Triplanar Shaders

We're going to create a triplanar shader for our brick material using different techniques, each with their own advantages and disadvantages e.g. less precise but more optimised versus less optimised but more precise. We'll also learn how to set up a normal to always be correct, and discuss shader optimisation techniques.

A triplanar shader is a technique used in 3D rendering to apply textures to a model without requiring explicit UV mapping. Instead of relying on UV coordinates, the texture is projected from three orthogonal directions (X, Y, and Z axes), allowing it to wrap naturally around objects. The shader blends the three projections based on the surface normal of the object. Areas facing more towards the X-axis get more of the X-projected texture, and the same applies to Y and Z. This prevents visible seams between projections. They are particularly useful in cases where proper UV mapping is impractical, such as for procedurally generated meshes.

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