How to make edges of the object soft or blur in Cycles?
This could be interpreted in numerous ways. Please be more specific with examples
Ok. Here is example. You can see my nodes setups and edges of my aurora. How do i have to change my nodes to achieve desirable effect?
Guys, please, there is a way how to do it or not? The node editor is powerless to do it? In after effects for example i can make it for 20 seconds just by giving a mask to the object and feathering the edges by clicking buttton Feather. So what about Blender?
So i dont want this jugged edges.
You should try creating a mask with a radial gradient or a mix of linear gradients that would make a mix factor between your shader and a transparent shader. Totally doable in cycles.
Depending on the object, you can also blend a transparent shader with what you have currently based on the angle of the surface normals to the camera.
Another way is to simply do a manual blend using a vertex color channel or download the upcoming 2.76 testbuild to make use of the point density volume texture type.
“Depending on the object, you can also blend a transparent shader with what you have currently based on the angle of the surface normals to the camera.”
How to add this transpaent shader on the angles?
It would be cool if Blender had a feather edges node, but it doesnt, maybe i will try out later your point density node, but not now.
I easily can make this transparent streaks you can see on aurora made by using color ramp but not edges. Is there a way how to make transparent edges analogical to way how i made streaks?
Sure, but you would have to model the streaks into the mesh itself if you’re to use the layer-weight mix into transparency trick.
If not then How to add this transparent shader on the angles of the surface normals to the camera?
“Sure, but you would have to model the streaks into the mesh itself if you’re to use the layer-weight mix into transparency trick.”
I didnt get this. You advise me to use layer weight node to create transparent edges or what?
The method I described will only work if the mesh has rounded edges (because it blends based upon of the angle of the face to the camera). Faces facing toward the camera will be opaque and faces perpendicular to the camera will be transparent.
Also don’t forget use the backfacing output available in the geometry node (so that all faces with normals not visible to the camera are transparent).
Can you please post a picture of the node setup for doing this tricks. Because i am not a good in node editor, so maybe i dont understand something.
I can go now to laplacian modifier or to smooth modifier to make edges of my mesh rounded. So i will be able to use your method. You just show me how on a simple example, please.
The only thing you need to take into account is that you might want to make a map based on vertex colors to keep a fairly even edge (if the normal angles change a bit due to perspective).
Vertex color information as a variable is possible through the use of the attribute node.
Thank you mate. It was very helpful. By the way i have learnt a lot nodes while making aurora. It was hard a bit to combine them for me.
I have tried both ways of smoothing edges.
First way - i used only vertex paint mask. And it has its own benefits since you can add blur and glare to it also after in compositor.
Second way - by using layer weight node - it makes edges even more smoother and transparent but glare and blur are almost invisible, maybe because blending 0.8 or 0.9 makes it too transparent and you just can barely see some blur or glare only on a very bright areas.
This is with vertex paint mask only -
And this combined with layer weight -
But yea, with layer weight is much better, i need to find tut about this node
and i will try to animate it, dont know yet better way how to do it.