Procedural Texture and Material Editor

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3. Value Modules

All of the modules in the "Values" submenu have a single output port and no input ports. They output various quantities which are needed for creating procedures.

Number

This module outputs a fixed numeric value. Double-click the module to set the number.

Color

This module outputs a fixed color. Double-click the module to set the color.

X, Y, and Z

These modules output the X, Y, and Z coordinates respectively of the point for which the texture or material properties are being calculated. In 2D textures, Z is always equal to 0.

Time

This module outputs the time (in seconds from the beginning of the animation) at which the texture or material properties are being calculated. This allows you to create animated textures which change with time.

Parameter

This module (which is only available in Textures, not Materials) represents a per-vertex texture parameter. This is a quantity which varies in an arbitrary, user-defined way over the surface of an object. Double-click this module to set the name of the parameter, as well as its minimum, maximum, and default values. If you add a Parameter module to a procedural texture and then assign that texture to a vertex based object (such as a triangle mesh or spline mesh), you can use the "Texture Parameters..." command in the object editor to set the value of the parameter at each vertex of the mesh. This allows you to create textures whose properties vary in a precisely defined way over the surface of an object.

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