[edit] Introduction

As an alternative to using the Texture Channels, Blender includes a node-based texture generation system which enables you to create textures by combining colors, patterns and other textures in much the same way that you combine Material Nodes.

You can use these textures wherever you can use regular textures: you can place them in texture channels, in material nodes, in particle systems, and even inside other textures.

Note

Node-based textures do NOT work for realtime display, they will only be visible in rendered images.

[edit] Using Texture Nodes

Opening a Node Editor

To use texture nodes with the current texture, open a Node Editor, set it to Texture mode by clicking the Texture icon in its header (), and then click Use Nodes.

The default node setup will appear: a red-and-white checkerboard node connected to an Output named 'Default'. You can create as many Outputs as you like in your node setup; see the next section for details.

For instructions on how to add, remove and manipulate the nodes in the tree, see the Node Editor manual.

[edit] Using Multiple Outputs

An example multi-output tree

Selecting an output using Texture Channels

Selecting an output using Material Nodes

Each texture that you define with Texture Nodes can have several outputs, which you can then use for different things. For example, you might want your texture to define both a diffuse (color) map and a normal map. To do this, you would:

1. Add two Output nodes to the tree, and type new names into their Name text-boxes: "Diffuse" for one and "Normal" for the other.

2. In the Material Buttons for the material you want to use with the texture, add two Texture Channels. Map one to Diffuse, and the other to Normal. Set them both to your new texture.

3. Underneath the texture picker in the texture channels panel, you'll see a dropdown list with the names of your outputs. In the channel you mapped to Diffuse, pick "Diffuse", and in the channel you mapped to Normal, pick "Normal".

These named outputs will also work if you define your material using Material Nodes. In this case, you don't use the Texture Channels, but instead insert Texture nodes into your Material Node tree using Add -> Input -> Texture. Then, inside the texture node, you can select which output you want to use.