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View Full Version : Dialectric material: message node?

lutonomy
06-23-2005, 12:22 AM
Hello all,

I've been learning how to use a dialectric material in MR for maya to make glass with excellent results through a tutorial. However, in the tutorial you connect lightshape.message to dialectric_material1_lights(0). I don't quite understand this completely. I get that we're connecting the light to the material, but what exactly is a "message" node? I couldn't find it anywhere in the reference.

If someone could explain this to me I would greatly appreciate it, as I would like to understand exactly what is happening. Thanks!
zhenyang
06-23-2005, 10:41 AM
Hi, in Connection Editor, Left Display/Right Display menu --> Show Hidden... or you could directly MMB drag the light to the lights attribute of the shader

...zhenyang
lutonomy
06-23-2005, 11:10 AM
Yes, I was able to connect everything successfully - I'm just trying to figure out what a message node actually is/does. So why do these things need to be connected and what do they do specifically?

I'm just the type where not knowing these sorts of things keeps me awake at night... :)
Paulumbo
06-23-2005, 05:48 PM
Could you please post a link to the tutorial, I'm trying to make glass too! but the renders come out with pixelated areas, especially the end of the hammer!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ihatentl/images/Hammer.jpg

any pointers welcome, it's driving me round the twist!
lutonomy
06-23-2005, 11:50 PM
Could you please post a link to the tutorial, I'm trying to make glass too! but the renders come out with pixelated areas, especially the end of the hammer!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ihatentl/images/Hammer.jpg

any pointers welcome, it's driving me round the twist!

Here you go:

http://www.matty3d.de/MayaTutorial/dielectric_material/index.htm

I think I've figured out what a message node is, but someone correct me if I'm wrong: It's just a way of using the connection editor to "type" in the shader attributes which light is connected to it. I see you can also just type the light into the field under the Lights section, hence using "message" in the connection editor.

Good luck with your glass! :)
zhenyang
06-26-2005, 09:52 PM
Yes, I was able to connect everything successfully - I'm just trying to figure out what a message node actually is/does. So why do these things need to be connected and what do they do specifically?

I'm just the type where not knowing these sorts of things keeps me awake at night... :)

aiks, sorry I did not read your post properly, sorry, my bad

I do not know what exactly is a "message" node :shrug: but what I know is, by connecting lights to shaders, I can control which light in the scene will affect the shaders that come with a "mode" attribute, 0 = all the lights connected; 1 = only lights connected; 2 = all lights in the scene except connected ones; 3 = light connection ignored

...zhenyang
LehaS
06-27-2005, 06:52 AM
aiks, sorry I did not read your post properly, sorry, my bad

I do not know what exactly is a "message" node :shrug: but what I know is, by connecting lights to shaders, I can control which light in the scene will affect the shaders that come with a "mode" attribute, 0 = all the lights connected; 1 = only lights connected; 2 = all lights in the scene except connected ones; 3 = light connection ignored

...zhenyang

Thanx for usefull info man..:bounce: ..didnt know about that MODE feature....
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