UNIVERSAL HUMAN
TEETH & TONGUE SHADER DOCUMENTATION
For instructions on adding the pre-made Teeth & Tongue Texture images, see the Teeth & Tongue Textures documentation.
By default the shader will render pink until textures have been added to the Image Texture nodes. You can use it without textures by disconnecting the Image Texture nodes and setting Albedo Mix and Displacement to 0.0, however the teeth and gums will have the same appearance, and the parameters will have limited or no effect.
Appending the Teeth & Tongue Materials to the Teeth & Tongue Base Meshes
Load the rig or base mesh into Blender.
Append the Teeth Upper, Teeth Lower and Tongue materials (File > Append, and navigate to Teeth + Tongue Shader.blend > Materials). Users of Blender 2.92 or earlier should append from Teeth + Tongue Shader 2.79.blend.
Select the Teeth Upper object and open the Shader Editor.
Select all nodes and delete.
Click the "Browse Material to be Linked" button in the header and select the newly appended Teeth Upper.001 material.
Copy all the nodes, reselect the original Teeth Upper material in the header and paste the nodes.
Repeat steps 4-6 with the Teeth Lower and Tongue objects and materials.
The objects will appear pink and a little warped by default, as there are no textures added to the Image Texture nodes. For instructions on adding the separately available Teeth & Tongue Texture images, see the Teeth & Tongue Textures documentation. To make your own, see the Creating Textures page. To use the shader without textures, unplug the Image Texture nodes.
Nodes Overview
The Teeth & Tongue Shader consists of three materials: Teeth Upper, Teeth Lower and Tongue. They each belong to their respective objects in the Teeth & Tongue Rig, Face Rig or Body & Face Rig. The node settings are the same for each, with two additional ones for the Teeth Upper and Lower (as indicated).
Node Inputs & Properties
Albedo Mix
The opacity of the Albedo texture image.
Hue, Saturation and Value
The HSV of the Albedo image.
Tip: lowering Saturation can be an effective way of lightening the material, rather than (or in addition to) raising the Value.
Enamel (Teeth Upper and Teeth Lower nodes)
Yellows/whitens the teeth. This slider is inverted (whiten <--> yellow) in the 2.79 version of the shader.
The areas affected are dependent on the tonal values of the Albedo image, and can be adjusted by opening the node group (tab) and tweaking the curve in the upper RGB Curves node. Note that this will inversely affect the area influenced by the Melanin properties.
Enamel Tint (Teeth Upper and Teeth Lower nodes)
Adds a colour tint to the teeth in the Albedo image. White = no tint.
The areas affected by the tint are dependent on the tonal values of the Albedo image, and can be adjusted by opening the node group (tab) and tweaking the curve in the upper RGB Curves node.
Melanin (Teeth Upper and Teeth Lower nodes)
Adds pigmentation to the gums. As with the Enamel, the affected area is dependent on the image values and the RGB Curve. Note that changing the RGB Curve will inversely affect the area influenced by the Enamel properties.
Melanin Tint (Teeth Upper and Teeth Lower nodes)
Adds a colour tint to the gums in the Albedo image. White = no tint.
As with the Enamel, the affected range is dependent on the image values and the RGB Curve.
Tint (Tongue node)
Adds a colour tint to the Tongue Albedo image. White = no tint.
Base
This is like an undercoat for the Albedo image. Lower Albedo Mix values reveal more of the base colour.
Displacement
The intensity of the displacement map.
Albedo Image
Input for the Albedo texture image.
Displacement Image
Input for the Displacement image.
Node Outputs
Shader
Connects to the Material Output node's Surface input socket.
Displacement
Connects to the Material Output node's Displacement input socket.
Customising the Node Groups
Refer to the Teeth & Tongue Shader Reference.pdf file included in the Teeth & Tongue Shader folder for annotations on the inner workings of the node groups.