Search TipsMtlXStandardSurface
The MtlXStandardSurface node enables you to view and render Autodesk Standard Surface for MaterialX shaders directly inside Nuke’s new USD-based 3D system.
You can assign existing MaterialX Standard Surface materials to geometry, preview them accurately in the Hydra Viewer, and render them through ScanlineRender2.
You can adjust controls such as Base, Base Color, Diffuse Roughness and Metalness, as well as further options for Specular, Subsurface, Transmission, Coat, Sheen, Emission, Thin Film, and Geometry.
Note: Texture inputs are currently visible but not yet supported. The following connections to texture maps will be enabled in a future Beta release: Base Color, Specular Color, Specular Roughness, Emission Color, Normal, Coat Normal, and Metalness.
Note: Indirect lighting is not currently supported in ScanlineRender2 which is why the environment light as well as object reflections will not be rendered in this release using the MtlXStandardSurface node.
Inputs and Controls
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Connection Type |
Connection Name |
Function |
| Input | coat norm | Connect a separate normal map to control the direction of reflections for the clear-coat layer, independent of the base surface normal. |
| spec color | Connect a colour or texture node to define the tint or variation of the specular reflection. Useful for coloured metals or tinted highlights. | |
| spec rough | Connect a scalar or texture node to vary the specular roughness across the surface, controlling how sharp or soft reflections appear. | |
| base color | Connect a colour or texture node to drive the base diffuse or metallic colour (albedo) of the surface. Typically the main texture map. | |
| emis color | Connect a colour or texture node to drive the emission colour of the material. Allows textured glow or light-based effects. | |
| norm | Connect a normal or bump node to control the main surface normal used for lighting and reflections. Overrides the default geometry normal. | |
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Note: Metalness input will be added at the next beta. Note: To find the hidden inputs, select the left edge of the node where there is a small black arrow, and drag outwards. |
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Control (UI) |
Knob (Scripting) |
Default Value |
Function |
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MtlXStandardSurface |
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Base |
base |
1 |
Controls the strength of the base layer that defines the diffuse or metallic contribution of the surface. |
| Base Color | base_color | 0.8 | Defines the base color or albedo of the material. For metals, this represents the reflective color; for non-metals, the diffuse colour. |
| Diffuse Roughness | diffuse_roughness | 0 | Adjusts the microsurface roughness of the diffuse reflection, softening or sharpening how light scatters across the surface. |
| Metalness | metalness | 0 | Blends between a non-metallic (dielectric) and metallic surface response. A value of 0 produces diffuse materials; 1 produces fully metallic reflections. |
| Specular | |||
| Specular | specular | 1 | Controls the intensity of specular reflection on the surface. Higher values increase reflected light brightness. |
| Color | specular_color | 1 | Tints the color of the specular reflection. Normally left white for energy-conserving materials. |
| Roughness | specular_roughness | 0.2 | Controls the sharpness of reflections. Low values produce mirror-like highlights; higher values create broader, softer reflections. |
| Index of Refraction | specular_IOR | 1.5 | Defines how light bends and reflects at the surface boundary. Typical values range from 1.3 (plastic/water) to 1.6 (glass) or higher for metals. |
| Anistropy | specular_anisotropy | 0 | Introduces directional variation in reflections, producing stretched highlights typical of brushed or machined surfaces. |
| Rotation | specular_rotation | 0 | Rotates the orientation of anisotropic reflections around the surface normal. |
| Subsurface | |||
| Subsurface | subsurface | 0 | Controls the overall strength of subsurface scattering, simulating light transport within semi-translucent materials such as skin, wax, or marble. |
| Color | subsurface_color | 1 | Sets the scattering color inside the material; often a lighter or more saturated tint of the surface colour. |
| Radius | subsurface_radius | 1 | Determines how far light penetrates into the material before scattering out. Larger values increase softness and translucency. |
| Scale | subsurface_scale | 1 | Global multiplier for the subsurface scattering effect, scaling all radius values simultaneously. |
| Anistropy | subsurface_anisotropy | 0 | Adjusts the forward or backward scattering direction of light within the medium. Positive values favour forward scattering. |
| Transmission | |||
| Transmission | transmission | 0 | Controls how much light passes through the material. A value of 1 makes the surface fully transparent. |
| Color | transmission_color | 1 | Tints transmitted light, defining the color seen through the object. |
| Depth | transmission_depth | 0 | Sets the absorption distance; thicker objects may appear more saturated or darker depending on color and depth. |
| Scatter | transmission_scatter | 0 | Adds internal scattering to the transmitted light, producing diffuse or milky transparency. |
| Anistropy | transmission_anisotropy | 0 | Controls the angular bias of scattering inside the transmitted medium. |
| Dispersion | transmission_dispersion | 0 | Simulates wavelength-dependent refraction, creating subtle color splitting (chromatic dispersion) in transparent materials. |
| Extra Roughness | transmission_extra_roughness | 0 | Adds additional roughness to transmitted light separate from the main surface roughness, useful for frosted glass or semi-diffuse transparency. |
| Coat | |||
| Coat | coat | 0 | Enables a secondary reflective clear-coat layer on top of the base surface. |
| Color | coat_color | 1 | Defines the tint of the clear-coat reflection, typically white for neutral highlights. |
| Roughness | coat_roughness | 0.1 | Controls the sharpness of coat reflections. Low values produce glossy highlights; higher values soften the coat reflection. |
| Anistropy | coat_anisotropy | 0 | Introduces directionality to coat reflections for brushed clear-coat effects. |
| Rotation | coat_rotation | 0 | Rotates the orientation of the anisotropic coat highlight. |
| Index of Refraction | coat_IOR | 1.5 | Specifies the optical IOR of the coat layer, controlling reflectivity and Fresnel behavior. |
| Affect Color | coat_affect_color | 0.0 | Determines how much the coat layer influences or modulates the underlying base color reflection. |
| Affect Roughness | coat_affect_roughness | 0.0 | Defines how much the coat layer alters the perceived roughness of the layers below. |
| Sheen | |||
| Sheen | sheen | 0 | Adds a soft, grazing-angle reflection layer suitable for cloth and velvet-like materials. |
| Color | sheen_color | 1 | Sets the color tint of the sheen highlight. |
| Roughness | sheen_roughness | 0.3 | Adjusts the softness of the sheen response; higher values produce broader, subtler effects. |
| Emission | |||
| Emission | emission | 0 | Controls the intensity of light emitted by the surface, allowing it to appear self-illuminated. |
| Color | emission_color | 1 | Sets the emission color. Use bright colors for glowing or emissive materials. |
| Thin Film | |||
| Thickness | thin_film_thickness | 0 | Sets the physical thickness of the thin-film interference layer, affecting the color pattern of iridescence. |
| Index of Refraction | thin_film_IOR | 1.5 | Controls the optical density of the thin-film layer, influencing the range and strength of interference colors. |
| Geometry | |||
| Opacity | opacity | 1 | Controls the transparency of the surface, blending between fully opaque (1) and fully transparent (0). |
| Thin Walled | thin_walled | off | Toggles whether the surface is treated as a single-sided thin sheet (true) or a solid volume (false). Use for leaves, glass panes, or surfaces without interior volume. |
