In brief
- Instance on Points repeatedly places geometry on geometries that contain points.
- The points’ Selection, Rotation, and Scale data affect which instances are created and how they’re transformed.
- Realize Instances converts instances into editable, real geometry data.
- Realizing large numbers of complex instances can significantly degrade performance.
Blender’s official manual describes Instance on Points and Realize Instances as nodes for creating repeated scene elements with Geometry Nodes and, when needed, converting them into real geometry. The documentation explains what the nodes do, their inputs, and their limitations, but doesn’t specify a Blender version or interface menu path. The steps below are therefore based on the node behavior described in the current manual.
1. Start with the instancing workflow
Instance on Points adds a geometry reference to the points in the input geometry. When using the same geometry many times in a scene, instancing avoids separately duplicating the underlying data for every copy. The node works with geometry types that have a Point domain, such as meshes, point clouds, and curve control points.
Connect geometry containing points to the Points input in your Geometry Nodes setup. The points’ positions affect the transforms of the resulting instances.
Connect the geometry you want to place to the Instance input. This can be real geometry or geometry containing multiple instances.
Use Selection to determine whether each point should be used. No instance is created for unselected points.
Pass the Instances output to subsequent Geometry Nodes operations.
This method can be useful for duplicating repeating elements such as chairs, light fixtures, or plants in a scene. These are architectural visualization examples; the node’s official manual doesn’t provide presets specifically for these objects.
2. Control transforms and instance selection
The Rotation input sets each instance’s orientation, while Scale sets its size. Point attributes can be used on the instance domain of the resulting instances. Preserving point data through the node setup makes it possible to apply different transform or selection behavior to different points.
| Setting | Recommended value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Geometry containing placement points | Sets the instances’ positions and transform basis. |
| Selection | Select only the points you want to use | Limits which points produce instances. |
| Rotation | Input appropriate to the scene’s orientation | Controls the rotation of each instance. |
| Scale | Input that gives the desired instance size | Sets the size of the resulting instances. |
| Pick Instances | Enable when you need to select from a list rather than use a single geometry | Selects an instance from a list at each point instead of using all the geometry from the Instance input. |
| Instance Index | Selection input when Pick Instances is enabled | Determines the instance to use for each selected point. |
According to the manual, Rotation can be driven by the rotation output of nodes such as Distribute Points on Faces and Curve to Points. Align Rotation to Vector can convert a direction vector into a rotation. This can be useful when instances need to follow a direction, such as a surface normal or curve orientation.
Pick Instances is designed to be used in particular with Collection Info. By default, the Instance Index input uses the point’s ID attribute; if that attribute doesn’t exist, it uses the index. Negative values or values beyond the number of items in the list wrap around to the other end. This behavior makes it important to check for unexpected selections when working with indices.
3. Nested instancing and converting to real geometry
If the geometry in the Points input already contains instances, Instance on Points also places new instances on points inside those instances. This creates a nested instancing structure. The new instances get their transforms from the Rotation and Scale inputs, and are also affected by the transforms of their parent instances.
When you need to modify each instance separately later on, you can use Realize Instances. This node converts instances—which are efficient copies—into real geometry data. Before instances are converted to real geometry, changes applied to elements sharing the same geometry are reflected in the same way; after they’re realized, instances can be affected individually.
Connect the instance stream that needs to be converted to real geometry to the Geometry input of the Realize Instances node.
Use the Selection input to convert only specific top-level instances.
Use Depth to set how many nested levels to convert.
Use Realize All if you need to convert every nested level of each top-level instance. This option overrides the Depth value.
Realizing instances isn’t always necessary. The official manual specifically notes that performance can degrade significantly when the input contains many instances of complex geometry. A more controlled approach is to first identify which subsequent operations require real geometry, then convert only the instances that need it.
4. What to consider in architectural visualization workflows
For repeated furniture, façade elements, or landscaping, Instance on Points offers a data-efficient way to duplicate the same geometry throughout a scene. It lets you control placement points, selection, rotation, and scale, while helping preserve the instancing setup at stages where you don’t need to edit each instance separately.
By contrast, Realize Instances may be needed if a subsequent step requires each element to be processed as real geometry. Consider the performance cost of conversion, especially when generating many instances from complex models. The manual doesn’t specify hardware requirements, numerical performance thresholds, licensing terms, or a version compatibility table; these should be tested for the specific project and Blender installation.
Common mistakes
Realizing every instance too early: Performance may drop with many complex instances. If real geometry is required, wait until the relevant step to convert them.
Expecting an index when Pick Instances is disabled: Instance Index is used only when Pick Instances is enabled.
Ignoring nested instances: If the point geometry already contains instances, new instances may also be created inside that structure; the parent instances’ transforms affect the result.
Overlooking the point-type requirement: The node works with geometry that has a Point domain. The manual lists meshes, point clouds, and curve control points as examples.
This guide is based on the Instance on Points and Realize Instances pages of Blender’s manual. Since the manual doesn’t specify a particular version number, none is provided.
Sources
2 sourcesSource texts are not republished; short quotes are marked, everything else is our own summary and commentary.
For architecture firms and visualization teams, these two nodes are valuable because they help distinguish between efficiently using repeated elements in a scene and knowing when separate geometry is required. Especially in scenes with many instances of the same furniture or landscaping element, not converting everything to real geometry from the outset makes for a more controlled workflow.
However, realizing complex instances can affect performance, so converting the entire scene without checking the result isn’t a good habit. Since the documentation doesn’t specify hardware requirements, testing in the project file is necessary. Version and licensing terms also aren’t covered in these sources, so offices should verify them for their own installations.
Frequently asked questions
What does Instance on Points do in Blender?
It adds geometry instances to points in the input geometry. This lets you reuse the same geometry in a scene without duplicating its underlying data each time.
When should you use Realize Instances?
Use it when instances need to be edited individually or used as real geometry data in subsequent operations. It can degrade performance with many complex instances.
How do Pick Instances and Instance Index work?
When Pick Instances is enabled, you can select from the list in the Instance input. Instance Index determines which instance to use for each selected point and is used only when this option is enabled.
