Learning Blender: A Hands-On Guide to Creating 3D Animated Characters

Cycles Materials

In Cycles, the process of building materials is quite different. You can use the Node Editor with Blender Render to achieve complex materials, but Cycles only allows for the use of really basic materials if you’re not willing to use nodes. Don’t worry; for now, we’ll keep it simple. Inside a Cycles material, you’ll find the Surface panel, which includes various types of surface shaders.

Diffuse: Creates a basic material with only color on it, but no shine, reflection, or other special properties

Glossy: Makes the material reflective ...