Noise in Blues or Reds - Function/PF based patterns

[Hetzen]

Ok, I thought it could be quite cool to set up a thread dedicated on getting different patterns of noise that we can all use in our projects. The idea is that it can be any type of node network you like, but the point is to demonstrate what shapes you can produce procedurally that maybe of use for other users to learn or get ideas from.

Please submit a .tgc and screen grab of the pattern, with a brief description, and allow people to ask questions and answer on how your thought process worked out what you submit, so that others may understand and preferably expand on.

[Hetzen]

Ok, here's one to start things off.

Dry stone wall.

What's happening here, is that anything that protrudes further than the last, is used, anything below is ignored. I've set up the vector constant "1_1_3" as the 3 dimensional scaler. ie, things are getting stretched in the z axis by 3 times. If you want to apply this to a wall, you would change the vector constant to 3,1,3 for example, so that the noise is flatter through Y.

Of course this is a little exagerated in scale. But by changing the constant vector's values, you change the noise scale. Have a play, it's quite powerfull to muck around with.

[Volker Harun]

Hey Jon,

good title for this thread.

First the basic to use a function ... it needs an input. Mostly it is done with one of the 'Get position'-nodes ... which one actually the best is, might evolve later in this thread.

So, what does the Get Position generally do? Think of your render screen to be a window into another dimension ... a window, that shows your scene. Now TG2 is going to render the scene ... it takes in simple terms ... one pixel of your screen and pokes a needle through this window.
TG2 remembers if it touches some atmospheres and objects until it finally touches the ground ... the position, it got the 'Get position'.

So why there are more than one position ...

I guess, because there are a few steps to get a position at all:
1. The part before a 'Compute terrain' node
2. The part after the 'Compute terrain' node
3. The part before the 'Planet' node

Steps 1 and 2 can be cascaded and used quite often in a complex scene ...

So long, Volker

[Volker Harun]

Ok, here's one to start things off.

Dry stone wall.

This is really nice ... and I must tell, I really like the use of the conditional scalar ... very elegant!

[Hetzen]

Thank you. I know a few don't like this node, but to be honest it makes my logic a little more simpler to myself. So if anyone has any better ideas, please chime in.

I'd like to add also, that the Colour Adjust at the end, flattens off the white. You may want to add a PF to get variation in height from the flattness, or take the white level up a few notches to get more diamond shapes in it's extrusion. But the initial idea was to try and create rock layers. I think this is quite a good starting point.

[Volker Harun]

... the initial idea was to try and create rock layers. I think this is quite a good starting point.

Though I have not tried it, it should work ... Everything else is adding details with the surface shaders.

Here is a solution to break up the simple Perlin function with a PF.

The Lead-in scale of the PF defines how much noise is added at all. The lower the value, the more of the original Perlin will show up.
The High-Colour should be around the scale of the Perlin itself. Play with the Contrast and Roughness to get more or less noise into those patterns.

In the screenshot you see two outputs ... the smooth-step scalar (hugggzzzz DandelO) could be a very good base for an overcast sky ... just adjust the scales ...
The transform scalar is a beauty imho ...lots of contrasts and details .... I will feed you later with one or two examples with this one ...

Cheers,
Volker

P.S.: The Transform should only work with the 'Get position in texture' so you might want to rewrite your old functions ... and this might be the 'Get position'-node that fits right into the space before the 'Planet'-node.

[Hetzen]

Volker, my Tesco Lager export is catching up with me at 3am, I guess it's 4am your side. But as I understand your nodes, your PF at the top fed into the Scaler to Vector is acting as a Redirect Shader when applied to the Add Vector. That's quite outstanding. The smooth step is flattening the peaks of your noise, the Transform offset by 10m through the Difference, is creating the cracks.

Interesting. Nice stuff. I'm going to play with this tomorrow.

[dandelO]

Functional drinking, I like it! Tis vodka at this end! I'll drive the computer home tomorrow!

I do believe I've found the best repetative functional noise, ever, btw. If I posted the .tgd I'd get a lot of unhappy chap's responses I fear, maybe even banned from the club! Maybe on April the 1st I will...

[Volker Harun]

Yep, it is 4 am over here and 30 min ... but my wife is on a trip and my boys sleep at another place.

The addition of the PF is a simple Redirect. Yes.
I like this way more, as it is very difficult to address this one already. A Redirect shader with its three inputs is really a tough girl ... if you do not feed her with care, she might be very upset, you know

I will be very busy on another project, but will join in here till and then ... having two or three things in mind

[Volker Harun]

Functional drinking, I like it! Tis vodka at this end! I'll drive the computer home tomorrow!

LOL ... by the way ... Vodka has been my nickname for about 24 years ... mainly because those (lovely) Aussies were not able to pronounce my name correctly

[Volker Harun]

Okay, here is a more complex pattern.

I like the displacement caused by the Difference scalar on the floor.
The pattern on the (undisplaced) sphere is not my taste, but might be useful on the one or other occasion ... it is driven by the smooth step scalar.

Cheers,
Volker

[Seth]

freaking functions !!!
goddamnit can't get it working in my brain !!!
nice to see you full back on TG2 Volker

[bla bla 2]

j'aime pas quand il y a beaucoup de node je me perd. ^^

I like(love) not when there are many of node I loses me. ^^

[schmeerlap]

Spectating with glaikit look on phizog 

John

[Volker Harun]

Spectating with glaikit look on phizog 

Which translator did you use???