Parallax Node

A Blender add-on that provides custom nodes for creating parallax mapping effects in shader materials. Many parallax node setups already exist, so the concept itself isn’t new. What makes this one truly different is its user-friendly design. Instead of a complex node group, this implementation is a single, special node that directly contains the Height Map texture and allows you to control the iteration count internally by adjusting the step parameter.

What is Parallax Mapping?

Parallax mapping is a technique used in 3D graphics to enhance the illusion of depth and detail on flat surfaces without adding actual geometry. It works by displacing texture coordinates based on a height map (elevation image) and the viewing angle, creating the appearance of surface relief and depth.

Features

• Custom Parallax Node: A shader node that implements parallax mapping with adjustable parameters
• Seamless Integration: Integrates directly into Blender's shader node editor
• Configurable Steps: Adjustable iteration count for quality vs performance balance
• UV Map Support: Works with custom UV layers
• Real-time Preview: Works with Cycles and EEVEE

Usage

Adding the Parallax Node

1. Open the Shader Editor and create or select a material
2. Press Shift + A to open the Add menu
3. Navigate to Paralax Nodes > Parallax
4. Connect vector output into textures inputs like this:

Closure setup:

Image setup:

Node Parameters

The Parallax node provides several adjustable parameters:

• Elevation Image: The height/displacement map texture that defines surface relief
• UV Map: Select which UV layer to use for the parallax effect if you are using several UV maps
• Steps: Number of iterations (1-64) - higher values provide better quality but slower performance
• Strength: Scale of the parallax effect (0.0-100.0) - controls how pronounced the depth effect is
• Bias: Texture tweaking bias (0.0-2.0) - fine-tunes the height mapping

Technical Details

This add-on implements parallax occlusion mapping using multiple texture sampling iterations. Each iteration refines the texture coordinate offset based on the height map, creating a convincing depth effect that responds to viewing angle changes.

Attribution

Some code in this project is adapted from or inspired by the Noise Nodes add-on by haseebahmed295.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. See the license headers in the source files for details.

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please contact: crantisz@gmail.com

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