In this brief tutorial on Blender's interface basics, we will see how to highlight edges, or more precisely, the ridges and valleys, of our 3D models in the 3D Viewport.
Video Transcript
Hello everyone! In this brief tutorial on Blender's interface basics, we will see how to highlight edges, or more precisely, the ridges and valleys, of our 3D models in the 3D Viewport.
The tutorial was recorded using Blender version 4.3, but this option has been available for several versions of the software and will likely remain available in the future.
The option to enable is called Cavity, and it can be found in the Viewport Shading menu located in the header of a 3D Viewport when the selected display mode is Solid.
This option does not affect rendering but is very useful for better examining the geometric features of a model, especially in complex ones.
Additionally, Cavity gives the model a more visually appealing look while working, making it, in my opinion, more enjoyable to showcase in video tutorials.
When the Cavity checkbox is selected, Blender provides a menu that allows us to choose between the Screen, World, and Both modes, with Both being a combination of the two modes.
The two modes refer to the space in which the cavities, and therefore the shading effects, are calculated. Specifically, in World mode, ridges and valleys are computed based on the dimensions of the objects in the scene. In Screen mode, the angles formed by the geometry are considered instead.
For these reasons, Screen mode is better suited for detailed features, while World mode is more appropriate for large objects or scenes. That said, we’ll return to the specific settings of World mode shortly.
According to Blender’s manual, World mode is slower but more accurate than Screen mode, which is faster but does not account for the actual size of ridges and valleys. In general, Both mode is a solid choice.
Additionally, for both modes, there are Ridge and Valley parameters, which allow you to define how prominently these two geometric features are highlighted.
Increasing the values of these two parameters results in opposing shading effects: raising the Ridge value makes the ridges brighter, while raising the Valley value makes the valleys darker.
When World mode is active, additional parameters become available: Samples, Distance, and Attenuation. These parameters are provided because in World mode, the effect also depends on the distance between objects.
The Samples parameter allows you to adjust the quality of the effect. Since World mode is slower than Screen mode, it might be helpful to set a lower value to avoid putting too much strain on your system.
As I mentioned earlier, this shading option is visible in Solid mode, not in rendering. However, remember that you can save the 3D view as an image by clicking Viewport Render Image in the View menu of the 3D Viewport. I used this function to create the preview image for this tutorial.
Well, that’s all for this very short video on the Cavity option! I hope you found it helpful. See you soon!