In this video tutorial, we will see how to define custom attributes for the edges of objects in Blender 4.3 and specify these attributes in the Edge Weight section of the Bevel modifiers. This allows us to apply Bevel modifiers non-destructively to specific edges of an object.
Video Transcript
Hello, everyone! In this video tutorial, we will see how to define custom attributes for the edges of objects in Blender 4.3 and specify these attributes in the Edge Weight section of the Bevel modifiers. This allows us to apply Bevel modifiers non-destructively to specific edges of an object.
To show you a practical example, I resized Blender's default cube with the intention of applying two Bevel modifiers to specific edges only.
Adding a Bevel modifier to the object, which I resized in Object Mode, I immediately noticed that the modifier is applied to all elements and unevenly, as some parts are beveled more than others.
This happens because I didn’t apply the scale transformations to the object after resizing it. To fix this, I use the shortcut CTRL A and select Scale from the menu that appears on the screen.
In the Bevel modifier panel, I select the Edges mode. Then, I change the Limit Method from Angle to Weight to assign custom weights to different edges.
The modifier is no longer applied to the object because it is now controlled by edge weights, which we haven’t specified yet.
Below the Limit Method menu, a field called Edge Weight has appeared. This field allows us to specify the attribute that edges must have for the modifier to affect them. By default, there is a default attribute, which we can remove.
Attributes for an element must be created in the Attributes section of the Data tab in the Properties Editor. Let’s navigate to that tab, add a new attribute in the designated section, name it Bevel Top, change its domain to Edges, and finally, set its Data Type to Boolean.
Boolean attributes can only have two values: True or False. By assigning this attribute to specific edges and setting their value to True, the Bevel modifier will apply to those elements.
You can view the attributes for various features or domains of an object in the Spreadsheet Editor, which is easily accessible in the Geometry Nodes Layout.
Before proceeding further, let’s define another attribute, also of the Boolean type and associated with the edge domain, but this time name it Bevel Sides.
Go back to the Bevel Modifier panel and set Bevel Top in the Edge Weight field.
No effect is visible because no edges currently have the Bevel Top attribute, as confirmed by examining the object's Spreadsheet.
To fix this, select the top edge in Edit Mode. Then, open the Mesh menu in the 3D Viewport and click on the Set Attribute tool, which, however, is not available.
The tooltip for the tool informs us that there is no active attribute at the moment. To activate it, select the Bevel Top attribute in the Attributes section of the Object Data tab. Then, click Set Attribute in the Mesh menu again, which this time allows you to successfully assign the attribute to the edge and observe the Bevel modifier applied to this element.
Adjust the Bevel modifier's parameters as desired, as it now affects only the edge with the Bevel Top attribute.
In the Spreadsheet, you’ll see the checkbox selected for the edge with the Bevel Top attribute, along with the appearance of additional edges created by the Bevel modifier.
Add a second Bevel modifier, change its Limit Method to Weight, and set Bevel Sides as the attribute in the Edge Weight field.
Assign the Bevel Sides attribute to some of the side edges of the mesh, just as we did with the top edge and the Bevel Top attribute.
Modify the values of the Bevel Sides attribute as desired to observe the results. As you can see, we have applied two different Bevel modifiers to the object, each affecting specific edges non-destructively.
It's worth noting that an edge can have multiple attributes and thus be affected by multiple Bevel modifiers. For example, I am now assigning the Bevel Sides attribute to the top edge as well.
In this scenario, the order in which the modifiers appear in the Modifiers tab is crucial, as they will be executed top to bottom on the edges to be modified.
That’s all for this tutorial! I hope you found it useful! See you next time!