Pixelator Pro | Technical Documentation

1. Introduction

Pixelator Pro is a procedural geometry engine designed to convert 3D surfaces into stylized, pixel-perfect geometry. Unlike 2D post-processing shaders, Pixelator Pro generates real 3D instances, allowing for physically accurate lighting, shadows, and depth-of-field effects.

2. Workflow Overview

The add-on operates on a "Source-to-Canvas" logic:

1. Source: Your original high-poly meshes.

2. Collection: Upon initialization, sources are moved to a hidden collection (Pixel_Source_Data) to keep the scene clean.

3. Canvas: A new mesh is created (Pixelator_Output) which hosts the Geometry Nodes engine and displays the final result.

3. Interface Breakdown

A. Resolution & Voxelization

• Pixel Scale: Controls the size of the voxels. Smaller values = higher detail.

• Voxel Density: Adjusts how tightly packed the voxels are within the volume.

• Inflate Mesh: Expands or shrinks the source volume before voxelization—perfect for making "chunky" characters.

• Remesh: Re-calculates the topology for a cleaner voxel distribution.

B. Mesh & Instancing

• Custom Pixel Mesh: Pick any object from your scene to replace the standard cube.

• Use Both: Mixes the default voxels with your custom mesh for varied textures.

• Convert to Meshes: Instantiates geometry on faces rather than volume for a "hollow" pixel look.

C. Transform & Randomization

• 90° Random Rotation: Snaps pixels to 90-degree increments—ideal for adding variety to tiles without breaking the grid.

• Free Random: Adds organic jitter to rotation and scale to create a more "hand-made" feel.

D. Optimization (Performance)

• Camera Culling: One of the most powerful features. It deletes all pixels outside the camera's field of view (FOV).

• Distance Culling: Deletes pixels that are too far away from the camera.

• Delete Internal Voxels: Automatically removes voxels that are completely hidden inside the model, significantly reducing polygon count and memory usage.

4. Advanced Tips

• UV Mapping: Ensure your source mesh has clean UVs. Pixelator Pro samples the color data from the source UVs and applies them to each pixel instance.

• Animation: The system is fully procedural. If you animate the source mesh (even with armatures), the pixels will update in real-time.

• Baking: To export your pixel art to other software, simply apply the Pixelator modifier to convert the instances into a single static mesh.

5. Troubleshooting

• Empty Result: Ensure your source object has a Mesh data type. Curves or Text must be converted to Mesh before using "Pixelate Selection."

• Slow Performance: If the viewport lags, lower the Voxel Density or enable Camera Culling immediately.

• Hidden Source: If you need to edit your original model, look for the Pixel_Source_Data collection in the Outliner and toggle the "Eye" icon.