A demonstration of creating an organic, branching system with the shortest path node with custom edge cost in Blender, Geometry Nodes.

The file has 3 versions of the setup with increasing complexity for easier readability. It utilizes the "Shortest Path" node in Blender 3.4 and adds custom edge cost to create the growth effect by proximity to a custom effector object.

The most important control nodes are highlighted in red, so you can experiment with the settings values. (They are not exposed as Group Input to the Modifier controls in the Modifier side tab, for easier readability of the node tree.)

Video demos here and here !

There are 3 versions of the setup available with varying level and degree of customization and functionality - All with explanations.

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NOTE

-(Since it is a concept demonstration, it is kept as simple as possible.) The GeoNodes trees are kept clean for easier readability and have detailed explanations. Everything is built from the base. The point of these setups is to provide a base core of the concept, node from node, instead of contracting all into node groups with exposed settings, which makes everything harder to read and dissect.

You can embellish, refine as you wish based on the core or realize your own ideas.

-Read the text description, it has a lot of useful info !