Channel Sampler
Updated: 9 Sep 2025
Sample data from the surface or volume.
Channel Sampler
Method #
This node allows you to sample data from the surface or volume the shading node is applied to, and use it within a shading system. Useful for building up more advanced shading systems, where data from any part of the render pipeline can be mixed and combined for more complex designs.
The output of this node is a shader, which can either be combined with other Shading nodes for more complex designs, or applied to Materials to directly control one of the material channels. They can also be applied to Fields, where they can be used on the various channels on the Field Emitters to control how the smoke is generated, and Field Materials to control how the field is rendered.
The Colour Correction node is quite useful to combine with this node, to gain greater control over the output data.
Parameters
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
Parameter Details Channel
The input channel.
- World Position : The selected pixel’s position in world space.
- Object Local Position : The selected pixel’s position in local object space.
- Texture Coordinate : The selected pixel uv co-ordinate position.
- Normal : The pixel’s normal value
- Vertex Colour : The pixel’s vertex RGB colour values.
- Vertex Alpha : The pixel’s vertex alpha colour values.
- Albedo Colour : The pixel’s albedo colour values.
- Alpha : The pixel’s alpha.
- Baked Diffuse Colour : The pixel’s baked diffuse colour.
- Specular Colour : The pixel’s speculuar colour.
- Roughness : The pixel’s roughness.
- Metallicness : The pixel’s metallicness.
- Emissiveness : The pixel’s emissiveness.
- Ambient Occlusion Texture : The pixel’s ambient occlusion texture value..
- Composite Lighting : TBC.
- Composite Occlusion : TBC.
- Depth : TBC.
- Camera Distance : TBC.
- Instance Index : TBC.
- Screen UV : TBC.
- Camera Eye Image : TBC.
- Field Density : TBC.
- Field Temperature : TBC.
- Field Fuel : TBC.
- : TBC.
Preview In Viewport
Passes this node’s output to the destination material as a colour channel, so it can be previewed more easily.
The properties control the time at which the node is active. See Timeline for editing time segments.
Parameter Details Duration
Control the duration of the node’s time segment.
- Composition Duration : Use the length of the composition for the node’s time segment duration.
- Custom : Set a custom duration for the node’s time segment.
Node Time
The custom start and end time for the node.
Duration (Timecode)
The length of the node’s time segment (in time).
Duration (Frames)
The length of the node’s time segment (in frames).
Time Segment Enabled
Set whether the node’s time segment is enabled or not in the Timeline.
Inputs
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Channel |
The input channel.
|
| Preview In Viewport | Passes this node’s output to the destination material as a colour channel, so it can be previewed more easily. |
The properties control the time at which the node is active. See Timeline for editing time segments.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Duration |
Control the duration of the node’s time segment.
|
| Node Time | The custom start and end time for the node. |
| Duration (Timecode) | The length of the node’s time segment (in time). |
| Duration (Frames) | The length of the node’s time segment (in frames). |
| Time Segment Enabled | Set whether the node’s time segment is enabled or not in the Timeline. |
| Name | Description | Typical Input |
|---|---|---|
| Transform Modifiers | Apply the transforms of another node to this node. | Null |
| Target Node | Modifiy the rotations of the node to always direct the z axis towards the input. | Null |
| Local Transform Override | Apply the transforms of another node to this node, relative to its parent. | Null |