Reflective Shader - Revision history

Redmaw: Updated Overview description, and added example images for Caustic intensity setting.

2021-03-04T23:50:54Z

Updated Overview description, and added example images for Caustic intensity setting.

Redmaw: Replaced example images for all settings with ones that match Default shader examples. Updated descriptions. Still working on Caustics & need Blinn description.

2021-03-03T05:31:03Z

Replaced example images for all settings with ones that match Default shader examples. Updated descriptions. Still working on Caustics & need Blinn description.

Show changes

Redmaw: Updated descriptions of Highlight intensity, Caustic intensity, Reflectivity, Reflectivity tint, & Specular roughness settings, to match those of Glass Shader.

2021-02-26T20:15:16Z

Updated descriptions of Highlight intensity, Caustic intensity, Reflectivity, Reflectivity tint, & Specular roughness settings, to match those of Glass Shader.

Matt: Updated index of refraction

2021-02-26T07:18:41Z

Updated index of refraction

Redmaw: Added descriptions and example images for all settings, except Caustics (wip).

2021-02-26T05:45:31Z

Added descriptions and example images for all settings, except Caustics (wip).

Matt at 02:23, 4 May 2018

2018-05-04T02:23:45Z

Russe166 at 09:43, 10 December 2014

2014-12-10T09:43:18Z

Russe166 at 09:41, 10 December 2014

2014-12-10T09:41:53Z

JavaJones at 23:59, 3 June 2012

2012-06-03T23:59:49Z

JavaJones at 19:59, 1 June 2011

2011-06-01T19:59:48Z

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 == Overview ==
-The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces which can simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces.
+This shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces, which can simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces.  The Reflective shader is primarily intended to follow non-reflective shaders or function nodes in the workflow, such as the Surface layer shader (see Usage section).  In the example images below, we compare each of the shader’s settings using Terragen’s standard renderer and the newer Path tracer renderer.
 '''Settings:'''
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 *'''Caustic intensity: '''In the real world, light reflecting off or refracting through shiny objects can cause caustics to form on surrounding objects. In the Reflective Shader, the term "caustics" is a bit more specific. It means only those caustics that are reflection/refractions of direct light sources (e.g. the sun), and only those that land on diffuse surfaces or interact with rough reflections/refractions. "Caustic intensity" controls the brightness of the caustics that this Reflective Shader projects onto other objects. Caustics are difficult to sample, so they create unwanted noise in path traced renders and flickering in anything that caches lighting. Terragen tries to improve this by only roughly approximating caustics so they are easier to sample. Despite this they can still be difficult to render well, so "Caustic intensity" lets you control their intensity or turn them off entirely.

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 <ul>
-*'''Reflectivity: '''This setting controls how reflective the surface is.  Higher values are more reflective.  While you can change the colour of the reflectivity via the Colour picker to the right of the slider, it’s recommended that you use the “Reflection tint” to change the colour.  This allows you to separately adjust the brightness and the colour of the reflectivity.
+*'''Reflectivity: '''The ability of the surface to reflect light at glancing angles when roughness is low. At glancing angles this proportion is also removed from the transmitted (refracted) light so that it respects laws of energy conservation. In other words, reflectivity controls the blend between reflections and refractions at glancing angles when roughness is low.
 <ul>
 {|
@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
-*'''Highlight intensity: '''  This setting controls the brightness of the specular highlight.  A value of “0” results in no specular highlights, while increasing the value will brighten the highlight.
+*'''Highlight intensity: '''  This setting is a  multiplier for the brightness of reflected light from direct light sources only (e.g. Sunlight, Light Source, Spotlight), not indirect reflections. In Terragen 4.4 and above, this also affects the brightness of direct light sources when they're visibly refracted through the surface. For reflections, the only correct value in a physically-based render is 1, but the specular reflection models are not perfect so it's reasonable to change this slightly.
 <ul>
 {|
@@ Line 66: / Line 67: @@
-*'''Caustic intensity: '''
+*'''Caustic intensity: '''In the real world, light reflecting off or refracting through shiny objects can cause caustics to form on surrounding objects. In the Reflective Shader, the term "caustics" is a bit more specific. It means only those caustics that are reflection/refractions of direct light sources (e.g. the sun), and only those that land on diffuse surfaces or interact with rough reflections/refractions. "Caustic intensity" controls the brightness of the caustics that this Reflective Shader projects onto other objects. Caustics are difficult to sample, so they create unwanted noise in path traced renders and flickering in anything that caches lighting. Terragen tries to improve this by only roughly approximating caustics so they are easier to sample. Despite this they can still be difficult to render well, so "Caustic intensity" lets you control their intensity or turn them off entirely.
-*'''Specular roughness: ''' This setting controls how the specular highlight spreads out across the surface.  Small values result in smaller, sharper and brighter highlights, while larger values result in larger, softer and more diffused highlights.
+*'''Specular roughness: ''' The microscopic (or subpixel) roughness of the surface. This roughness causes reflections and refractions to look blurry or diffuse, and it changes the apparent size of highlights from bright sources (due to over-exposure). When rendering with the Standard Renderer the roughness only affects reflections/refractions of direct light sources such as the sun. When rendering with the Path Tracer the roughness is applied more correctly, affecting the blurriness of all kinds of reflections and refractions from the surface.
 <ul>
 {|

