Auragen docs
Auragen docs

Getting Started

OverviewInterfaceNode GraphParameters and Controls

Operators

Surfaces
SDF

Model

SDF PrimitiveSDF 2D ShapeSDF ConvertSDF CombineMesh to SDFKinect SDFSDF Switch

Modify

SDF EffectorSDF Field

Shade

SDF MaterialSDF LightSDF Lighting FX

Render

SDF EnvironmentSDF CameraSDF MulticamSDF Render
3D PreviewperformMODE
3D & SimulationSDF

Mesh to SDF

Bakes a surface mesh into a distance field so real geometry can join an SDF chain.

Mesh to SDF is the bridge from the surface family into the SDF family. Wire a mesh in and its baked distance field behaves like any primitive: union it, repeat it, hollow it, or displace it.

  • Takes a Surface mesh; outputs an SDF
  • The same Position / Rotation / Scale and morph block as SDF Primitive
  • Found under SDF → Model in the operators panel
Example patch — drag onto the app to load

The image on the right is the example patch itself. Drag and drop it onto the app, or load it with File → Load, to open the full graph. A surface Torus Primitive is baked, then hollowed with an Onion Shell effector.

Inputs and outputs

Mesh to SDF node

PortTypePurpose
MeshSurfaceA surface Primitive, an Extrude, a polygonized SDF from SDF Render's 3D Mesh output, or a Merge of those. A merged assembly bakes as one field.
MaterialSDFAn SDF Material for the baked shape.
SDFSDFThe baked field.
Loaded model files (OBJ, FBX, GLB) are not bakeable yet. The node shows a hint and outputs nothing for them. Bake primitives, Extrude output, or a polygonized SDF.

Parameters

Mesh to SDF parameters
  • Position X / Y / Z, Rotation X° / Y° / Z°, Scale — placement of the baked field.
  • Taper, Wobble, Wobble Scale, Wobble Speed, Round, Shell — the same morphs a primitive has, applied to the baked shape.

The bake itself has no controls. It runs at a fixed 64³ resolution in the background, and the node shows Baking mesh distance field… until it lands. Baked fields are cached, so changing the transform never rebakes.

Examples

Model in a lattice — a surface Torus Knot into Mesh to SDF, then SDF Combine Smooth Union with a Gyroid primitive.

Infinite knots — Mesh to SDF into an SDF Effector set to Grid Repeat.

Troubleshooting

Only a box shows where the mesh should be. The box is the mesh bounds drawn while the bake is pending. If it never resolves, the source mesh is not one of the bakeable types listed above. Try a surface Primitive first to confirm the chain works.

Detail is lost — the bake grid is 64³, so thin features can vanish. Scale the source up before baking, or add a Round to thicken it.

Related

Surfaces

The mesh side of the bridge.

SDF Render

The reverse bridge: 3D Mesh output.

SDF Combine

Joins two distance fields with Union, Subtract, Intersect, XOR, Morph, and seam shapes, in hard, smooth, round, chamfer, stairs, or columns blends.

Kinect SDF

A live Kinect depth frame as solid, marchable SDF geometry, with no bake and no CPU work per frame.

On this page

Inputs and outputsParametersExamplesTroubleshootingRelated