Muting nodes by type
If it is necessary to exclude all nodes of a certain type from the shader calculation, they can be muted by their type. The muted node remains in the node tree, retaining all links, but doesn’t affect the final result.
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Nodes
Features of using nodes from the Input group in Blender Geometry Nodes
When we use “Position”, “Index”, “Normal” or any other nodes from the “Input” group in Blender Geometry Nodes we need to be clear about exactly what information they provide.
Features of using nodes from the Input group in Blender Geometry NodesRead More »
Sliding instances along a curve in Blender using Geometry Nodes
In Blender with Geometry Nodes, we can create several mesh instances (copies of a mesh), distribute them along a curve, and slide them along this curve to the desired position.
Sliding instances along a curve in Blender using Geometry NodesRead More »
Quick filling the ColorRamp node with colors from the palette
The ColorRamp node can be quickly filled with the desired colors from the palette image with automatic separators creation.
Quick filling the ColorRamp node with colors from the paletteRead More »
Hiding node groups from menu and search results
When we create complex shaders in Blender, consisting of a large number of node groups, the menu for adding new nodes to the material gets clogged up very quickly. In a long list of node groups, it becomes difficult to find the one we need, and even a search does not always save the day. The list of node groups in the menu can be reduced by hiding unnecessary node group names from it.
Mapping node for Geometry Nodes
The Mapping node does not exist in Blender Geometry Nodes by default. However, we can build it ourselves.
Mixing materials by the UV coordinates
UV coordinates can be used for mixing materials directly on the mesh. This can be useful if, for example, the shape of the mesh is cylindrical or closed or the UV boundaries correspond to the boundaries of the mesh.
Quick fake reflections for toon shaders
For some toon shaders, it can be difficult to set up good reflections. the principle of non-realistic shading prevents the scene lighting from being processed correctly.
However, in the EEVEE render engine, we can set up fake reflections for toon shaders, which will look good and render quickly.
Ortho lighting
When the scene is lighted with “Spot” or “Point” light sources, the rays from such lamps do not propagate in parallel. This makes noticeable distortion, for example when lighting with textures.
The parallel ray’s propagation (orthogonally to its plane) we can get from the “Sun” lamp, but such light source does not support lightning with textures.