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
-*'''Index of refraction: ''' The Index of refraction (IOR) is a property of real world materials which affects light refracted into it from another medium. This setting controls the amount of light reflected off the surface for a given angle.  A value of “1.0” results in no reflection, while the default value of “1.33” is good for water.  Higher values appear brighter and “more” reflective when looking perpendicular to a surface.
+*'''Index of refraction: ''' Index of refraction (IOR) is a property of real world materials which affects light refracted into it from another medium. Despite its name it also affects the amount of light ''reflected'' off the surface for a given angle; in other words it changes the reflectivity curve which is calculated using the Fresnel equations. In the Reflective Shader the IOR setting must be >= 1. When IOR is exactly 1 there is no reflection. When IOR is greater than 1 some amount of reflection occurs, and the higher the IOR the more visible the reflections. For ''any'' IOR > 1, the reflectivity approaches 100% at glancing angles where light travels parallel to the surface (although this can be changed with the Reflectivity setting and roughness also makes it appear to be less). At any other angle the amount of reflection is reduced, calculated from the IOR. The IOR of water is usually around 1.33, depending on conditions, and most types of glass are between 1.4 and 1.9. IOR is rarely higher than 4.0 in real materials. However, you might want to go higher than this to simulate metals. A higher index of refraction can be used to produce higher reflectivity at perpendicular angles, but this is essentially just a cheat and is not a physically-based way to render metal.
 <ul>
 {|

