Normal shader texture node (used for masking sand, snow etc)

[De_Hupie]

Is it possible to mask a material/texture using the normal vector of the geometry of the model? E.g. i want to add snow or sand only on areas of my model that face upwards.

[Will Gibbons]

Is it possible to mask a material/texture using the normal vector of the geometry of the model? E.g. i want to add snow or sand only on areas of my model that face upwards.

I've done this using the material graph. I used an occlusion texture node and connected it to the opacity of the material I wish to mask out. I then set the bias numbers to favor the direction I wanted to see the material. It'll take some playing with the settings though as each scene and scenario is different.

[bharris]

A simple 'normal' material would be really awesome.