Documentation Center artzone:pub:software:shadermixer

The Brickyard

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

The Brickyard

The Brickyard is where all the shader Bricks are located along with a preview window and a Properties tab. The Properties tab is the same as the Surfaces tab and shows what the user will see when the shader is applied. You can also make modifications to the parameters on the Properties tab that affect the shader you are working on.

Left-click on the File menu to access the file options:
- New: When selected, allows you to add a new shader tab to the workspace. The New dialog will be displayed.
  - Type: Click to select the type of shader being built: Material, Camera, or Light:
    
    NOTE! When creating a new shader, make sure that you create one that is appropriate for the type of element you will be creating. For example, you cannot add a Light root to a Material shader.
  - Name: Name the shader. This name should be different than any other name you have already since replacing materials with the same name will not change anything on the applied surfaces.
- Open: When selected, allows you to open a previously saved shader in order to modify it or continue working on it.
- From Scene: When selected, loads the shader for the currently selected element in the scene into a new shader tab.
- Preferences: When selected, displays the Brickyard Preferences dialog.
  - Brickyard Left: When selected, the Brickyard will be displayed on the left-hand side of the interface. Deselect to display the Brickyard on the right side.
  - Outputs Left on Open: When selected, the output nodes for each brick will be on the left-hand side of the bricks when the shader is opened in the workspace. Deselect to have the ouput nodes on the right-hand side of each brick.
Preview: Displays a preview of the current shader.
- Refresh: Left-click on the preview to refresh the image
- Size: Right-click on the preview thumbnail to access the Size menu. Select a preview size from the menu.
Bricks: Displays a listing of all available bricks. There are two types of bricks available:
- Roots: These types of bricks form the base for your shader and determine the type of shader, such as a surface shader, an image shader, a light, etc.
- Functions: These types of bricks add additional functions to your shaders and determine how the shader works.

Baker

2011-11-01T17:42:07+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Baker

The Baker shader controls aspects of the Shader Baker and is created on a material or camera type.

Pattern: TBD
Illumination: TBD
Full Material: TBD
Accept Shadows: Determines if the surface will accept shadows.

Root Bricks

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Root Bricks

Root bricks form the base of your shader. When you start building a new material, the root brick should be the first thing you place in the workspace.

When placed first, the brick name will show as “Surface (1)” or “Volume (1),” etc., to indicate that it was the first brick placed and you'll always know which brick is the base brick for the shader.

As mentioned earlier, root bricks only have input nodes since it is the base of the shader and cannot control the input of any function.

Each root brick has different settings depending on the type of shader. The following sections will cover each type.

Caustic Light (Camera)

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Caustic Light (Camera)

A Caustic Light (Camera) shader displays caustics when the scene is rendered through the camera and is created on a camera type.

Intensity: Sets the intensity of the caustics effect. Set the intensity using the slider or plug a function brick into the input node to control the intensity.
Caustics Color: Sets the color of the caustics. Set a color using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the color.
Samples: Sets the maximum number of samples taken per pixel during rendering. The higher the number, the longer the shader will take to render.
Photon Count: TBD
Shading Rate: Determines the overall quality of the material's shading. The lower the shading rate, the longer the shader will take to render.
Sample Mode: Determines the type of sampling used during rendering.
Illumination: Controls whether the light is on or off or how it casts light.
- Off: Turns the selected light off. If you decide to turn a light to 0% intensity, we suggest shutting it off using this menu to conserve computing resources when rendering.
- Diffuse Only: Specifies that the light will only cast light in the normal (diffuse) channel without affecting highlights or specularity. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- Specular Only: Specifies that the light will only cast light in the highlight (specular) channel without affecting the diffuse channel. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- On: Turns the selected light on. It will cast light in both Diffuse and Specular channels. When a light is on, its brightness is determined by the Intensity slider.

Displacement

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Displacement

A Displacement shader is used to displace the mesh of an object and is created on a material or camera type.

