MATHS FUNCTIONS: MULTIPLY

The multiply function allows us to multiply up to four values in one go. Each of our input nodes is multiplyed by its value attribute, and the two results are then multiplied together to provide our final result.

The Multiply node is at its most useful when used with two input nodes. In most cases, if you are using a multiply node with a single input node, then you can often achieve the same effect using the input attributes of another node in your shader tree.

The multiply node can be used to smoothly merge two other nodes in a way that is especially useful when using the blender node (or any other node that requires an input between 0 and 1). If both of the input nodes produce values between 0 and 1, then the output of the multiply node will also be between 0 and 1 (because 0x0 = 0 and 1x1 = 1). Figure 1 shows this in practise. Our U texture node provides a smooth input rising from 0 to 1, while our turbulence is providing a pattern that varies from about 0.5 up to 1. The result is that the Turbulence node fades in from left to right.

If you are using multiply like this to combine two other nodes, then you will probably want to set both Value_1 and Value_2 to one, to produce an equal mix between the two inputs.

Fig 1: Maths node: Multiply

Suggested uses

Try using multiply to combine the U or V nodes with any other node, to produce a fade out from top to bottom or left to right (see figure 1)

Use the multiply node to combine any two fractal nodes to produce a different pattern.