Honey Swarm

Higher quality versions: Ello | G+ | 2x@Dribbble | 960x960 & nodes @ Imgur

Happy ThanksGIFing everyone! :D I had the day off of work today, so I practiced an annual tradition where I make GIFs and think about how truly awesome it is that such a universe exists where a planet that can support our particular biology is possible. I will always be in awe of how we were the result of a system of random events which selectively encouraged a set of traits in our ancestors which allow us to enjoy nourishment so much today.

I mixed several ideas together for this design - a drop of honey, a honey drizzler, a swarm of bees, and the hexagonal nature of a honeycomb structure. This time, the shape of the individual objects, as well as the shape that they created through their combined motion was so fascinating to me, I decided to explore this scene from multiple perspectives. I am extremely pleased with these results.

You can download the blend file for this design and play with it yourself if you like. Please note that you will need to install and enable the Animation Nodes addon (bundled with the blend file) for the scene to animate.

Id like to make another shout-out to Jacques Lucke for his fantastic Blender Animation Nodes addon, which I used to create the motion of this scene. This fantastic tool makes creating the complex motion of many objects both manageable and incredibly enjoyable. :)

Also, shout-out to these fellow GIF artists who inspire me regularly - keep it up everyone! Happy ThanksGIFing! :D @obviologist @beesandbombs @isopoly @hexeosis @echophon @kidmograph @shonk @bigblueboo @garethwashere