Inputs
- New N: Sets the normal of the surface at the position currently being rendered. Setting N without setting P will give a bump effect to the surface.
- New P: Sets the position of the point on the surface currently being rendered. Setting P will actually displace the surface.
- Displace Max: Sets the maximum amount of displacement on the surface.
Settings
- Shadow Pass: Determines if the shadows cast by the object onto other objects is rendered.
- Beauty Pass: Determines if self shadows are rendered.

Imager

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Imager

An Imager shader is used to perform post-processing on the image after rendering. This shader only has an effect when the camera is being viewed through. As a result, it must be created on a camera type.

An Imager shader has no parameters that can be set on the brick itself and must receive its input from function bricks. The parameters shown above are only visible when the Advanced Parameters option is chosen from the context menu.

Color: Determines the color of the shader. Set a color by plugging a function brick into the input node to control the color.
Opacity: Determines the opacity of the surface. Set the opacity by plugging a function brick into the input node to control the opacity.
Alpha: Input for the alpha channel of the image. Set the alpha channel by plugging a function brick into the input node to control the alpha channel.
Root Settings: TBD

Indirect Light (Camera)

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Indirect Light (Camera)

An Indirect Light (Camera) shader displays indirect illumination when the scene is rendered through the camera and is created on a camera type.

Intensity: Sets the intensity of the light effect. Set the intensity using the slider or plug a function brick into the input node to control the intensity.
Indirect Tint: Sets the color of the indirect light effect. Set a color using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the color.
Samples: Sets the maximum number of samples taken per pixel during rendering. The higher the number, the longer the shader will take to render.
Do Final Gather - Controls whether final gather is calculated or not on the indirect lighting. Toggle the switch to On or Off.

Final Gather is a rendering method for simulating diffuse reflections.
Max Distance - TBD
Min Depth - TBD
Sample Mode - Determines the type of sampling used during rendering.
Illumination - Controls whether the light is on or off or how it casts light.
- Off: Turns the selected light off. If you decide to turn a light to 0% intensity, we suggest shutting it off using this menu to conserve computing resources when rendering.
- Diffuse Only: Specifies that the light will only cast light in the normal (diffuse) channel without affecting highlights or specularity. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- Specular Only: Specifies that the light will only cast light in the highlight (specular) channel without affecting the diffuse channel. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- On: Turns the selected light on. It will cast light in both Diffuse and Specular channels. When a light is on, its brightness is determined by the Intensity slider.

Lights

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Lights

Most lights are created as a light type and then created in the scene but they can also be a camera type. Spot, Point, and Distant lights act just like the same lights you create in a scene. A Base Light acts as an ambient light while an Area Light emits light from the surface of the material, such as for candles, light bulbs, etc. A Gel Light acts as a filter for a light or camera.

The following parameters are available for each light except for the base light which only has a light color parameter.

Tint: Sets the color of the light. Set the tint using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the tint.
Shadow: Sets the color of the light shadow. Set a color using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the tint.
Intensity: Sets the intensity of the light. Set the intensity using the slider or plug a function brick into the input node to control the intensity.
Light Color: Sets the color of the light. Set a color using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the color.

NOTE! This is the only option available for Base Lights.
Sample Mode: Determines the type of sampling used during rendering.
Illumination: Controls whether the light is on or off or how it casts light.
- Off: Turns the selected light off. If you decide to turn a light to 0% intensity, we suggest shutting it off using this menu to conserve computing resources when rendering.
- Diffuse Only: Specifies that the light will only cast light in the normal (diffuse) channel without affecting highlights or specularity. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- Specular Only: Specifies that the light will only cast light in the highlight (specular) channel without affecting the diffuse channel. This selection only affects the appearance of rendered images. It will appear the same as the On selection in the interactive display.
- On: Turns the selected light on. It will cast light in both Diffuse and Specular channels. When a light is on, its brightness is determined by the Intensity slider.

In addition, the Gel light has the following options available:

Field of View -
X Scale -
Y Scale -

Surface

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Surface

A Surface shader is applied to the surface of an object and is created on a material or camera type.

