Working with Texture Layers

Once you've updated the texture layer editor for a given shader, you can begin adding texture layers and mixing them together. The following sections describe the mechanics of working with texture layers in the texture layer editor. Most of the procedures also apply to the material panel.

For information about blending layers together and setting other texture layer properties, see Setting Texture Layer Properties.

A	The command bar contains controls for quickly adding, reordering and deleting texture layers.
B	The texture controls allow you to control the texture projections assigned to selected layers' Color and Mask inputs.
C	Base layers represent shaders that are directly connected to the current shader's ports.
D	A thick black line separates base layers from texture layers.
E	Texture layers are blended with the base layer and with each other.
F	Layer/port controls indicate that the port has been added to the layer.
G	An empty cell indicates that the port is not affected by the layer.
H	Layer controls and layer/port controls allow you to set texture layer properties, as described in Setting Layer-Port Properties.

Adding Texture Layers

There are several ways to add texture layers to a shader or material. You can add blank layers, add shader presets as layers, drag and drop images or shader presets into the texture layer editor, or add a texture layer without using the texture layer editor at all. The following sections describe the myriad of ways to add texture layers to a shader.

Specifying Ports to Add to New Layers

By default, a specific assortment of a shader's most commonly used ports is added to new texture layers. You can define which ports are added to new layers from the texture layer editor preferences.

To specify which ports are added to new texture layers

Do one of the following:
- Open the texture layer editor and choose Views Preferences from the menu.
  
  or
- Open the Preferences view (choose File Preferences from the main menu) and select Editors Texture Layer Editor in the explorer pane.
  
  The Texture Layer Editor Preferences property editor opens in the right pane.
From the Default Action settings, change the default action for each port that you wish to add to new texture layers to Show and add to new layers.

Adding Blank Texture Layers

When you add a blank texture layer, its color input is controlled by a simple color value that you can set from its property editor. The color is blended with previous texture layers until you connect an image or shader preset to the layer's color input.

To add a blank texture layer

Do one of the following:

Click the Add Blank Layer button on the texture layer editor command bar or, from the texture layer editor menu, choose Edit Add Layer.
- If nothing is selected the new layer is added on top of all existing layers.
- If an existing layer is selected the new layer is added on top of the selected layers.
  
  or
- Right-click a layer and choose Add Layer from the menu. The new layer is added on top of the layer you right-clicked.
  
  or
- Select one or more ports (column heads), then right-click one of the selected ports and choose Add Layer from the menu. The new layer is added on top of all existing layers. Only the ports you selected are added to the layer.
After you add the layer, edit its properties as described in Setting Texture Layer Properties.

Adding Texture Layers Using Presets

Instead of adding a blank texture layers to shaders, you can choose a texture or shader preset to connect to the new layer's Color input when the layer is added. There are several ways to do this, each of which is explained in the following procedure.

NoteYou can also connect an image or shader preset to the Color and Mask inputs of existing texture layers. For more information, see Setting Color Input Properties and Setting Mask Properties.

To add an image or shader preset as a new texture layer

Click the Add Layer With Preset button on the texture layer editor command bar.

From the pop-up menu, choose one of the following texture presets:

Texture	Effect
Image	Connects an Image shader to the layer's Color port. The shader uses the default image clip, but you can edit the shader's properties to choose a different image.
Clips	Opens a sub-menu that lists all of the scene's image clips. You can select any clip from the list. The clip is connected to the layer's Color port using an Image shader.
Sources	Opens a sub-menu that lists all of the scene's image sources. You can select any source from the list. A new image clip is created from the source and connected to the layer's Color port using an Image shader.
Various Shaders	A specific group of shaders appears, depending on the parameters affected by the layer.
More...	Opens a browser so you can select any shader from the shader library. The selected shader is connected to the layer's Color port. Note: Once you select a shader from the browser, it appears in a list of most recently used shaders under the More... option.

The selected preset is connected to the layer's Color port.

If necessary, specify a texture projection for the layer as described in Assigning Texture Projections to Texture Layers.
Once the layer is added, you can continue to edit its properties, as described in Setting Texture Layer Properties.

