//****************************************************************************//
//
// Softimage XSI / Mental Ray Vector Mixer Shader
//
// by Daniel "thebigMuh" Rind
//
// Version 1.00, 02.02.2004
//
//****************************************************************************//

//*********//
// HISTORY //
//*********//

Version 1.00, 02.02.2004
 - Initial release

//**************//
// WHAT THIS IS //
//**************//

This is the Mix_8vectors texture shader that was mainly written to make mixing
bump maps in Softimage|XSI a bit easier. It supports weighted mixing of up to
8 vectors and adjusting the bump mapping strength of each input separately.

//**************//
// INSTALLATION //
//**************//

Please use the enclosed Mix_8vectors.xsiaddon file to install the Mix_8vectors
shader. Should something go wrong, you can still use the SPDL file.

//*******//
// USAGE //
//*******//

The documentation is, as usual, in the doc subdirectory. There is not a lot to
say about this node, but I included a sample scene in the samples directory that
shows how to mix three different bumpmaps using a fourth texture map.

//************//
// THE SOURCE //
//************//

The complete C source to the shader is enclosed in the "source" subdirectory,
along with a VC 6 project. You are free to do with it whatever you want, but 
should you manage to produce something usefull/interesting/nice/cool with it, 
please be so kind and give me credit. Of course, if you find any "unintentional 
features", please e-mail me so I can fix it.

//*********//
// CREDITS //
//*********//

Thanks to the XSI Base board (www.xsibase.com) for bringing up the topic and
therefore motivating me to write this little shader.

I am a 23 years old computer science student from Vienna/Austria. I love computer
graphics (which is the field I am studying in), I love XSI, and I love Mental 
Ray, so starting to program for it was only natural ;-).

If you want to contact me, you can do so at:

thebigMuh@chello.at

or by lurking for my presence on the XSI Base (www.xsibase.com) or the
3rd-Dimension (www.3rd-d.co.uk) internet boards. 

Eventually I might even update my homepage (www.animusartis.com).