Inputs -
- Color: Sets the color of the surface. Set a color using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the tint.
- Opacity: Sets the opacity of the surface. Set the opacity using the Color Selector or plug a function brick into the input node to control the opacity.
- Accept Shadows: Determines if the surface will accept shadows.
Settings -
- Shadow Pass: Determines if the shadows cast by the object onto other objects is rendered.
- Beauty Pass: Determines if self shadows are rendered.

Volume

2011-11-01T17:42:06+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Volume

A Volume shader can be applied to either the exterior or interior of the object and is created on a material or camera type.

Inputs
- Ci: The color of the surface at the position currently being rendered.
- Oi: The opacity of the surface at the position currently being rendered.
Settings
- Volume Type: Determines the type of volume shader.
  - Volume Atmosphere: Select if the shader is to be a global volume shader.
  - Volume Interior: Select if the shader is to be an internal volumetric material.
- Shadow Pass: Determines if the shadows cast by the object onto other objects is rendered.
- Beauty Pass: Determines if self shadows are rendered.

Shader Types

2011-11-01T17:42:07+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Shader Types

There are three Shader Types available when creating a new shader: Material, Camera, and Light, and each one has a specific use.

A Material type is used when the shader will be applied to the outer surface of an object.
A Camera type is used when the shader will be applied to a camera. The effect of the shader is only visible when rendered through the camera itself.
A Light type is used when the shader will be applied to a light source, except in the case of an Area Light which is applied to a surface.

In addition, each type can have different root bricks to form the base of the shader. Some root bricks cannot be added to some of the material types and if you try to add it, you'll get a stop cursor to indicate that this is not possible.

Material type
- Volume
- Surface
- Area Light
- Gel Light
- Displacement
- Baker
Camera type
- All
Light type
- Spot
- Point
- Distant
- Base
- Gel

Using the Shader Mixer

2011-11-01T17:42:07+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Using the Shader Mixer

These directions are very basic. They do not go into detail on which function bricks to use, how to use them together, etc. This will be added as the functionality of the Shader Mixer is completed.

To use the Shader Mixer:

Create a new scene and add a primitive to the scene, preferably a sphere to match the previewer.
Choose View > Shader Mixer from the main menu. The Shader Mixer pane will be displayed.
Dock the tab to the left or right side of the workspace.
Resize the workspace so that you have plenty of room to work with.
Determine what type of shader you will be mixing up: Material, Light, or Camera.
Determine how you will be creating the shader: New, Open from file, or Loading from the scene.

Opening a Saved Shader Mixer File

To open a saved material file:

Choose File > Open from the Shader Mixer menu.
In the Open dialog that is displayed, locate the file then click on the Open button.
The material will be opened in a new tab in the workspace.

Loading a Shader from the Scene

To load a shader from the scene:

Apply a shader to the object, light, or camera.
From the Surfaces tab, select the surface with the shader needed.
Choose File > Load from Scene from the Shader Mixer menu. The Read from Scene dialog will be displayed.
Click on the field and select what type of shader is being read from the scene: Material, Camera, or Light, then click on the OK button. The shader will be loaded into a new tab in the workspace.

Creating a New Shader

To create a new shader:

Choose File > New from the Shader Mixer menu. The New dialog will be displayed.
Click on the field and select what type of shader is being created: Material, Camera, or Light, then click on the OK button. A new tab will be added to the workspace with the name of the material type as the tab name. If you selected to create a material, then the DAZ Default Material bricks will be available in the Material tab.

Mixing Shaders

From the Brickyard, select the root brick you need based on the type of shader being created and drag it on to the workspace tab. Make sure you are adding the right type of root brick for your shader. Review the list on “Shader Types” if you need to check which root bricks can be place on which type shader tab.

TIP! You can also right-click on the workspace and choose the bricks from the menu that is displayed.
Add your first Function brick from the Functions listing. The choices you make will be determined by the shader being made and the type of functions needed to create the shader.
Connect the output nodes of the function brick to the input nodes of the root brick.
Add additional function bricks as needed to build the shader. Adjust sliders, colors, values, and add images as needed.
Click on the preview thumbnails to check how each brick looks. Use the preview on the root brick or in the brickyard to view the overall shader.

