Can reflection falloff be controlled by a gradient?

[kubbek]

In V-Ray for 3dsmax you can set a falloff to control reflection and fine tune this falloff with a gradient. Would it be possible in modo? I cannot find a way to link a gradient to "V-Ray falloff". Could it be done other way?

[vladimir.nedev]

One way to do this would be to just use MODO's gradient texture with "Input Parameter" set to "Incidence" (I think this is the default).

If you still want to use the Falloff texture because it can generate the input for the gradient in more ways, then you can use nodal shading.
Just connect the falloff's texture "Texture value" to a gradient's "inVal" channel. Setting the falloff texture in the following way will make
it equivalent to the "Incidence" input :
color1 = black
color2 = white
Type = Perpendicular/Parallel
Direction Type = ViewZ

I am attaching an example scene.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[vladimir.nedev]

The previous example is very similar to using Max's "Output" curve in "Mono" mode.

Here is another example, more similar to using Max's "Mix Curve" of the fall-off texture.
In this one, you use the "Value" curve of the gradient texture and its "Texture value" output as
the mask of a "Color blend" texture. You can then connect any textures to the "input color 1"
and "input color 2" of the color blend. Or you can use the gradient texture directly as a "layer"
mask in the shader tree to mix between 2 textures.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[vladimir.nedev]

There is a third way to do it using only the shader tree, without any nodal connections.
In this one you set the "effect" of the "falloff" texture to "Driver A". You then put
a gradient texture above it, and set its input to "Driver A".

I am attaching a scene.

Greetings,
Vladimir Nedev

[kubbek]

For now I got satisfactory results with incidence gradient. It is the easiest way and allows to split colors in reflections.