Note that the basic shader itself is only about a dozen nodes.

The majority of the nodes are simply different curves to control all the parameters. If I did not do all that, then to produce logically consistent variations, you'd have to adjust 8 or 9 things at once.

But with the different bits of math to vary those in consistent ways, all you need to think about is color, fuzziness, and mottling. The big pile of nodes doesn't make it complicated to use - it makes it easier to use. Without them, the user who wants more or less fuzziness would have to adjust a bunch of parameters instead of just 1, and he/she would need to know how those parameters vary with fuzziness - some are non-linear - you can't just double them when you want twice as much fuzziness.

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Renderosity forum reply notifications are wonky. If I read a follow-up in a thread, but I don't myself reply, then notifications no longer happen AT ALL on that thread. So if I seem to be ignoring a question, that's why. (Updated September 23, 2019)