Round Corners (mia)

Category: Bump

Shader Family: Texture

Output: Vector

This shader creates the illusion of rounded edges at render time. It is primarily intended to prevent the unnecessary modelling of details; for example, if you use this shader, you don't need to create a table top with actual filleted or chamfered edges.

Because the edges of computer-generated object often look too sharp, this shader is useful for making edges look more realistic (rounded, chamfered, worn, or filleted in some way). Rounded edges tend to catch the light and create highlights that make edges more visually appealing.

The shader doesn't displace geometry: it is merely a shading effect (like bump mapping) and is best suited for straight edges and simple geometry, not advanced highly curved geometry.

Radius

Defines the radius of the rounding effect in global space units.

Allow Different Materials

Allows rounding to happen on any face of any material. When this parameter is off, rounding happens only on faces with the same material.

Bump Mode

The bump_shader input accepts a shader that perturbs the normal for bump mapping. This port is only used if the Bump Mode is set to Use Bump_shader Input.

The other bump modes allow you to define the coordinate-space of the bump_vector, as well as that of the return value of the shader itself (which is also a vector), and whether or not it is interpreted as a "normal vector perturbation" or a whole new "normal vector".

The Add modes mean that the vector should contain a normal perturbation, that is, a modification is "added" to the current normal. Whereas, the Set modes mean that the actual normal is replaced by the incoming vector, and interpreted in the World, Object, or Camera coordinate space.

Equally for output, an Add mode implies that the shader returns a perturbation vector intended to be added to the current normal, and Set mode implies that it returns a whole normal vector. In neither case does the shader actually modify the current normal by itself.

Render Tree Usage

This shader perturbs the normal vector, and should be applied where bump maps are normally used, such as the bump parameter on a surface shader. You can also use it in conjunction with the shader Architectural.