Vein

 
 
 

| Texture | Vein | Advanced | Render Tree Usage

Category: Texture

Shader Family: Texture

Output: Color

Creates a vein-like scalar texture space. You can control the vein thickness, complexity, and other visual styles. This shader can be animated using the Time parameter.

Name

The shader's name. Enter any name you like, or leave the default.

Texture

Texture Space

Selects the texture projection to use. See Specifying a Texture Projection [Texturing].

Bump Mapping

Enable

Switches bump mapping on or off.

Bump Map Factor

Defines how "bumpy" the bump map will be. A negative value inverts the bump inward; a positive bump map factor bumps outward.

Use Alpha

Uses the texture's alpha channel to achieve a bump map.

Vein

Colors

Color 1

Defines the first color of the fractal pattern.

Color 2

Defines the second color of the fractal pattern.

Alpha

Copy Alpha to RGB

Multiplies the RGB channels with the alpha channel by the factor defined in the Alpha Strength parameter.

Alpha Strength

Determines the factor by which the Alpha is multiplied with the RGB channels.

Thickness

Defines the veins' thickness.

Complexity

Defines how complex and convoluted the curves of the veins will be. Low values (1-3) produce thick, flowing curves; higher values cause chaotic and choppy curves.

Falloff

Defines the falloff region around the veins.

Sharpness

Defines the falloff between the vein and the falloff region defined in the Falloff parameter. A value of 0.0 causes no noticeable step between the two regions; higher values create a definite transition.

Intensity

Defines the overall scaling of the intensity effect.

Time

Can be used to animate the texture by defining the current time.

Advanced

Bump Mapping

Step

Controls the U, V, and Z steps of a bump map. Use this parameter to "smooth" bumps or make them more jagged.

Alternate

U, V, Z

Specifies whether every other copy of the repetition should be reversed so that the successive copies of the texture are alternated.

Repeats

Texture Repeats

Contains the repetition factor in X,Y, and Z. A value of 2, for example, shrinks the texture so that it fits twice in a [0..1] interval.

UV Remap

Minimum, Maximum

Determines the remapping of the texture image. For a 2D image, only X and Y are used.

Render Tree Usage

Color parameters can be connected to other textures or image processing shaders. A texture's scalar parameters can be altered to create interesting effects by applying Texture Generator shaders to them. For example, the Thickness parameter can be controlled with the Incidence shader to create an interesting effect, depending on camera angle.

A texture shader has seemingly limitless capabilities in a render tree. It can texture an object, be used as a camera or light projection, define bump or displacement maps, or be blended with any number of other textures to create any effect.