Smoothing Filter Shader

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Smoothing Filter Shader


Overview[edit]

The Smoothing Filter Shader asks upstream shaders (via its main input) to produce a "smoother" output. The scale of the smoothing effect can be controlled with the smoothing scale parameter. Features that are smaller than the smoothing scale should not be produced by the upstream shaders, and any sharp edges should be smoothed according to smoothing scale. The scale can also be modulated with a function input called scale modulator. You can use this to mask the smoothing effect in different places or to add subtle variations.

At the time of writing (v4.1.18), only a few shaders react correctly to the smoothing request: Power Fractal Shader v3, Cloud Fractal Shader v3 and Fractal Warp Shader. We'd like to add smoothing support to more shaders in future.

Obey downstream smoothing filters is an option you can turn on or off for each Power Fractal Shader v3, Cloud Fractal Shader v3 and Fractal Warp Shader.


Settings:

  • Name: This setting allows you to apply a descriptive name to the node, which can be helpful when using multiple Smoothing filter shader nodes in a project.


  • Enable: When checked, the node is active and smoothing will be applied to any shaders upstream from this node with their Obey downstream smoothing filters setting enabled.


  • Smoothing scale: This setting controls the scale of the terrain features which are susceptible to smoothing. Features smaller than this value will not be produced by nodes upstream.
    Smoothing scale values from off - 100.
    Smoothing scale values from off - 2000.


  • Scale modulator: The shader or function nodes assigned to this setting act as a mask for the Smoothing scale. Where the assigned shader returns a value of 1 (white) the full amount of the Smoothing scale is applied, and where the shader returns a value of 0 (black) no smoothing occurs.
    Distance shader assigned to Scale modulator ranging from 500 metres to 15,000 metres.
    Power fractal 3 shader assigned to Scale modulator.


A parameter is an individual setting in a node parameter view which controls some aspect of the node.

A single object or device in the node network which generates or modifies data and may accept input data or create output data or both, depending on its function. Nodes usually have their own settings which control the data they create or how they modify data passing through them. Nodes are connected together in a network to perform work in a network-based user interface. In Terragen 2 nodes are connected together to describe a scene.

A shader is a program or set of instructions used in 3D computer graphics to determine the final surface properties of an object or image. This can include arbitrarily complex descriptions of light absorption and diffusion, texture mapping, reflection and refraction, shadowing, surface displacement and post-processing effects. In Terragen 2 shaders are used to construct and modify almost every element of a scene.