation have the ability to generate appearances that mimic: Metaballs for objects like water or mercury, including reflection or refraction...
graphics incompatibilities with several mods such as Red Orchestra and Metaball. Also, mods compiled into platform-specific libraries, such as those of...
it was ranked second. The two-dimension drawings were modelled using metaballs. Rocky Reality (pouët.net) by Bedrock Bros. - a port done for the Pebble...
interactive animations never seen in the Web before, such as raymarched metaballs, fractals and tunnel effects. After having worked together in several...
illumination) and organic modelling using NURBS, subdivision surfaces and metaballs. The software has several native formats: RsScn for scenes, RsObj for...
white ball. Bumps – an implementation of full-screen 2D bump mapping. Metaballs – another common demo effect. Moire2 – moving interference circles similar...
visual representations of mathematical formulas, such as fractals or metaballs. In the 1990s, coders were most often entirely responsible for the demo's...
architect Greg Lynn in 1995 in his experiments in digital design with metaball graphical software. Soon a range of architects and furniture designers...
Amiga-character-set) and various other early demo effects such as blitter objects and metaballs (intentionally made to look low resolution), with chiptune music accompanying...
for simulating clouds, as well as the virtual "blobby objects" known as metaballs. Blinn used the vertex coordinates of regular icosahedra and dodecahedra...
Heightfield landscape (often called "voxel landscape") 2D bump mapping Metaballs Some of these effects were later ported to planar pixel machines such...
import, metaballics): 3.446 vertices and 13.336 rods; the vertices form metaballs with colour information from a photograph of a clay model. Balloon scene...
tweak the fly's individual footprint using implicit modelling (such as metaballs). It produces smooth results that are more accurate. More recently it...
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