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:45, 26 February 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	[[~~Image~~:~~drex_module_159_image_0~~.png\|~~485pxpx~~\|Reflective Shader]]	+	[[File:ReflShdr_00_GUI.png\|none\|470px\|Reflective Shader]]
		+
		+
		+	__TOC__
		+
		+
		+	== Overview ==
		+	The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces which can simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces. Control is provided over the strength of the reflectivity, the reflection tint, transparency, index of refraction, and whether reflections are Ray Traced.
		+
		+	'''Settings:'''
		+	<ul>
		+	*'''Enable: '''When checked, the node is active and the settings below will affect the surface. When unchecked, the node is ignored.
		+	</ul>
		+
		+	== Main Tab ==
		+	[[File:ReflShdr_01_MainTab_GUI.png\|none\|470px\|Main Tab]]
		+
		+
		+	<ul>
		+	*'''Reflectivity: '''This setting controls how reflective the surface is. Higher values are more reflective. While you can change the colour of the reflectivity via the Colour picker to the right of the slider, it’s recommended that you use the “Reflection tint” to change the colour. This allows you to separately adjust the brightness and the colour of the reflectivity.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_04_Reflectivity0p25.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflectivity = 0.25]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_05_Reflectivity0p5.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflectivity = 0.5]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_06_Reflectivity1.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflectivity = 1.0]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Reflection tint: ''' This setting allows you to tint the reflected colours by the color chosen via the Colour picker to the right of the slider.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_10_Reflectivity0p25_ReflTintRed.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflection tint = sRGB 229,50,50, Reflectivity = 0.25]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_11_Reflectivity0p5_ReflTintRed.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflection tint = sRGB 229,50,50, Reflectivity = 0.5]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_12_Reflectivity0p25_ReflTintRed.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflection tint = sRGB 229,50,50, Reflectivity = 1.0]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Index of refraction: ''' The Index of refraction (IOR) is a property of real world materials which affects light refracted into it from another medium. This setting controls the amount of light reflected off the surface for a given angle. A value of “1.0” results in no reflection, while the default value of “1.33” is good for water. Higher values appear brighter and “more” reflective when looking perpendicular to a surface.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_13_IOR1.jpg\|none\|266px\|IOR = 1]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_14_IOR1p1.jpg\|none\|266px\|IOR = 1.1]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_15_IOR1p25.jpg\|none\|266px\|IOR = 1.25]]
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_16_IOR1p33.jpg\|none\|266px\|IOR = 1.33 (default)]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_17_IOR1p5.jpg\|none\|266px\|IOR = 1.5]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_18_IOR2.jpg\|none\|266px\|IOR = 2.0]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Specular highlights: ''' This popup has 4 options for choosing the method of calculating the specular highlights.
		+	<ul>
		+	[[File:ReflShdr_03_MainTab_SpecularHighlightOptions_GUI.png\|none\|326px\|Specular highlight methods.]]
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_19_SpecularHightlightsBlinn.jpg\|none\|200px\|Specular highlights = Blinn]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_20_SpecularHightlightsBeckmannTG2.jpg\|none\|200px\|Specular highlights = Beckmann TG 2]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_21_SpecularHightlightsBeckmannTG45.jpg\|none\|200px\|Specular highlights = Beckmann TG 4.5]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_22_SpecularHightlightsGGX.jpg\|none\|200px\|Specular highlights = GGX]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Highlight intensity: ''' This setting controls the brightness of the specular highlight. A value of “0” results in no specular highlights, while increasing the value will brighten the highlight.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_23_HighlightIntensity0.jpg\|none\|266px\|Highlight intensity = 0.0]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_24_HighlightIntensity1.jpg\|none\|266px\|Highlight intensity = 1.0]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_25_HighlightIntensity4.jpg\|none\|266px\|Highlight intensity = 4.0]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Caustic intensity: '''
		+
		+
		+	*'''Specular roughness: ''' This setting controls how the specular highlight spreads out across the surface. Small values result in smaller, sharper and brighter highlights, while larger values result in larger, softer and more diffused highlights.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_26_SpecularRoughness0p01.jpg\|none\|266px\|Specular roughness = 0.01]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_27_SpecularRoughness0p1.jpg\|none\|266px\|Specular roughness = 0.1]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_28_SpecularRoughness0p2.jpg\|none\|266px\|Specular roughness = 0.2]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Roughness function: '''The shader or function nodes assigned to this setting are multiplied by the “Specular roughness” value above which allow you to adjust or break up the intensity of the specular highlight. Note that negative results are clamped to 0.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_29_RoughnessFunctionPF0p01.jpg\|none\|266px\|Power fractal shader assigned to Roughness function. Apply high colour = 0.01]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_30_RoughnessFunctionPF0p1.jpg\|none\|266px\|Power fractal shader assigned to Roughness function. Apply high colour = 0.1]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_31_RoughnessFunctionPF0p2.jpg\|none\|266px\|Power fractal shader assigned to Roughness function. Apply high colour = 0.2]]
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_32_RoughnessFunctionPF0p5.jpg\|none\|266px\|Power fractal shader assigned to Roughness function. Apply high colour = 0.5]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_33_RoughnessFunctionPF1.jpg\|none\|266px\|Power fractal shader assigned to Roughness function. Apply high colour = 1.0]] \|\|
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Ray traced reflections: ''' When checked, reflections are ray traced for the surface and accurately reflect the scene. When unchecked, only the specular effect will render.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_34_RayTracedReflOn.jpg\|none\|400px\|Ray traced reflections checked.]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_35_RayTracedReflOff.jpg\|none\|400px\|Ray traced reflections unchecked.]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	*'''Reflection softness: ''' Together with the “Number of samples” setting on the Quality tab, this setting controls the blurriness of the reflections. The default value of “0” results in sharp reflections and uses only one sample regardless of the number of samples chosen. Although the slider allows for a large range of values, the recommended range is between 0.0 to 0.1.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_42_ReflectionSoftness0.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflection softness = 0.0]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_43_ReflectionSoftness0p05.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflection softness = 0.05]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_44_ReflectionSoftness0p1.jpg\|none\|266px\|Reflection softness = 0.1]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	== Quality Tab ==
		+	[[File:ReflShdr_02_QualityTab_GUI.png\|none\|470px\|Quality Tab]]
		+
		+
		+	<ul>
		+	*'''Number of samples: '''This setting controls the quality of the soft reflections, which occur when the “Reflection softness” value is greater than “0”. The default value is “4” and raising it will take additional samples leading to a smoother blurred result, at the cost of longer render times.
		+	<ul>
		+	{\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_38_ReflSoft0p1_NumSamples4.jpg\|none\|400px\|Reflection softness = 0.1, Number of samples = 4.]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_39_ReflSoft0p1_NumSamples16.jpg\|none\|400px\|Reflection softness = 0.1, Number of samples = 16.]]
		+	\|-
		+	\| [[File:ReflShdr_40_ReflSoft0p1_NumSamples32.jpg\|none\|400px\|Reflection softness = 0.1, Number of samples = 32.]] \|\| [[File:ReflShdr_41_ReflSoft0p1_NumSamples64.jpg\|none\|400px\|Reflection softness = 0.1, Number of samples = 64.]]
		+	\|}
		+	</ul>
		+
		+
		+	</ul>

