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Connection

Used to define a render tree in the BeginText...EndText section of a MetaShader Renderer section.

Connection statements specify the render tree root and make subshader parameter assignments.

The render tree root is specified as follows:

Connection root [priority] = "node_name" ;

Subshader parameter assignments have one of the following forms:

Connection "node_name::parameter_name" = "node_name" ;
Connection "node_name::parameter_name" = value <constant_value> ;
Connection "node_name::parameter_name" = interface "<parameter_name>" ;

priority

Optional. priority is an integer value that controls where the phenomenon is placed in the corresponding shader list in the camera. Shaders with greater priority numbers are appended to shaders with smaller priority numbers, and hence execute later. Shaders with no priority number have priority 0, so they are executed before shaders with positive priority numbers.

RenderTree Examples

Here are some excerpts from the phong_wood.spdl file that demonstrate how to use the Node and Connection statements in a render tree:

# Connect to Ray Type Switcher (sib_color_rayswitch.spdl)
Node "rayswitch" = guid "{8604221E-BCFA-11D1-90E9-0000F804EB21}";
...
# Connect to the default Phong (simple_phong.spdl)
Node "phong" = guid "{89C75826-BCFA-11D1-90E9-0000F804EB21}";
...
# Connect to Blend 8 Colors (sib_color_8mix.spdl)
Node "mixer2" = guid "{3A3BD020-A9BD-11D3-AE56-00A0C96E63E1}";
...
# Connect to Diffuse Reflection (sib_diffuse_reflection.spdl)
Node "reflect" = guid "{8A64B35A-BCFA-11D1-90E9-0000F804EB21}";
...

# Specify new value to make this a Blend 2 Colors to blend only 2
Connection "mixer2::mixersize" = value 2;

# Mix Diffuse Reflection and Phong's specular parameter
Connection "mixer2::base_color" = "reflect";
Connection "mixer2::color1" = "phong::specular"; # overrides original value with connection
                                           # to a parameter in another shader
# More value overrides:
Connection "mixer2::mode1" = value 2;
Connection "mixer2::weight1" = value 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0;
Connection "mixer2::inuse1" = value on;
Connection "mixer2::alpha1" = value off;
...
# Connects new Blend 2 Colors node to the eye parameter of the Ray Type Switcher
Connection "rayswitch::eye" = "mixer2";
...
# Declares the root of this render tree
Connection root = "rayswitch";

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