Shader Switcher Node v4 for Blender

The Ultimate Shader & Color Switcher Node System
Make your shader setups smarter, cleaner, and ultra-flexible — without node clutter.

🎉 What’s New in v4?

• Master Material Node (NEW) — build one customizable “source-of-truth” material and reuse it everywhere
• Node Type dropdown + editable inputs in the N-Panel (add/rename/reorder/delete)
• Per-node color preferences (set in Add-on Preferences) for faster graph organization
• Backward-compatible with your v3 projects

Still includes all v3.0 upgrades: Random Switcher Mode, enhanced Color Mixer blend-modes, dynamic Add/Remove Inputs, cleaner UI panel & instant node rebuilding. Blender 4.2+ compatible.

🧠 Master Material (NEW)

Create a single MasterMaterial node group with tidy, named controls—then plug it straight to output or into Switch/Mix/Random for variations.

Perfect for:

• Centralized look-dev you can reuse across assets
• Cleaner graphs with fewer spaghetti links
• Fast variations layered via Switch/Mix/Random

Quick Start:

1. Add MasterMaterial to your material.
2. Open Shader Switcher → Master Material (N-Panel).
3. Pick a Node Type, then Add Input (Color / Float / Vector) and rename/reorder as needed.
4. Connect Master Material → BSDF to Material Output or route it into Switch/Mix/Random.

🧱 Shader Switcher Node (Switch Mode)

Switch between multiple shaders using a simple Index input.
Perfect for:

• Animations
• Shape Key-driven materials
• Logic-driven setups

🎨 Shader Mixer Node (Layer Mode)

Layer multiple shaders with opacity control, just like Photoshop layers.
Ideal for:

• Dirt, scratches, paint overlays
• Wear & tear materials
• Procedural layering

🎲 Random Switcher Node

Switch between shaders using a random pattern per object, with a controllable Seed.
Great for:

• Object variation (rocks, tiles, decals)
• Randomized material distribution
• Non-repetitive details in large scenes

🌈 Color Mixer Node (Advanced Color Layering)

Blend multiple colors with individual opacity and Blend Modes (Mix, Add, Multiply, etc.).
Perfect for:

• Stylized look-dev
• Procedural color layering
• Quick color experiments

🛠 Core Features

• Five modes: Switch, Mix, Random, Color Mixer, Master Material (NEW)
• Supports up to 50 inputs per node
• Add/Remove Inputs anytime — links and values are preserved
• Instant mode switching (Switch ↔ Mix ↔ Random ↔ Color Mixer)
• Clean, minimal node structure with a single output
• Integrated N-Panel UI for managing nodes (now includes Master Material tools)
• One-click cleanup of unused node groups
• Blender 4.2+ Compatible

🎯 Perfect For

• Artists testing multiple shader styles
• Teams sharing standardized materials/look-dev
• Game asset pipelines needing clean, reusable material setups
• Technical artists building flexible node systems
• Procedural workflows (stylized, realistic, experimental)
• Anyone who wants a single master material feeding variations

🚀 Installation

• Download the ZIP file (ShaderSwitcherAddonV4.zip)
• In Blender, go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Install…
• Select the ZIP file
• Enable ✅ Shader Switcher Node