Math: F1, F2, F3 + noise

So, I was messing around w/ the math nodes and noises, blending noise components in odd ways. I thought it would be interesting to take an F1-F3 noise and add back in F3 noise, and maybe it would give me F1. (I thought it might help me understand whatever F1 is.)

It doesn't work, so I go back to the help file. Manual says:

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"F1 is the distance to the feature point closest to the sample coordinates, F2 is the distance to the second closest feature point, etc. The distances in the Worley noise algorithm are not necessarily Euclidean, other distance functions such as Manhattan or Chebyshev can be used. For more information, please refer to the Worley noise algorithm description."

Wait, so you're telling me that F1, F2, and F3 are Euclidian Distance, Manhattan Distance, or Chebyshev Distance of some random numbers? (probably some perlin based rand numbers?)

In other words, FF already has distance transform built in? We just don't have a node for it?

Distance Transform is this, much requested thing: (aka 'bevel' in pshop)
http://www.filterforge.com/upload/for...nsform.jpg

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CorvusCroax wrote: F1, F2, and F3 are Euclidian Distance, Manhattan Distance, or Chebyshev Distance

No. F1 is the closest feature point, F2 is the second closest point, F3 is the third closest point etc. (closest means "closest to the current sample coordinates). For every sample, the Worley noise calculates all feature points near the sample point, then sorts them by the distance to the sample point -- where the distance is not necessarily Euclidean.

Various Worley-based components use different distance functions. IIRC, Blocks uses Chebyshev, Pyramids uses Manhattan, Stones uses Superquadratic, Techno uses Manhattan or Chebyshev, Cells and Chaffs are Euclidean or Superquadratic.

Corvus, the main reason why we don't yet have Photoshop-style distance transforms is because they would look ugly due to the 'contours' being 'extracted' from pixelated images, as opposed to, say, splines. This is especially apparent when you try to use such bevels as bump maps.

(If we somehow got splines into Filter Forge, adding distance transform / bevel would be #1 thing on our list.)