Voxels, who doesn’t know them? Ah, you’ve never heard of it? Yet you know them. Just look at Minecraft, where everything is made up of voxels. You should simply see voxels as 3D pixels. And by combining those 3D pixels, you can put together the most complex constructions – a la Lego. We also speak of voxel art!
Building worlds made of voxels is therefore not a brand new phenomenon. Minecraft is and remains an example of this. At the same time, however, the entire technology for use on computers is still in its infancy. The resolution is usually low; it is best known as retro effect. However, there is a lot of potential in voxels.
For example, many games are currently rendered via 3D vectors. This technique is beautiful, but it also has its limitations. If you increase the resolution of voxels (i.e. reduce the pixel elements), you can create even more detailed images.
In short: we will probably see that voxel again in the future, on a much larger (or rather more literally smaller) scale.
Voxel Max
For now you can get started with voxels to your heart’s content in the app, for example Voxel Max. Whereby immediately indicate that it comes into its own best on the larger screen of a iPad. It is an extensive voxel drawing program. Start the app after downloading and you will end up in a file manager.
Let’s open up an example first, to see what’s possible with the app (and voxels). Click on the + in the button bar at the top right. Here you see a range of elements, which you can later use in your own designs. But there are also a number of scenes available, open one of them.
We chose the amusement park, but of course you can also choose something else.
Manipulating the image
After opening you will first see a panel with instructions on how to manipulate the image with your fingers, take everything mentioned to heart. If you have read all the tips, you can view the image. You can rotate the scene with one finger; zoom and rotate the horizon with two fingers. In any case, you can already see that the nicest things are possible with voxels.
By the way, if you have an iPad Pro that supports a refresh rate of 120 Hz, then tap the button with the three bars at the top left of the screen, followed by a tap on Settings. Then choose below Preferred Frame Rate in front of 120Hz. You have to bear in mind that this will drain your battery faster, but it looks wonderfully calm in terms of movements in the picture.
Now that we’re in those settings, let’s take a look at them. In the case of our amusement park scene, the option appears Bloom to produce a nice effect, for example.
Export
You can export a created (or opened) voxel drawing to other formats. Voxel Max supports a variety of intended file formats. If you want to use an image on your blog or something similar, it is best to export the voxel as a transparent PNG. With that you will of course lose all 3D possibilities; it becomes a static image.
So place your voxel image as you want to see it in the export later, again using your fingers. Then tap the button with the three dots at the top left of the screen. Choose the option Share scene and then Transparent PNG. Wait a moment and you will see a preview. Satisfied? Then tap the share button at the top right and choose as storage (for example) Save Image.
Draw yourself
Of course, Voxel Max is all about making his own drawings and scenes. It needs no explanation that some ‘drawing’ insight is very useful. Basically, however, drawing and drawing tools work relatively intuitively. As with all drawing apps, an Apple Pencil comes in handy. It is pointless to go through all (and many) features of the app here. You can get started with the basics, so we’ll start with that.
Tap the button with the three lines, still at the top left, and choose the option New Scene. In the ‘elements panel’ (let’s just call it that) tap the square with the plus, second button from the top left. You now have a virginal empty drawing screen in three dimensions in front of you. We recommend that you start with the standard line mode first. To do this, tap the green circled button.
Now hold down your finger or pencil on the starting point where you want to draw and then drag a line. After letting go, you have actually laid the first layer of a virtual masonry wall. By now drawing a new line that lies exactly over the previous one (press a little longer on the ‘first’ pixel of the just drawn line, you can aim it exactly over the previous line. Let go and you have another layer. This way you can build a wall.
Of course you can put the ‘walls’ together as complex as you want. Use the color buttons (circled in red) to change the color of the voxels. If you want more solid ‘bricks’, you can increase the voxels with the blue circled slider (in a 2D drawing program the equivalent of the line width).
More options
You can quickly import pre-baked molds. To do this, tap the layers button at the top right of the screen. Then tap the import button and select one of the available pre-baked figures in the opened panel.
Drag such a figure to the place or on the object in your drawing where you want to place it and then release the screen with your finger. If things go well, it ‘clicks’ to the desired object. You have to get a feel for that.
Keep in mind that the voxel figures are often made up of various elements that you can adjust each separately and you understand that you can make and (or) put together very complex figures.
It is important to really sit down if you want to master this app. On the surface it seems (and is) simple, but if you want to make advanced images, it just takes time. What we especially wanted in this article is to introduce you to a special app for – in particular – your iPad. One that also gives creative people whole new possibilities.
Nothing stands in the way of incorporating a voxel drawing (scene) into a company logo, for example. Also keep in mind that in addition to the editor, there is also a Presenter View and Scene Editor available via the button at the top left of the screen. Plenty of options, we would say have fun!
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