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Mesh Warp

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Transform

Deforms an image with a flexible control point grid using bicubic bezier warping for organic, non-linear distortions.

A portrait deformed with Mesh Warp: the original, the control-point grid dragged into a new shape, and the warped result.
A three-panel strip: a moody red/teal-lit portrait; the same portrait with Mesh Warp's control-point grid overlaid, several handles dragged so the grid lines curve; and the final warped result following that grid.

Drag the points of a grid laid over the image to deform it. Bicubic Bezier interpolation keeps the curves between points smooth, with no angular artifacts.

Columns and Rows set 2 to 11 points per axis, and tangent handles are computed automatically. With a Background connected, Output Mode can composite the warped result onto it with a blend mode and opacity.

Texture sets

Section titled “Texture sets”

Wire a texture set into Image and every map, plus the set’s Opacity, follows the same deformation, with the Normal’s directions re-aimed at each pixel.

  • The soft edge fades the Opacity, never a value. Where the mesh border feathers out, the set’s Opacity falls away, so the edge is as soft in 3D Render and in an exported file as in the Preview, while data maps such as Roughness or Height keep their true values up to the edge.
  • Background takes a picture, never a set, and over a set it is only a canvas: Output Mode shows Warped Only, with Composite grayed and the reason shown, since a picture has no normal, height, or Opacity to composite a surface over.
  • Lanczos becomes Bilinear where the set carries a Normal or Height map, because Lanczos rings on direction and height fields. The Interpolation row shows why, nothing is written into the node, and unwiring the set brings Lanczos back. Mesh Warp defaults to Lanczos, so on such a set it cooks with Bilinear from the start.

While you drag a handle or scrub a slider, the Preview keeps pace and downstream nodes update once on release. Over a set, a drag warps only the map on screen (or every map with the All grid open), and the whole set is built on release.

Parameters

Section titled “Parameters”

Pins

ImagePixels or Texture
InputRequired
BackgroundImage
InputOptional
ImagePixels or Texture
Output

Mesh

ColumnsInteger
Default: 4 Range: 2–11

Number of grid points along the horizontal axis

RowsInteger
Default: 4 Range: 2–11

Number of grid points along the vertical axis

Mesh PointsData

Bezier mesh control points (edited via the canvas manipulator)

Filter

InterpolationChoice
Default: Lanczos

Pixel sampling method:

A texture set with a Normal or Height map uses Bilinear.

  • NearestNo interpolation, so hard pixel edges are preserved.
  • BilinearSmooth blending between pixels, with good general-purpose quality.
  • LanczosHighest quality with smooth curves, best for organic warp deformations.

Output

Output ModeChoice
Default: Composite
When background input is connected
  • Warped OnlyOutput only the warped image on a transparent background.
  • CompositeComposite the warped image onto the connected background.
Blend ModeChoice
Default: Normal Range: Normal / Multiply / Screen / Overlay / Linear Dodge (Add) / Subtract / Difference / Hard Light / Soft Light / Darken / Lighten / Color Dodge / Color Burn / Exclusion / Hue / Saturation / Color / Luminosity
Composite mode only

Blend mode for compositing

OpacityNumber
Default: 1.00 Range: 0.00–1.00
Composite mode only

Composite opacity

Usage Tips

Section titled “Usage Tips”
  • Start with a coarse grid (3x3 or 4x4) for broad shape changes; add points for finer control.
  • Reset Points returns the grid to its undeformed state.
  • Combine with Corner Pin for a perspective adjustment plus organic shape correction.
Section titled “Related Nodes”