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I'm trying to add a specularity map to a mesh with a color map shader already on it. However, when I attempt this, I seem to have to choose between one shader or another (see the body and glossy shaders in the materials tab in this screenshot of my screen

enter image description here
(source: deepplanet.com)

They just toggle back and forth, letting me use one or the other but not both.

So, do I have to remove the color image texture, and then somehow do this another way? Or is there a simple way just to add it? I was trying to follow this tutorial but it seemed like a really long way to go about it. Is there a simple, shorter way to do this?

Glorfindel
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Agent Zebra
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1 Answers1

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You want to use a mix shader (or sometimes an add shader) to combine multiple shader nodes in the node editor. The mix shader node will combine two shaders based on a given fraction. The fac value determines the amount of the second shader in the output.

For instance the following will result in a 20% glossy (and 80% diffuse) material:
enter image description here

You can even use something else, such as a map or input node, to control the mix factor variably across the object.

Here I have plugged a specularity map into the factor, lighter areas on the map will receive more gloss, darker areas will receive more diffuse.
enter image description here

And here I have mixed in another glossy shader using an input > fresnel node as a factor, this will make grazing angles even more glossy (which is more realistic).
enter image description here

Note: to add a node hit Shift+A and select the node you want to use.

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PGmath
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