Procedural shading?
 

Hi. I'm trying to convert from 3dSMax to Maya with "mixed" results. I have a really hard time with one particular thing, and that is the use of procedural functions in the Hypershade.

Say, for instance, I want to create a very simple cloud texture. In 3dsMax, you pick the function "noise" and selects a white and a blue color, play around with some parameters and you're pretty much done.

What I can't figure out in Maya is the inputs to the noise function. The only thing that changes color in the parameters are "Color Balance", which, as far as I understand, overrides the "original" input colors. But where do I set the input colors so the function doesn't use black and white?
Is it possible to "create" something with noise at all or is it only intended to use with modelling, e.g. displacement maps, or distorting bitmaps?

I hope you get the problem and help me out, cause I'm feeling pretty stupid here...

Hi,
I'm not at my workstation right now so I can't answer your question directly but I will give you a hint.

In hypershade you can select your noise texture, at the top of the hypershade window there is an icon that allows you to show all the input, output, and input+output connections to your selection. Click that and you will have all the inputs for your noise, I'm not sure you can change the colors but my guess is yes.

I don't know if this is the best way to do a cloud in Maya, maybe someone else can answer this.

Yeah, I've been there around the in- and output connections and my guess i no, you can't change the color directly in the Noise Function.

Of course, that is not the best way to make a cloud (as far as I understand, there is a texture-function called 'cloud' which probably beats the hell out of 'noise'), it was just an example of my question.

What I really wanted to know was something like this.
I have a few materials built in 3dSmax that relies heavily on Noise, (14 / 16 sub-maps includes noise in one form or another).

Is it possible to replicate these materials in a similar way by using Noise, or do I have to use Maya's more specialized functions such as 'cloud', 'rock', 'snow' (which have color input) and forget all about Noise?

I have no idea since I don't use max, there should be a way though, probably just have to play around for a while.

If its just about color, you can open up the tabs under the NOISE or CLOUD texture or whatever, and click remap. You'll be given a ramp node and that can control the colors of the noise. Hope that helps