Voxels are incredible new types of blocks that anyone can use to build amazing creations. In this post I will explain what voxel blocks are and how you can use them to create your own piece of art in 3D!
What are Voxel Blocks?
Voxels are a type of digital block, similar to cubes, that can be used to build 3D models. These creations are constructed using a special kind of app called a voxel editor. Artists and builders use this software to make everything from animals and trees to cars and buildings.
The word voxel comes from the two words “volumetric pixel”. This is because voxels behave similar to pixels. Pixels are aligned to a two-dimensional grid and are what you see when you zoom into an image. Voxels, however, exist on a three-dimensional grid giving them volume compared to pixels. The neat thing is that they align next to other the same way pixels do. This makes them operate very similar to toy blocks in real life, because they end up aligning next to each other.
One additional similarity that you will find with voxels is that they can only contain one color at a time. This is identical to how toy bricks work. One amazing benefit, however, is that you can change the color of any voxel at any time to any color you want! This makes it incredibly customizable and creates tons of opportunities to make unique creations! When you combine these blocks together with different colors you are able to create some fantastic creations.
How do Voxels Work?
Voxels behave very similar to blocks in real life. They are perfectly cube, so that they align next to each other. Because of this they can be stacked and placed next to each other to create new shapes and models. Voxels also only come in one size. This makes it incredibly more simple than managing multiple shape types. One other important thing to keep in mind is that voxels are always aligned to the grid. This makes it easy to place them when creating a new model.
However since voxels are digital, you can do things no possible with traditional blocks. This means you can change the color of a voxel on demand. Don’t like blue? With a click you can change it Red. This saves tons of time and effort when creating models. Also since they are digital you can remove voxels and add voxels on demand without affecting the rest of your model, which is a stark contrast to traditional blocks.
What Can you Build with Voxels?
Because voxels behave exactly like blocks, anyone can create anything they like. This has allowed artists, creators and builders of all skill levels to create insane models and scenes. To date, there have been hundreds of different types of models shared by creators on Mega Voxels. This includes: houses, buildings, characters, cars, food, trees, boats, monsters, flowers and more!
Because voxels are so easy to use, creators and builders from different backgrounds are able to create some fantastic creations. Here are some popular sub-categories that can start leveraging voxels today.
Toy Blocks and Bricks
If you ever built anything using plastic blocks or bricks, then you will not have any problems making these creations in voxel! In fact now you will be able to take your creations with you wherever you go because voxels are digital. That makes it easy to play with and share on the go as opposed to traditional toy blocks.
Building Games
You may have played some building games such as Minecraft and Staxel. Again you will not run into any problems transferring your creations into voxels. One of the powerful things about voxels is that now creators and builders are using voxels and voxel editors to create creations for these games because of how practical and fun they are.
How to Build with Voxels
Voxels, with the right software, are incredibly easy to use. As of today artists, creators and builders use a type of app called a Voxel Editor to make their voxel models. These specialized pieces of software provide creators with a grid where they can place their blocks precisely. They also include additional tools to remove blocks and paint them directly inside of the editor.
Here are some popular voxel editors that are available for use today:
MagicaVoxel
MagicaVoxel is a free open source voxel editor.
Qubicle
Qubicle is a powerful voxel editor that is very popular with game developers.
