RANDOMIZE SHADERS – OVERVIEW

Randomize Shaders is a tool that randomly distributes and manages shaders across multiple objects.

Any pre-existing/textured shaders can be randomized, we support all shader types and textures.

The tool can also optionally randomize colors with HSV sliders; this feature is limited to our supported shader types.

Randomly Assign – Shader Support:
All Renderers – All shader types with textures.

Interactive Color Slider – Support:
Maya – lambert
Maya – blinn
Maya – phong
Maya – phongE
Maya – standardSurface (2020 +)
Arnold – aiStandardSurface
VRay – VRayMtl
Redshift – redshiftMaterial
Renderman – pxrSurface

THE PROBLEM

Maya cannot quickly randomize and manage multiple shader assignments.

THE SOLUTION

The Randomize Shaders tool easily creates, assigns, and manages shaders across many objects.

You can tweak the shader colors interactively.

Randomize any pre-made shaders too.

USING THE TOOL

Option A: Create New Shaders
1. Set your renderer and shader type in the renderer dropdown menus.
2. Select the objects you’d like to be randomized.
3. Press Create Shaders and Randomize
4. Tweak the settings interactively to adjust the colors.
5. To start a new selection click Done/Reselect

Option B: Use Existing Shaders
1. Specify existing shaders by selecting shaders, shading groups or objects. The related shaders attached to selected objects will be used.
2. Click the Use Shaders button to load the shaders into the tool.
3. To start the randomize, select the objects to affect and click the Select Objects button.
4. Tweak the settings interactively *if they are available.
5. To start a new selection click Done/Reselect

*Note: The colorize settings will only be available while using our supported shaders, and will not affect textures.

Supported Shader Types:
Maya – lambert
Maya – blinn
Maya – phong
Maya – phongE
Maya – standardSurface (2020 +)
Arnold – aiStandardSurface
VRay – VRayMtl
Redshift – redshiftMaterial
Renderman – pxrSurface

TOOL SETTINGS

Name Base
The base name of the created shaders. All shaders will be renamed automatically if the name is changed.
Shaders will be named `randomShader_01`, `randomShader_02` etc

Amount
The number of shaders that will create with the randomize.
Note: If using pre-existing shaders, this setting will be set automatically.

Base Color
This is the color that the random colors will be offset from.

Hue Slider
The hue/spectrum range of the randomized colors.
The offsets are relative to the base color.
Example: 360.0 uses the full spectrum of colors, or 180.0 in each direction.

Saturation Slider
The saturation (value) range of the randomized colors.
The offsets are relative to the base color.
Example: 1.0 will randomize the saturation 0.5 from each side of the current color.
Saturation can be randomized to a max range of 2.0, or 1.0 either side.
Type 2.0 to lengthen the value range.

Brightness Slider
The brightness (value) range of the randomized colors.
The offsets are relative to the base color.
Example: 1.0 will randomize the brightness 0.5 from each side of the current color.
Brightness can be randomized to a max range of 2.0, or 1.0 either side.
Type 2.0 to lengthen the brightness range.

Create Shader Combo Dropdown Menu
Selects the shader type, only used if creating new shaders.

Changing the renderer will repopulate the Shader Type Combo.

Set Renderer
Change the renderer with the set renderer icon menu (bottom right). Only used while creating new shaders.

Available renderers are Maya, Arnold, VRay, Redshift or Renderman.

Create Shaders And Randomize Button
Creates new, randomly colored shaders on the selected objects.
Shaders will be assigned with varying colors and can be tweaked with the HSV sliders after assignment.
Select the objects to randomize and run.

Use Shaders
Use pre-made/existing shaders for the randomize.
The shaders can be any selected shaders/shading groups, or objects.
If objects are selected their related shaders will be used in the randomize.

Select Objects Button
Only shown after existing shaders have been specified.
Select the objects to affect and run. Starts the randomize.

Cancel Button
Only shown after existing shaders have been specified.
Cancel the randomization and start again.

Colors Button
Will reseed the random colors of all shaders.
Only seen after starting the randomize and while working on supported shaders.

Assignments Button
Will reseed the random assignments of the shaders across the objects.
Only seen after starting the randomize.

Done/Reselect Button
Finishes the shader-randomize so the user can start a new selection.