NX Frequently Asked Questions™ (From the "Beta-Tester and Material-Team Chronicles") :
 
Q: So, let's see..what is NX? What it does?
A: NX is a shader. NX is also 4 shaders in one. NX is one of the most complete and powerfull tools yet released for Universe Animator. NX features 4 Slots (Layers) of information. Each one of this Slots have exact controls. Inside this Slots one can place a Noise, tweak it with Levels, choose its colors, adjust other parameters, and "blend" this Slot with the following one using the well known "Photoshop" Modes (Multiply, Add, Screen..etc). There are also special controls that allow interacting between different Slots, and at the end a bunch of special unique controls to fine tune the output is awaiting you.
NX, is a multi-purpose shader. Even lots of things had been carefully designed and planned, like Marbles, Rocks, Water, Barks, the shader still allows for lots and lots of freedom in creation.
 
Q: Can I combine NX and MForge?
A: Of course. MForge is a Illuminator shader, and NX is a Color Shader. You can combine both as you desire. MForge will rule over NX just as it usually does with other shaders. Yes, if you want to say so...NX is more powerfull fuel for all the MForge die-hard users out there!!
 
Q: What about RTS? Can I combine NX with RTS?
A: Sure! NX will be one of the most powerfull friends of the RTS shaders. All the power inside NX will just make all the colored glasses to be real jewels. Browse the NX Repository for some samples!
 
Q: ..and Volumetric Conception? Can I combine NX with the Volumeter shader?
A: Oh yes! With the new features present in Volumetric Conception 2, NX could not be better. All the values generated by NX placed on the Transmission channel will make wonders once Volumeter takes care of them...just try it!

Q: NX has a HUGE Interface. Will it be difficult to learn?
A: No. NX has a huge interface, BUT just because we have multiplied the Base Interface X 4. Each Slot (Layer) has the SAME controls. So, learn how a single Slot works, and you can immediatly work and easily use NX. There is more...Besides the Mix Modes (and you actually know a bit how they work ;-) ) the NX experience is like "a)Select Noise. b) Tweak In and Out (if you want) c) Select a Mix Mode and/or Opacity" and there you go.
 
Q: NX has around 30 choices in the Noise Type Menu. Again...will it be difficult to learn???
A: No. not at all. Of course, the firsts times you start working with it you will need to figure out for what each Noise does. Each Noise has been designed and tweaked to answer different needs, and the NX Manual will help you on that. Additionally, you will see immediatly that lots of Noises are based on the same base, just that they are color-ranged in a different way to make your life easier! Do you want a Marble? Simple..use the Chromosomatic Noise..Do you want a terrain or a rock? Head to a Cloud Noise. Oh! You say that you want small spots of dust or small cristals in your Marble? Fine, Select the Cotton Noise. All is like that. We provide a very easy to understand guide...Your imagination does the rest.
 
Q: Fine, but I am usually on a tigth schedule, and I already have enough hard time looking for the kind of textures I need. How NX can help me?
A: Aha! Is for solely that reason that we took care of building a huge material library for your use. There are more than 300 entries in the NX Repository . Want a Tree Trunk? We have it! Just click the "TREE BARKS" category and choose one. Use it as a base for your own, or just use it "as is".No need to download that 30 Mb archives and render to see all the presets. Just connect to the Repository, browse it, watch the samples, and download the one you need!.
 
Q: Will the "NX Repository" grow??
A: Yes, absolutely. This is our main idea; to continue making the Repository to grow and grow. Hopefully, you, as a future user of NX will be interested in sharing your NX presets with the rest of NX users! Write us or send us your presets, we will be more than glad to include them or to prepare a account for you to upload your own NX wonders! .
 
Q: Looks like many of the Noises in NX are present in other Konkeptoine shaders. Am I right?
A: Yes, absolutely. Some of the Noises in NX are taken, modified, combined, tweaked from our private Noise Library. Others have been specially developed for NX as a complement. All of them share the main base Noise, but with different ranges, so you can take the most out of it. However, even some Noises look similar to you, there are many many effects that NX will not achieve with the same level of perfection than specialised products. One example might be the Neuron Noise. The Neuron Noise is the base of our Caustic Noise (present in the Caustic shader included in Conception Two). This doesn't mean that using Neuron you can achieve the same cool caustics faked by the Caustic shader. That specialised shader contains special controls to do that, and NX, due to interface restrictions cannot have all the same parameters. And the same is applied to other Noises...it might be virtually impossible to offer a wide range of parameters for each individual Noise...of course..and multiply all them by 4.
 
Q: I see that NX can do some cool woods. What is the point with WoodLab and/or NX?
A: WoodLab is a timber simulator, and it mimics the grow structure of a trunk. It is a very specialised product designed to mimic woods. NX is a powerfull multi-purpose shader that can fake wood appearance, usually finished industrially woods, but in any way NX will reach the WoodLab's "real life" timbers. In the same way, there are lots of things related to woods (usually random patterns) that NX will do, and WoodLab will not do. Of course both combined are the top tools for all the wood lovers out there.
 
Q: Can I layer different NX instances?
A: Of course. At the end, NX is just another "Color Shader". It works just as all other shaders..just that it is much bigger.
 
Q: Can I animate NX?
A: YES. And we encourage you to do it...the fun is assured.