Dragging and Dropping Texture Layers from a Browser or Toolbar

Another way to add images and/or shader presets as new texture layers is to drag and drop them from a browser or toolbar into the texture layer editor workspace.

To add an image or shader preset as a new texture layer

Open a browser (press 5) or the Shaders toolbar (View Toolbars Shaders from the main menu) and locate an image file or a shader preset.
Drag and drop the image file/shader preset onto the texture layer editor work area.
- If you drop the image file/shader preset onto the empty area at the bottom of the texture layer editor work area, the layer is added to the bottom of the list.
- If you drop the image file/shader preset between two existing texture layers, the layer is added between those two layers. A purple line between the existing layers shows the insertion point.

TipYou can also create a new texture layer from an existing texture layer or a base layer. Simply drag-and drop the texture layer's Color input or Mask input thumbnail, or a base layer's thumbnail, between two existing layers or on top of all existing layers.

Other Ways of Adding Texture Layers

There are several other ways to add texture layers to a shader or material without using the texture layer editor. These include:

Using the Texture > Add menu, as described in Adding Texture Layers from the Render Toolbar.

This adds a new layer, with a shader preset controlling the Color input, to ports that you specify within the menu.
Using the connection icons in a shader's property editor, as described in Texturing Using a Shader's Property Editor.

This adds a new layer, with a shader preset controlling the Color input, to the port whose connection icon you clicked.
Using the render tree, as described in Working with Texture Layers in the Render Tree.

Adding and Removing Ports from Texture Layers

You can add a single port to a single layer, or a selection of several ports to several layers at once. When a port is added to a layer, new controls appear in the cell, allowing you to refine the layer's effect on the port (see Setting Layer-Port Properties). You can remove ports from layers the same way that you added them.

To add ports to, or remove them from layers

Select one or more cells.
Right-click one of the selected cells and choose one of the following from the menu:
- Add to Layer adds each cell's port to its respective layer. The port controls appear in the selected cells.
- Remove From Layer removes each cell's port from its respective layer. The port controls are removed from the selected cells.

1	Right-click a selected cell and choose Add To Layer from the menu.
2	Port controls appear as the ports are added to the layer for each selected cell.

TipIf you selected a mix of connected and unconnected cells, the command you choose is applied to all of the cells.

Assigning Texture Projections to Texture Layers

The texture layer editor contains texture projection controls that allow you to view and edit the projections applied to each layer's Color and Mask inputs.

When you select one or more layers, the projection applied to their Color and Mask textures appears in the texture projection list. If the layers use different projections, or one layer's Color and Mask textures use different projections, (multiple values) appears in the list.

You can assign and modify the layers' texture projections as described in Specifying a Texture Projection.

It's important to remember that a layer's Color and Mask inputs can each be driven by a complex network of shaders in the render tree. If this is the case, and you change the layer's texture projection from the texture layer editor, the projection is changed for every texture shader in the shade tree that's driving the Color and/or Mask inputs.

Reordering Texture Layers

You can move one or more texture layers up or down to change the order in which they're blended with other layers. The effect of moving a texture layer depends on whether the layers are displayed in list view or stack view (see Choosing the Layer Display Order: List View vs. Stack View).

Move Up moves the selected layers up.
- In list view, this moves them closer to the base layers, placing them earlier in the mixing order.
- In stack view, it moves them farther from the base layers, placing them later in the mixing order.
Move Down moves the selected layers down.
- In list view, this moves them farther from the base layers, placing them later in the mixing order.
- In stack view, it moves them closer to the base layers, placing them earlier in the mixing order.

When you move multiple layers at once, they move relative to their respective positions in the list or stack.

To move layers up and down

Select one or more layers and do one of the following:
- Click the Move Up or Move Down buttons in the texture layer editor command bar or press the plus (+) and minus (-) keys on the numeric keypad to move the layers up and down respectively.
- Right-click one of the selected layers and choose Move Up or Move Down from the menu.

Deleting Texture Layers

To delete texture layers

Select one or more texture layers.
Do one of the following:
- Click the Delete Selected Layer(s) button on the texture layer editor command bar or press Delete.
- Choose Edit Delete Layers from the texture layer editor command bar.
- Right-click one of the selected layers and choose Delete from the menu.

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