Just courious has anyone messed around with the Fresnel node with a skin shader as of yet. I keep meaning too, but haven't got around to it yet. If so what where your numbers/results. L8rs

I haven't yet, but I thought it was only for use with raytraced reflections... IE., the type of reflections like you see on carpaint, plastics, and glass, where the reflective properties aren't as visible when viewing the object straight-on, but become more acute at angles. As opposed to metallic reflections, which are visible clearly at all viewable angles.

I guess you can use it for skin too, but I'm not sure how that would work. Wouldn't the edge_blend node be better for fresnel effects on skin?

Message edited on: 04/14/2005 16:30

don't know, hence why I'm asking ^_^

It's a combo refraction and reflection node. Other than making glass people, I can't think of any reason you would ever use it with a skin shader.

I did some Fesnel messing around a bit yesterday, and found if you turn the duffuse low then it becomes transparent if you turn it high it becomes more opec. (or whoever you spell it). At 1 it 'seemed' to be completly solid, but the jury is still out on that. Also I found that refraction indexes below 1 tend to look more like a glass ball over 1 looks more matalic. (to me atleast) Does anyone really know the proper way to use this node outside of what it says in the (near non-existant) paragraph in the manual?

The fresnel node is used exactly like the refract node. You plug it into the refraction colour and you set refraction value to 1, diffuse value to 0 (diffuse value and refraction value should always add to 1, unless you're trying to tell Poser that the object has more light coming off it than the amount that is falling on it - ie it's glowing) and use an appropriate refraction index. The refraction index for glass is about 1.5. Refraction indices below 1 don't make much sense (they mean the substance is less refractive than air, and it's pretty hard to find substances like that). In real life, very few substances have a refraction index above 2. I think diamond is one of the few.

Here's another render that makes it a bit clearer what's going on.

Notice the funny little diamond shaped dots on the surface of the sphere? They seem to be located at each vertex on the model. Looks like a P6 render bug.

the "diamonds" also happen with reflections, just standard raytraced ones on extremely reflective surfaces! smoothed or not. bloody annoying, and stopping me from using reflective surfaces!

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