Testing the Shader

If your shader is for an object, select the surface(s) from the Surfaces tab and click on the Apply button.

If your shader is for a light:

If creating a new light
1. Click on the Apply button.
2. Choose one of the following from the Create New Light dialog:
  - Apply Default Settings
  - Apply Active Viewport Transforms
3. Click on the OK button and the light will be created in the scene.

If copying the location of a current light or replacing a current light:

Select the light in the scene.
Click on the Apply button.
Choose one of the following from the Create New Light dialog:
- Copy Selected Item - copies selected light transforms and applies them to the new light.
- Copy and Replace Selected Item - copies selected light transforms, deletes the selected light, and replaces it with the new light.
Click on the OK button and the light will be created in the scene.

If your shader is for a camera:

If creating a new camera:
1. Click on the Apply button.
2. Choose one of the following from the Create New Camera dialog:
  - Apply Default Settings
  - Apply Active Viewport Transforms
3. Click on the OK button and the camera will be created in the scene.
4. Change the view to look through the camera and render.

If copying the location of a current camera or replacing a current camera:
1. Select the camera in the scene.
2. Click on the Apply button.
3. Choose one of the following from the Create New Camera dialog:
  - Copy Selected Item - copies selected camera transforms and applies them to the new camera.
  - Copy and Replace Selected Item - copies selected camera transforms, deletes the selected camera, and replaces it with the new camera.
4. Click on the OK button and the camera will be created in the scene.
5. Change the view to look through the camera and render.

Once you have completed building your shader, it can be saved as a material, light, or camera preset.

Working With Bricks

2011-11-01T17:42:07+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Working With Bricks

Now, let's look at the bricks and what they are made up of.

Preview: At the top of each brick is the preview thumbnail for the brick. If the brick is the root, then the preview will show the result of all the bricks mixed together.
- Left-click on the Preview button to expand the preview and again to collapse the preview.
- Right-click on the expanded preview to set the thumbnail size.
Brick Name: The name of the brick is at the top of the brick and indicates the name/type of the brick. In the example, Surface, Voronoi, etc.
Brick Number: To the right of the brick name is a number. This number indicates the order in which the brick was created and does not specify any particular order that the bricks must be connected at. The example above was the third brick created for this shader. This number will correspond to the channel it controls on the Properties tab. For example, if the “Voronoi (3)” brick controls the opacity, then in the Properties tab, you'll see exactly where the parameter is controlled from.
Context Menu: Left-click on the arrow at the top right of the brick to access the context menu.
- Hide Parameters: When selected, hides all parameters for the brick.
- Show Parameters: This option is only available if the parameters have been previously hidden. When selected, it will unhide all parameters for the brick.
- Show Advanced: When selected, will display any advanced parameters available for the brick. These advanced options will probably be useful only for the most advanced user.
- Delete: When selected, deletes the brick from the workspace.
Outputs: This section is where the parameters for each brick in the Inputs section are output to another function or to a root brick. A root brick does not have an output section.
- Output Nodes: For each parameter that can be output, a node will be visible to the left of the parameter (assuming that you didn't change them to be on the right side in the preferences). An output can be connected to multiple inputs.
- Output Context Menu: Right-click on an output node to access its context menu.
  - Disconnect: When selected, will disconnect the output node from any input node it is connected to.
  - Connector Color: When selected, displays a default color picker where you can select a new color for the node.
Inputs: This section is where parameters can be set either by adjusting them or connecting a function brick to the input node.
- Input Nodes: For each parameter that can be controlled by a function, a node will be visible to the right of the parameter (assuming that you didn't change them to be on the left side in the preferences). An input can only have one connection. If you try to connect a second input into the node, the first connection will be replaced by the second one.
- Input Context Menu: Right-click on an input node to access its context menu. An input node can only be disconnected as its color is driven by the output node it is connected to.

Nodes

In the center of each node is a letter indicating the type of input or output is controlled by the node.

C - Color
F - Float
N - Normal
P - Point
V - Vector
S - U coordinate, i.e., horizontal
T - V coordinate, i.e., vertical

Normally, a C output would be connected to a C input but there is nothing stopping you from connecting a different type of output into the input.

