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Mesh Ambient Occlusion

VFX Loom 1.1.0 reference for the Mesh Ambient Occlusion node.

Material generator.meshAO
The Mesh Ambient Occlusion node on the VFX Loom graph canvas.
Fig. 1 The Mesh Ambient Occlusion node in its resting, collapsed state on the VFX Loom graph canvas.

Overview

Bakes ambient occlusion from a mesh into a UV-space map.

Material source. White represents exposed surface and black represents occlusion; more samples smooth the result at higher cost.

Category
Material
Internal ID
generator.meshAO
Version
Current audited reference

Properties

PropertyTypeDefaultAnimatableRange / optionsEffect
Mesh Asset "" Not declared — Local control documented by the production node behavior.
Samples Scalar 16 Not declared Hard 4..64 · Step 4 Local control documented by the production node behavior.
Distance Scalar .5 Not declared Hard .01..1 · Step .01 Local control documented by the production node behavior.
Detail Enum Medium Not declared Low · Medium · High Selects the detail behavior; each option changes the operation described in the overview.
Strength Scalar 1 Not declared Hard 0..4 · Step .05 Local control documented by the production node behavior.

Outputs

OutputTypeMeaning
ao Image The production node output described by the overview.

Usage

In practice

  • Choose a target mesh and use the AO map for grounding, dirt, or masked material detail.
  • Increase Samples for a smoother result when the additional bake cost is acceptable.

Examples

These examples show Mesh Ambient Occlusion in supplied VFX Loom graph setups. Each graph link opens the corresponding node reference; the explanation below the media is specific to this node's role in that setup.

Material maps and masked detail

A Material graph combines procedural colour, mesh-derived curvature and occlusion, roughness, normal detail, and a layered composite.

NoiseLevelsColorizeMaskMaterial Output
Mesh CurvatureMask
Mesh Ambient OcclusionBlendMaterial Output
Solid ColorRoughnessMaterial Output
NoiseCompositeMaterial Output
Normal From HeightCompositeMaterial Output
VFX Loom Material graph showing Noise, Levels, Colorize, Mesh Curvature, Mesh Ambient Occlusion, Blend, Roughness, Normal From Height, Composite, and Material Output.
Fig. 2A second Material graph showing mesh-derived detail and layered map construction on a custom preview mesh.

How Mesh Ambient Occlusion contributes

Mesh Ambient Occlusion supplies the baked occlusion branch used for grounded detail.

Notes / limitations

  • White represents exposed surface and black represents occlusion. More samples are smoother but slower.
  • Mesh Curvature Bakes convex and concave edge information from a mesh into a UV-space mask.
  • Cavity / Curvature Extracts concave and convex cavity detail from a height image.
  • Material Output Collects the optional surface maps of a Material project.