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Shadow Matte

Implements a shadowmatte shader that occludes geometry behind the surface being rendered.

This material implements a shadowmatte shader that occludes geometry behind the surface being rendered. The output image, however, will have the alpha value specified.

The output color is always zero.

The material is used in many compositing tricks. Where the surface is shadowed, the alpha of the output image will contain additional alpha. When the resulting image is composited over a background plate, the shadowed regions will occlude the background plate, simulating shadows.

When the shadowmatte shader is hit by shadow rays, the shadow amount determines how much of a shadow will be cast by the surface, meaning that both the opacity and alpha outputs will inherit the shadow amount. When the shader is not hit by shadow rays, the alpha output is computed using an illuminance loop that ignores the shadow amount, while the opacity is set to 1.

See also

Materials gallery

  • UV Map

    This is basic diffuse material, no specular, with a map of colored and numbered squares.

  • Background Plate

    Implements an example shader for background matte object in Karma.

  • Basic Flame

    A constant material where the density value of the volume drives the color ramp.

  • Basic Liquid

    A reflective refractive material for liquids using ray tracing.

  • Basic Smoke

    A diffuse material designed specifically for volume objects.

  • Billowy Smoke

    A billowy diffuse material designed specifically for volume objects.

  • Checkerboard

    This is a basic material with checked color map.

  • Clay

    This is basic diffuse material without specular.

  • Constant

    This is a constant material with optional maps for color and opacity.

  • Constant Smoke

    A diffuse unlit material designed specifically for volume objects.

  • Decal

    This material applies a texture an object.

  • Dust Puff

    A material suitable for using particles to render smoke or fog.

  • Fluid Fire

    A constant material where the density value of the volume drives the color ramp.

  • Glow

    This is a constant material, which represents the angle between the camera and the surface normal.

  • Liquid Smoke

    A diffuse material designed specifically for interior of volume liquids.

  • Ocean Surface

    This material gives the appearance of an ocean surface.

  • Shadow Matte

    Implements a shadowmatte shader that occludes geometry behind the surface being rendered.

  • Show Normal

    This is a constant material showing the value of the surface normal’s x y z directions in a red, green, blue color.

  • Show Shading Point

    This is a constant material showing the value of the shading point’s x y z values in a red, green, blue color.

  • Show Tangent

    This is a constant material showing the value of the surface tangent’s x y z directions in a red, green, blue color.

  • Show UV

    This is a constant material used to verify an objects texture coordinates.

  • Sprite Fog

    A material suitable for using particles to render smoke or fog.

  • Uniform Volume

    Renders a closed surface as a volume consisting of a uniform fog.

  • Wispy Smoke

    A wispy diffuse material designed specifically for volume objects.