Blender

Hi all, I wanted to show some snippets of a project I'm working on. Something I'm calling GuitarNodes, a Geometry Nodes setup for making a procedurally customizable guitar that's easy to animate in Blender.

Here's a brief showcase of the features I've put into it:

Modular Parts

With Menu Switch nodes, it's easy to have swappable parts for the guitar. I've only (crudely) modeled one set at the time, but it's easy to see how a user could keep individual parts in separate collections to switch through. I also plan to make a second (crude) set to alternate between

Body

• Simply choose what body mesh you want
• Can be translated and rotated with gizmos

Headstock

• Choose desired headstock
• Origin for object is at the nut so that it attaches directly to fretboard

Tuning Pegs

• Note that there is a difference between L and R pegs
• Follows an adjustable guide mesh to stick to headstock
  • Guide mesh can have individual rows of points(pegs) spaced apart more/less in X direction with gizmos
    • Can switch between a guide mesh and curve, where the curve is for in-line pegs
      • I don't have the line nodes done yet but it'll behave similarly
    • String ends can be adjusted in normal Z direction to match custom peg height

Output Jack

• Can be rotated, follows a guide empty and faces the normal of the guitar body
• Could also be modular if that's a detail you want to have

Tone Knobs

• Follows a guide curve that resamples to fit number of knobs
  • You can edit this curve shape in order to arrange the knobs to your liking
• Will also be modular, such that you can change all of the knobs

Bridge

• Also modular
• Bridge can be moved in Y direction across the body with gizmo
• String ends can be adjusted in Z direction to match custom bridge height with gizmo

Saddle

• Automatically connects strings to bridge
• Also modular
• Can be rotated with gizmo

Neck and Fretboard

• Uses profile curves at nut, 12th fret, and end of fretboard
• Adjustable fret count
  • Frets are spaced formulaically
• Minimal UI
  • Shows measurement of string scale and the fretboard

Strings

• Adjustable count
• Adjustable gauges
• Tuning-based frequency oscillation in X direction (menu switch)
• Flip string order for left/right handed
• Adjustable oscillation intensity for varied strumming
• Adjustable fretted note values per string
  • As the fretted note gets higher, the center of string oscillation moves accordingly
  • As the fretted note gets higher, the oscillation frequency increases accordingly

Next plans (v0.8ish - 1.0):

• Adding Z-dimension to oscillation for more realism
• Add per-fret string translation that slightly increases string frequency for bending
• Custom guitar body, drawn with grease pencil (shoutout to Joey C for the inspiration!)

• I need help getting the points which the Tone Knobs instance at: they currently do not rotate to point the Z in the normal direction of the body. Instead, they all seem to match the first point's Z direction only. I want each point to recognize the normal of the nearest faces it's stuck to
• Adding a moveable pickguard whose Z-axis points in the body's normal direction
  • Probably going to use a guide empty
  • Might also implement custom designs with grease pencil
  • Adjustable Z-direction with gizmo
• Player UI
  • Shows chord chart for finger placements based on the current lowest fretted note
    • Outlier high fretted notes will be shown next to the chart

Further out plans

• Simulation nodes for strings, so that you can have oscillation decay over time
• Simulation nodes that interact with a plectrum object, so they can be literally strummed (probably gonna need a bit of help, too!)
• Better procedural materials
  • Is it possible to use a For Each Element zone to change string material based on its position/diameter (i.e. thicker strings are wound)
  • How much of this requires knowledge of handling UVs through geo nodes?
• Simulation nodes for painting custom materials on guitar (or just a good setup for other users to vertex paint it)
• Possible driver UI that changes a lot of these values, so that you don't have to go into the nodes to change things
• Want to implement a tablature-style tracker
  • Automatically keys the string fret values to match the song's rhythm, accounting for framerate
• Implement a whammy bar that affects strings
• Any other feedback that I like enough to implement myself