Connecting Nodes

To connect two nodes:

Left-click hold on either the input or output node and drag to the opposite node. A dotted line will be displayed as you drag the cursor. A stop cursor will be displayed as you move across blank areas of the workspace.
Once you get to the opposite node, move the cursor over the node until it changes to a marquee box. This indicates that you can connect to the node.
Let up on the mouse button to connect the two nodes.

Remember, you can connect one output to multiple inputs, but each input can have only one connection.

Disconnecting Nodes

To disconnect two nodes, right-click on one of the nodes and choose Disconnect from the menu.

Shader Workspace

2011-11-01T17:42:07+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Shader Workspace

The Shader Workspace is where you mix bricks to create your custom shader. When you first open the Shader Mixer, a default shader will be available. You can work on multiple shaders at once or just one at a time.

At the top of the workspace are tabs and buttons to access workspace edit options.

Tabs: As you create or open shaders, they are opened in tabs in the workspace. Click on the tabs to access and work on the material.
Edit Options: Click on the button icons to use the edit functions.
- Save: When selected, displays a save dialog where you can name and save the shader.
- Copy: When selected, copies the selected brick(s).
- Cut: When selected, cuts the selected brick(s) from the workspace
- Paste: When selected, pastes any brick(s) on the clipboard into the current tab.
- Preferences: When selected, displays the Preferences dialog where you can change the name of the shader and select whether the output nodes are on the left or right. Click in the check box to deselect it if you prefer to have the output nodes on the right. This will also place the root node on the right-hand side of the screen.

At the top right of the workspace is an “X” button. Click on this button to close the current shader without saving it. A confirmation message will be displayed asking if you are sure you want to close the shader. Click on Yes to close the shader or on No to keep it open.

Along the side and bottom of the workspace are scrollbars which can be used to view different sections of the workspace. As you add bricks, the scrollbars will be invaluable as you work.

The workspace itself is where you create your shaders by adding and removing bricks, and connecting the input and output nodes.

Right-clicking on any blank area of the workspace brings up the context menu.

Insert Brick: Used to add new bricks to the workspace. Follow the arrows to access the sub-menus to add root or function bricks. Bricks can also be added by dragging them from the Brickyard.
Copy: When selected, copies the selected brick(s).
Cut: When selected, cuts the selected brick(s).
Paste: When selected, pastes any brick(s) on the clipboard into the current tab.
To Front: Moves the selected brick(s) to the front.
To Back: Moves the selected brick(s) to the back.

To select bricks, left-click in the workspace and drag the cursor over the bricks to be selected. You'll see a selection marquee displayed as you drag the cursor. As long as some part of the marquee touches a brick, that brick will be selected.

To move bricks:

Move the cursor over the top of the brick. The cursor will change to a double arrow icon.
Left-click and drag the brick to its new location.

At the bottom left of the workspace is the Zoom field. Use the up and down buttons to increase or decrease the zoom, or enter the zoom amount manually into the field.

Shader Mixer

2011-11-01T17:42:07+00:00

This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.

Shader Mixer

Please note that the Shader Mixer is still in beta and as a result, the documentation will cover basic usage only including the root bricks. More information on the function bricks and advanced settings will come as the tool is finalized.

View In-Process Documentation

Choose View > Tabs > Shader Mixer to open the Shader Mixer tab. This tab allows you to create your own shaders.

The Shader Mixer tab is divided into two sections, with the Brickyard on the left and the Shader workspace on the right. The Brickyard is where the different shader bricks are stored along with a preview window and access to a Properties tab that displays what you will see in the Surfaces tab for the shader. The Shader Workspace is where you build your custom shaders.

NOTE! Bricks do not depend on the Shader Mixer to run or function. If you apply a materials preset or shader and it calls a brick that is either non-existent or non-functional, in the Shader Mixer you will either:

See nothing in the Shader Workspace or
Have a valid shader that is simply missing one or more bricks.

You can also look in the DAZ Studio log file to see what bricks were not included in the building of the shader.

Refer to the following topics for specifics on using the Shader Mixer: