stewer posted at 7:46AM Wed, 17 July 2019 - #4357199

bagginsbill posted at 3:32AM Wed, 17 July 2019 - #4357179

Nodes are not dangerous. People are. So is a little knowledge.

You're both right. And both wrong.

I don't see how you can say that when the point I was making was identical to what you said after. I was trying to be droll but humor is often lost in these forums.

Let me be more explicit. I have, on numerous occasions, timed how much a math node costs and it is near zero. Adding 20 math nodes so that a particular configuration parameter I have designed works in a way to make the end-user have a good experience is nearly cost free. So, for example, on a leather shader where you want ONE parameter to control all aspects of "shine", this is a good trade. The cost to render times is typically 1 to 5% due to the math nodes.

Addition of a single HSV node often makes tone adjustments so much easier. The cost is typically 1/300th of the render time.

So to say adding many nodes is the primary cause of long render times, when those nodes are math nodes, is completely incorrect. When those nodes are lighting nodes, they do add some time but what on earth are you doing rendering with SuperFly if lighting isn't your point?

To add MULTIPLE lighting nodes, such as in BB Hair, so that you get that last 5% of realism, yes that is not for everybody. But neither is a BMW or a Volvo and I have three of those.

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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)