ToonSurface

The flag on the right displays much more pleasing shading.

Type: Shaders

Updated: April 30, 2009

Availability: Unreleased

Compatibility

Host Applications: RenderMan and mental ray

Operating Systems: Linux, Mac OS X and Windows

Architecture: 64-bit and 32-bit

This utility shader was designed to be used in combination with the ToonShader. ToonSurface adjusts any object’s shading to appear round, even and altogether more visually appealing.

This shader makes it possible to locally fix “wrong” or visually unpleasant toon shading without having to adjust the model, surface shader, lighting or normals.

Usage

Small or square cut patches of dark shading rarely appear in hand drawn animation, unlike in CG, where the realistic lighting model often causes an uneven and generally unpleasant toon shading look. Conventional tools make it almost impossible to counteract this undesirable effect.

ToonSurface allows an artist to adjust the shading without breaking or altering other parts of the scene.

Examples

: The flag on the right displays much more pleasing shading.

: Notice how the tree rendered with ToonSurface (right) looks much more cartoony

Compatibility

ToonSurface is compatible with RenderMan and mental ray on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows (64-bit and 32-bit).