ShaderMaker
ShaderMaker allows you to describe
the material properties of your object's surface. ShaderMaker
gives you full control over every aspect of shading a surface, from
the color of the surface to complex light interactions such as reflection
and refraction. All of this can be controlled using any one of ShaderMaker's
nodes.
Nodes
Node is the name given to the basic building blocks used within ShaderMaker.
To see all the nodes available, choose Window
> ShaderMaker and open the ShaderMaker
dialog box then click on the first Diffuse
pop-up menu. Take a moment to read the names of all the nodes. Every
one of these nodes will produce a color, so we call these color nodes.
Now click on the second Diffuse
pop-up menu. Every one of these nodes will produce a numerical value,
so we call these value nodes. Each node has a set of variables associated
with it, called input variables. These variables describe the characteristics
of a given node. Input variables require either a color or a value as
input. Some common variables are scale, softness, grain and turbulence.
Node Interaction
Within ShaderMaker, nodes can be
linked to other nodes, making it possible to control a node's input
variable with the output of another node. This interaction between nodes
may at first seem complex, but it is, in fact, quite straight forward.
It works somewhat like a patch bay, plugging values or colors from one
node into another. There is no theoretical limit to how deep these interactions
can go, however available memory and CPU speed will play a role in setting
practical limits.
Shaders
A shader is a combination of nodes which work together to create the
final desired color, pattern, texture or look for your 3D object. Every
shader is made up of 14 inputs controlling such variables as Diffuse
Color and Reflectivity.
Each of these inputs has a node associated with it which defines its
value or color. Shaders can be created from scratch or you can use the
Load button to read a Shader from disk. Once a Shader
has been read into ShaderMaker, it can be edited to create a new look.
ShaderMaker
Options After selecting the object you want to effect, open ShaderMaker
by choosing the Window > ShaderMaker
menu item.
