QM3DStudio v2

Create objects, materials, lighting and rendering with nodes.

Overview

QM3DStudio v2 is a node‑based 3D application. You build your scene by creating objects, assigning materials, setting up lighting and rendering, all through nodes and connections.

The typical workflow:

  • Create geometry and light objects.
  • Create materials and connect them to objects.
  • Adjust the viewport camera and view modes.
  • Configure render settings and framebuffer output.
  • Use Sampler2D and maps to drive material properties.

3D Viewport

The 3D viewport is where you see and interact with your scene. Internally, a Viewport3D node stores camera parameters. When you orbit, pan or zoom, you are modifying this node.

Camera modes

  • Perspective: Standard perspective camera for general 3D work.
  • Orthographic (axis‑aligned): Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, Bottom views.
  • Free orthographic: Orthographic camera that can rotate freely.

Interaction

  • Orbit: Rotate the camera around the scene.
  • Pan: Move the camera sideways/up‑down.
  • Zoom: Move closer or further from the scene.
  • Select: Click objects to select them.

Node Editor

The node editor is where you build the logic of your scene. It consists of the graph area and the inspector panel.

Graph area

  • Drag to pan the graph.
  • Scroll to zoom in and out.
  • Click to select nodes.
  • Drag from outputs to inputs to create connections.
  • Right‑click to open the node creation menu.

Inspector panel

When you select a node, its parameters appear in the inspector. Color and vector parameters use a dedicated UI described in the Material & Color section.

Render Framebuffer

The framebuffer window shows the final rendered image. It is separate from the viewport.

  • Render target: The render node outputs to the framebuffer.
  • Resolution: Controlled by render settings.
  • Color space: Gamma and color output settings are applied here.

Scene Objects

Objects are created as nodes and then instantiated in the scene. A BaseObject can hold multiple payloads (geometry, material, transform, etc.), and Object3D instances refer to these payloads.

Geometry nodes

  • GeomPlane – Plane.
  • GeomBox – Box / cube.
  • GeomPyramid – Pyramid.
  • GeomDisc – Circular disc.
  • GeomCylinder – Cylinder.
  • GeomCone – Cone.
  • GeomSphere – Sphere.
  • GeomTorus – Torus (donut).

Light nodes

  • LightPlane – Area light based on a plane.

Material & Color UI

Materials in QM3DStudio use Vector3D colors. The UI separates base RGB color, alpha and scalar multipliers to give you more control.

Color/vector parameter UI

A color or vector parameter in the inspector has the following elements:

The lower swatch shows the base RGB color (three‑component vector). The upper swatch shows the final scaled color after applying the multiplier or map.

RGB spinners

  • Each of R, G, B has a numeric spinner (text box + up/down).
  • You can type exact values or use the arrows to adjust.
  • Values represent the X, Y, Z components of the Vector3D.

Global up/down

The global up/down control changes all three components (R, G, B) together. It brightens or darkens the color uniformly without changing its hue.

Yellow multiplier

The yellow spinner is a scalar multiplier, not alpha. It scales the entire color or the incoming map:

  • If no map is connected: the multiplier scales the base RGB color.
  • If a map is connected: the multiplier scales the map output.

Example: if a material node outputs a color and you connect it to an Object3D material input, the multiplier on that input can make the incoming color darker or brighter without changing the original material node.

Alpha System

QM3DStudio uses an advanced alpha system. Alpha is treated as a Vector3D (RGB alpha), separate from the base color.

  • Color: Pure RGB color, no alpha attached.
  • Alpha: RGB alpha vector, used for transparency and masking.

This allows:

  • Colored alpha masks.
  • More complex blending and masking operations.
  • Independent control of color and transparency.

Sampler2D

The Sampler2D node loads a texture and provides three outputs:

  • Color: Vector3D RGB color from the texture.
  • Alpha: Vector3D alpha (RGB) from the texture.
  • Normal: Vector3D normal map data.

Color and alpha are separated so that color remains a pure RGB concept, while alpha can be used as a flexible data channel for transparency and masks.

Typical usage

  • Connect Color to a material color input.
  • Connect Alpha to a mask or transparency input.
  • Connect Normal to a normal map input.

Connection Rules

Connections between nodes follow rules to keep the graph valid:

  • Type matching: Vector3D outputs connect to Vector3D inputs, scalar to scalar, etc.
  • No circular loops: You cannot create cycles that cause infinite evaluation.
  • Hierarchy safety: Object and base object references must remain consistent.
  • Fan‑out: One output can feed multiple inputs.

As the software evolves, more node types and rules will be added. This help can be extended with detailed documentation for each node, including screenshots and examples.