FUSION · NODE REFERENCE
Shader
Image shading from auxiliary normals
Shader changes the lighting response of a rendered 2D image containing normals: ambient, diffuse, specular, reflection mapping and response curves.
Shader
Overview
What Shader does
Shader requires auxiliary X/Y/Z normals in the image at Input. Renderer3D can provide them through Output Channels > Normal. RGBA and normals travel on one image connection. BMD states that Shader has no effect without these channels.
On the Light tab, Ambient adds base illumination, Diffuse adds diffuse response and Specular adds highlights. Equator Angle sets horizontal light direction and Polar Height sets vertical direction. Test them on a curved surface with valid normals.
Reflection uses a separate Reflection Map Image. Screen, Spherical and Refraction determine its projection. Without the map, Reflection produces no reflection; it is also not a new 3D render tracing unseen objects.
The Shader tab contains checkboxes selecting the editable diffuse/specular curves, the spline and point In/Out values. Numeric lighting contributions remain on the Light tab. Specular Color and RGB tint the highlight rather than the base diffuse color.
After Shader, use normal 2D Merge and MediaOut nodes. The blue effect mask limits the result spatially. The practices separately inspect normals, light direction, mapping, curves and alpha; native Resolve validation is pending.
When to use it
Refine lighting response in a 3D render without rebuilding its material branch.
Diagnose processing dependence on auxiliary normal channels.
Compare Screen, Spherical and Refraction using one map.
Stylize diffuse response with one controlled spline point.
Tint highlights and locally limit the change with an effect mask.
Shader in context
Screenshots referenced by this article. Open an image to inspect it at full size.
Example for Shader.
Original imageExample for Shader.
Original image