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BLBlender

Prisms

by badbright·VFX

Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.

Why we like it

Prisms stands out in the superhive library for bringing photographic prism filters into Blender as real 3D lenses parented to the camera. Nine prisms ship with it, adjustable by IOR and transform.

What is Prisms?

Prisms is a Blender plugin for the Cycles renderer from badbright that adds glass prisms to your camera to distort your image. The prisms are modeled off prisms used in real-life photography, and nine unique ones are included, each based on real lens filters used in photography and cinematography.

Using the plugin is straightforward: select your camera, open the drop-down menu, and choose your prism. The plugin parents the prism to the camera and places it in the correct position based on the focal length. You change the look by adjusting the IOR value or the transform attributes, which are visible only when a prism is selected, and an animate property is exposed in the same panel. A "generate random" option picks a prism for you, and you can remove the prism at any time.

Unlike adding a 2D effect in post, the prism lenses take into account real reflections, depth of field, and the lighting from your 3D scene. Prisms was created in Blender 3.0.

Who is Prisms best for?

Prisms is best for blender artists working in Cycles who want camera-based glass prism distortion rendered with real reflections, depth of field, and scene lighting.

How much does Prisms cost?

Prisms is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Nine unique prisms, each modeled on real lens filters used in photography and cinematography
  • Select your camera, open the drop-down menu, and add a prism that is parented and positioned based on the focal length
  • Adjust the index of refraction (IOR) to control the amount of distortion
  • Transform the prism, rotating, moving, or scaling it on each axis, within the plugin's panel
  • Animate property exposed in the panel
  • "Generate random" option to pick a prism, plus the ability to remove the prism
  • Renders real reflections, depth of field, and scene lighting rather than a 2D post effect

Tags

#Prisms#Blender#Cycles#camera distortion#glass prisms#lens filters#VFX

Frequently asked questions

Does Prisms work with Blender 2.92 and later?

Prisms was created in Blender 3.0 and is supported in all non-custom versions of Blender 2.92 and above, with listed compatibility for Blender 2.92, 2.93, 3.0, and 3.1. It runs on the Cycles renderer specifically, so a scene needs to use Cycles rather than another engine for the prisms to work as intended. For details on any versions beyond those listed, check the developer's page directly.

Does Prisms require the Cycles renderer?

Prisms is built for Blender's Cycles renderer and depends on it to produce the glass prism distortion. The lenses take into account real reflections, depth of field, and the lighting from your 3D scene, which is what separates them from a flat 2D effect added in post. If your project uses a different render engine, you would need to switch to Cycles before the prisms will behave the way they are designed to.

How do I add a prism to my camera in Prisms?

Prisms keeps the setup short: select your camera, open the drop-down menu, and choose your prism. The plugin then parents the prism to the camera and places it in the correct position based on the focal length. Once a prism is selected, its attributes appear, letting you change the IOR value or transform it on each axis. There is also a "generate random" option if you want the plugin to pick one for you, and you can remove the prism later.

Is Prisms free, and what license does it use?

Prisms is listed as free here, and it is distributed under the GPL license. The plugin ships at version 1.0.0 with nine prisms included, so you get the full set of lenses covered by that license. Licensing terms and any pricing can change over time, so the developer's page is the best place to confirm the most current details before you rely on them for a project.

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