This shader does a kind of Fresnel-like effect with four of the LightWave surface parameters. For the more mathematically inclined there is no real computation of the
Fresnel formulas and no Brewster's angle effects are included in this. However it is still very capable of creating very powerful surfaces. In this case it is not so much a
simulation of the Fresnel effect but rather a tool an animator can use to get a Fresnel-like effect.
Basically one part of Fresnel's formula is really very simple, it says that the angle between the viewer(your eyes, the camera in LightWave) and a surface effects the
amount of light that is reflected and refracted. Some examples of this include the water mirages you see on the road at a far distance. Because of the angle between your
eyes and the road the reflectance of the road is increased, especially at extreme angles.
This plugin will adjust the percent value of each of the surface values it controls between a perpendicular and glancing value based on the angle between your eye and the
surface. It also you to control the type of curve that is used for this mapping, from linear to exponential.
This can be used with reflection to simulate the crests of waves(high reflection at high glancing), edge transparency(high transparency at high glancing), and other effects.
