QuoteThe painted shader has no input, ...
Huh? Every
shader node seems to have an input , and also some non shader nodes. Or, do you just mean it isn't
taking any inputs from the rest of the scene? Sorry if I'm mixed up.
So far as I can tell(bear in mind my brain is somewhat skewed at the best of times), the painted shader doesn't require any terrain or normal calculations, it just seems to paint on top of whatever surface is directly beneath the brush. That's why it is able to be directly painted into any preview window, even in 3D. It basically acts only as a mask, although, you could create a completely painted render from it aswell, a shocking one, mind you!
I'm sure I just have the wrong end of the stick from your post, though, Martin. Or maybe the painted shader has no input in the version of TG you are using?