Is there such a thing?

Say I have a sphere, and I'm viewing it straight on. I want to be able to blend two different colors based on viewed surface angle. So that way the edges of the sphere are a different color than the middle. (Could be anything, but I think a sphere is the quickest example.)

I have some neat idea for a paint shader, and I think being able to do that would help a lot.

I also see this being useful for transparancy, so stuff gets fuzzier as it nears the edges, or even the opposite way around. Figure something like this might be hidden in there...

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Barbequed Pixels?

Your friendly neighborhood Wings3D nut.
Also feel free to browse my freebies at ShareCG.
There might be something worth downloading.