−	'''Node Description and Purpose:''' The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces in Terragen 2. It can be used to simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces. Control is provided over the strength of the reflectivity, the reflection tint, transparency, index of refraction, and whether reflections are Ray Traced. Ray Traced Reflections will accurately reflect the scene, but increase render times; disabling Ray Traced Reflections will provide a specular effect only.

−	~~==Additional tabs for Reflective Shader==~~

−	* [[Reflective Shader - Quality Tab]]

	[[Category:Surface Shader]]		[[Category:Surface Shader]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:23, 4 May 2018
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	* [[Reflective Shader - Quality Tab]]		* [[Reflective Shader - Quality Tab]]

−	[[Category:~~Other~~ Surface Shader]]	+	[[Category:Surface Shader]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:43, 10 December 2014
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−	[[Image:drex_module_159_image_0.png\|~~476pxpx~~\|Reflective Shader]]	+	[[Image:drex_module_159_image_0.png\|485pxpx\|Reflective Shader]]

	'''Node Description and Purpose:''' The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces in Terragen 2. It can be used to simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces. Control is provided over the strength of the reflectivity, the reflection tint, transparency, index of refraction, and whether reflections are Ray Traced. Ray Traced Reflections will accurately reflect the scene, but increase render times; disabling Ray Traced Reflections will provide a specular effect only.		'''Node Description and Purpose:''' The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces in Terragen 2. It can be used to simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces. Control is provided over the strength of the reflectivity, the reflection tint, transparency, index of refraction, and whether reflections are Ray Traced. Ray Traced Reflections will accurately reflect the scene, but increase render times; disabling Ray Traced Reflections will provide a specular effect only.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:41, 10 December 2014
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	[[Image:drex_module_159_image_0.png\|~~485pxpx~~\|Reflective Shader]]	+	[[Image:drex_module_159_image_0.png\|476pxpx\|Reflective Shader]]

	'''Node Description and Purpose:''' The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces in Terragen 2. It can be used to simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces. Control is provided over the strength of the reflectivity, the reflection tint, transparency, index of refraction, and whether reflections are Ray Traced. Ray Traced Reflections will accurately reflect the scene, but increase render times; disabling Ray Traced Reflections will provide a specular effect only.		'''Node Description and Purpose:''' The Reflective Shader provides a reflectivity effect for surfaces in Terragen 2. It can be used to simulate wet, smooth, and otherwise shiny surfaces. Control is provided over the strength of the reflectivity, the reflection tint, transparency, index of refraction, and whether reflections are Ray Traced. Ray Traced Reflections will accurately reflect the scene, but increase render times; disabling Ray Traced Reflections will provide a specular effect only.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:drex_module_159_image_0.png|485pxpx|Reflective Shader]]
 ==Additional tabs for Reflective Shader==
 * [[Reflective Shader - Quality Tab]]
 [[Category:Other Surface Shader]]