Map UV Node

Distorts a texture so it can be composited onto the UV-mapped objects in the scene.

May be used in combination with the Cryptomatte Node to only apply the texture to specific objects.

Inputs

Image

The texture to distort.

UV

The UV coordinates at which to sample the texture. This slot is typically connected to the UV render pass, which is only available with the Cycles renderer; see Cycles render passes.

Vihje

It’s possible to store the UV information in a multi-layer OpenEXR file.

Properties

Filter Type

Interpolation method.

Anisotropic:

Enhances the clarity of textures viewed at oblique angles, addressing issues like blurring and distortion.

Nearest:

No interpolation, uses nearest neighboring pixel.

Alpha

Alpha threshold used to fade out pixels on boundaries.

Outputs

Image

The distorted texture, which can then be overlayed on the render using e.g. the Alpha Over Node.

Examples

In the first example, we overlay a grid pattern on top of two Suzanne heads after they have been rendered. To achieve this, we enable the UV pass in the Property Editor’s View Layer ‣ Passes panel, use it to distort the grid image, and combine the result with the rendered image using the Alpha Over Node.

Overlaying a grid texture.

In the next example, we do the same thing with the Blender logo, using a cryptomatte to ensure it only gets applied to one of the cubes.

It’s here that the limitations of the Map UV node become apparent: the overlayed image is really just ”plastered on” and is not affected by the lighting and shadows in the scene. At most, you can cheat a little by making the image translucent like in the previous example.

So, while this node can be handy for certain post-production effects or fixes, it’s generally not a replacement for including the image during rendering.

Overlaying a logo.