Creating Textures Procedurally In Blender With Nodes

In this video we start things off by covering the absolute basics of material application. In blender we have different types of data and these types communicate with each other to create an overall result. For example mesh objects and materials are examples of data types

In this video we look at how we can assign multiple materials to a single object, as we can assign as many materials as we have faces on our model. We can also assign a single material to multiple objects as well.

There is a lot we can do with our materials even at the most basic level. For example we can assign fake users to each material to stop it from being deleted, or we could use it as the base for another material by duplication.

In this video we turn our attention to the shading workspace, which is where we will be spending the large majority of the course in. The shading editor stores the node system that we will be needing to begin creating our procedural textures.

In this video we will provide a quick overview of the nodes that you will be using to create your materials in the shader editor. We focus on the different categories are and what their general use case is going to be.

The first node that we will be learning about is going to be the texture coordinate node. With this node we can change how our textures are going to be mapped out onto the surface of our objects and which outputs are best suited for what we are looking to do.

The first shape that we are going to be creating is a diagonal line. To do this we will be introducing a node that is going to be used a lot in this course, the math node. We will be looking at how some of the functions available with the math node will allow us to create our shapes.

The real power of using nodes comes when you begin combining different nodes and functions together. In this video we use several different math functions together to control factors like the size and offset of our shapes.

In this video we introduce the power function as an easy way of creating lines rather than simply creating a point of transition like we did before. This is possible because with power a negative value multiplied by itself will always become a positive value.

There are many different ways in which we could add color to the shapes that we have created. but how can we do so using the patterns and shapes that we already have. One node that allows us to do this is the MixRGB node.

In this video we are going to be using the separate xyz node to isolate the x, y and z channels. This will allow us to begin controlling the direction of our lines and shapes by controlling the relationship between the x and y values.

In this video we will be using our math nodes and the separate XYZ node to create a vertical line instead of a diagonal one. We will also be using the same approach to create a horizontal line as well.

In this video we will be making a couple of small changes to our line shapes so that we are left a simple square shape in the centre that we can then manipulate in terms of its size, color and offset.

Now that you know how to create a vertical and horizontal line using math nodes lets combine the two together to create the shape of a cross. To do this we node to replicate the node setup on the x axis over to the y axis and combine them together.

When we have multiple parameters that we want to always be the same value, or at least based off a certain value. So to do this we can introduce a value node which can act as the base for multiple other parameters in our setup.

In this video we will be combining the power function with the separate XYZ node to create a parabla. A parabla is a curved line controlled by mathematical formulae.

In this video we are going to be using the color ramp node to add more control to our textures. It is also a great example of a node that operates very differently depending on where it is positioned in your node setup.

In this video we are going to be creating a perfectly circular shape by combing the x and y values after multiplying them by themselves using the power function of the maths node.

A circle shape is fairly simple in how it is created, but a torus is a little bit trickier. In this video we demonstrate how to create a torus with the help of the color ramp node.

There is nearly always more than one way to complete a task in Blender. In this video we use a second set of math nodes instead of the color ramp to create the same torus shape.

In this video we are introducing the absolute function, which is used to keep values at either 0 or 1, in conjunction with the greater than comparison to create the shape of a diamond.

In this video we are going to combine the nodes used to create our circle with the nodes used to create our diamond as a means to create a new shape, which is going to be a leaf. This will require the use of both the power and absolute functions to acheive.

in this video we focus less on the nods used for creating the texture and more on the shaders that will create the material. Here we introduce the mix shader as a way of combining shaders together. Using our math nodes to control the factor between our shaders.

Congratulations on completing the class, to finish off we have an end of class challenge that will test the skills that we have been developing throughout this class.