I may be missing something, but is there no way to add a new texture to a texture node except by creating a new object creating a new material in that object, creating a new texture in that material, selecting that texture in the texture node, then discarding the object?
If so then, argh!
Surely there should be at least a new texture option in the selection popup list.
Ideally the texture node should wholely contain the texture, with texture type selection popup list and texture option button.
Surt,
That is the conclusion I have come to also. The only reason I can think to use a textue node, is if you wanted to use an identical texture that was already applied to a material, but at a different scale, or if it is an image, at a different location.
Another use might be making a generic material and applying as many (16??) textures that you want, and use it like a library type thing. For instance, all of your favorite Voroni - crackle type procedurals on one material. Or several different related pics for emblems or whatever to uv map.
When I first saw the texture node, I was hopeful that I could find a way to create a texture without creating a material, but unless we are both missing the same thing, I don’t think it is possible.
blenders material node system still has some string draw backs compared to a true tree system.
normaly all inputs/outputs of a surface shader like diffuse, specular, reflection etc would be accessible inside the node system as well.
in those cases you can create just a cloud node and plug that into where ever you want, diffuse color, alpha map, etc. and that can be applied to one or multiple surface materials.
i guess that with time blender will move to that direction anyway. setting up a shader this way is not much more difficult than with the old way in blender. however the current way because it is a cross of two ways is sometimes confusing for new users.
it would be great if both could co exist so we can use yafray the same way or in a better case yafray will be able to read blenders node system. that would be the best. than the old way could be removed.
in a different case working with maya it is also good to know that mayas material system is working like blenders. you create a material, create a texture channel and select what goes into it. in the background maya also builds the shading tree. however the shading tree view (hypershade) is only used to link nodes and not to enter values like 80 % for diffuse or 1.05 for IoR. that you do in the material editor which is the same place in blender.
claas
Sorry to bump this again, but…
If you open a new blend file, and click on textures, you can create textures associated to the “World Block”. This appears to allow texture creation without having to create an object and assign it a material.
Question - Asside from having to assign any color to the texture by way of the texture colorband, are there any other concerns to creating textures for the worlb block and assigning them to a material via nodes? (geometry node to texture node to mix (with material color) to output)
Thanks in advance!!