Now I do what we've been talking about. Simultaneously with the Clouds node defining Diffuse_Color, I'm also connecting the Clouds node to Displacement.

The color value going to Diffuse_Color is unaffected by this.

But the value sent to the Displacement is converted from a tuple to a number. The clouds node is set up with pure blue (0, 0, 1) and pure white (1, 1, 1). The in-between values are interpolating between those.

Pure blue, converted to a number, is (0 + 0 + 1) / 3 = 1/3.

Pure white, converted to a number, is (1 + 1 + 1) / 3 = 1.

So - interpreted as a number, the Clouds node is producing a cloud pattern that varies from 1/3 to 1.

The Displacement is set to 6 (inches) which is multiplied with the Cloud's numeric value.

6 inches * TheRange(1/3 to 1) = TheRange(6 * 1/3 to 6 * 1) = TheRange(2 to 6)

Thus, the middle sheet Y coordinates are now somewhere in the range 2 to 6 inches.

As I have placed the pink sheet at 5 inches, we see a few places where the pure white value is poking out over the pink sheet. And all the blue is 2 inches from the green sheet. Wherever the color is between blue and white, the middle sheet slopes up between 2 and 6. Awesome - everything makes sense.

 

 

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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)