As a 3D artist and educator, some of my students and contract clients have had the same challenge I have -- it’s a ton of work to have bookshelves in 3D environments we're creating. Books make sense., They add depth, realism, and storytelling to a scene, but there was always one major hurdle—placing, modeling, and texturing individual books was incredibly time-consuming.
I initially tried using hair particles to randomly distribute books, thinking it would speed up the process. However, this approach came with its own set of challenges. Rotation, linear placement, and modularity became major pain points, leading to results that often felt unnatural or difficult to control.
Enter Geometry Nodes
Everything changed with the introduction of Geometry Nodes in Blender. This tool opened up a world of possibilities, allowing for procedural, non-destructive workflows that made complex object placement much easier. As I explored Geometry Nodes with my students, I kept discovering new ways to use them—until one day, I asked myself:
Could I automate this entirely?
Introducing BookNook: Smart Randomization, Instant Bookshelves
That question led to the creation of BookNook , a Blender plugin designed to take any bookshelf model and instantly fill it with randomized, properly placed books—without the hassle.
How It Works
Select Your Shelf Model – Simply take the faces from the tops of any shelf model and separate them.
Apply BookNook – Add the plugin to the selected faces.
Customize Your Setup – Input the number of books, the number of rows, and any additional scale or rotation randomness.
Let It Do the Work – BookNook automatically determines placement, direction, and scale, creating a truly randomized effect—even from as little as three different book models.
More Than Just Placement
BookNook doesn’t just scatter books—it also allows you to import materials and randomly assign them for even more realism. No two shelves will ever look the same, making it perfect for everything from game assets to architectural visualizations.
Final Thoughts
While this add-on is currently in very early development, it has already proven useful across several of my own projects. As I continue to develop this tool, I welcome any thoughts and suggestions any of you, my fellow artists, have to offer. If you're interested in testing this plug in out yourself, or want to contribute in anyway, please don't hesitate to reach out. Everyone has a story, whether it be your own, or sitting in the background on a bookshelf.
