Striated Rock Shader Tutorial
By Clyde Duensing III

ShaderMaker is a powerful shader creation tool that provides many different node types including procedural textures, blending and distortion nodes, math functions, function curves and image maps. These nodes can be used in various combinations to create almost any effect the user can imagine. They can also be used in unexpected ways to create the basis for even more varied textures. The tutorial that follows uses procedural nodes to control the x, y and z Indexes of other procedural nodes to create an effect completely different from either of the original textures.

Make a Simple Rock Wall Model
Begin by choosing Shape>Spline from the tool bar. Select Catmull-ROM as the spline type and in the Top view window, draw a spline roughly like the one in Figure 1.

Duplicate the spline, chose Control>Move, turn off the X and Z axis buttons at the bottom of the screen and drag in the Front or Right view to raise the copy approximately 32 units on the Y axis. Hold down the Command key and select the first spline, then hold down the Shift and Command keys, select the second spline and chose Shape>Loft. Rename the Loft shape Rock_Wall.