Working with Blend Layers

Blend layers can be thought of as a layered material. You can create one material with a second set of per-pixel functions, including texture maps, UV tiling and offset, rotation and oscillation animation, second UV set, diffuse and specular color tinting, smoothness, and blend masking.

Integrate blend layers in the Illum and Vegetation shaders and activate them by setting the blend layer shader generation parameters.

Topics

• Shader Generation Parameters
• Blend Layer Textures
• Blend Layer Parameters

Shader Generation Parameters

You can set the following parameters for generating shaders.

Blend layer
Activate the texture inputs and parameters for the blend layer.

Use UV set 2 for blend layers maps
Use a second UV channel, if available, for the second layer.

Blend Layer Textures

You can set the following parameters for your blend layer textures.

Second Height Map
Displacement map for the blend layer (grayscale)

Second Diffuse Map
Diffuse map for the blend layer (RGB)

Second Normal Map
Normal map for the blend layer; the second layer gloss map is contained in the alpha (RGBA)

Second Specular Map
Specular map for the blend layer (RGB)

Blend Map
Blending map to blend between the first and second layers (grayscale)

Blend Layer Parameters

You can set the following parameters for your blend layer.

Blend Factor
Control visibility of the blend layer, with a bias toward black or white
Valid values: 0 – 16

Blend Falloff
Control the fall off of the blend range
Valid values: 0.1 – 128

Blend Layer 2 Tiling
Control tiling of the second blend layer
Valid values: 0 – 20
Default: 1

Blend Layer 2 Diffuse (Tint)
Base color tint for the second layer (RGB)
Valid values: 0 – 255

Blend Layer 2 Smoothness
Sharpness of specular reflection for the second layer
Valid values: 0 – 255
Default: 10

Blend Layer 2 Specular
Reflective brightness and color for the second layer (RGB)
Valid values: 0 – 255

Blend Mask Tiling
Control tiling of the blend map
Valid values: 0.05 – 20
Default: 1