In this tutorial I will show you how to use the refraction node to easily make an advanced procedural glass material for your projects in Blender.
Exploring the Refraction Node
The Refraction node is used to add glossy refraction to the objects that are meant to be used for materials that transmit light
The drop down menu is for choosing the glossy distribution
The Sharp distribution option gives you perfectly sharp reflections like a mirror – this works in Cycles and Eevee
The Beckmann distribution is similar to using a high roughness – this works only in Cycles
The GGX distribution option offers a more metallic-like look to the material – this works in Cycles and Eevee
For this tutorial I will be using GGX
The color input is the color of the surface
You can use the color field to change the color using the node or you can use other nodes such as the gradient with a color ramp
The roughness input influences the sharpness of the refraction – essentially, how glossy the material will be
As I increase the roughness factor, I can make the material look more like a matte material
This can also be controlled with a color ramp
If I move the white color stop to the left, the material is less glossy
However, if I move the black color stop to the right, the material become more glossy
The IOR input determines the angle by which a light ray bends as it passes through a material
As I change the IOR, you can see how it affects the reflection from the HDRI
The lower the number, the less sharp the reflection becomes
This can also be controlled with a color ramp
Notice that using a color ramp with a linear interpolation actually shows two different reflections
Moving the white color stop to the left increases the central reflection
Moving the black color stop to the right decreases the central reflection
The normal input is used for shading – this is the same input you see on many other nodes
I will add a bump node and connect a normal map that I downloaded