The ABSOLUTE SHELLS component is a series of movable shells or layers. You can employ as little as
two or as many as six active shells. These shell parameters run from Shell Value 1 through Shell Value 6. You can move each shell independently with its corresponding percent parameter, Shell Position 1
through Shell Position 6.
Color, percent or bump values are blended smoothly between the adjacent shells. The Blend Function
parameter defines how the values blend from one shell to the next (the default blend is linear). It's important to note that the blending between shells starts from the lower-numbered shell and continues to
the higher- numbered one. You can disable the blending by linking in a generator that's been clamped to 100.0%. This is sometimes useful because it makes it much easier to see exactly where one shell ends and another begins.
The Mapping Type parameter determines how the shells will be arranged. With Planar 2D mapping mode,
the shells will be planer and layered in a stack. In Cylindrical 2D mapping mode, the shells consist of concentric cylinders around the Z-axis. And in Spherical 2D mapping mode, the shells are concentric
spheres, like the layers of an onion. The shell position parameters support generators, but this changes
based on the type of mapping you choose. For the Planar 2D mode, the generator controls the shell position from left to right. When the Cylindrical 2D mode is set, the generator controls the shell position
along the Z-axis. If the Spherical 2D mode is set, the generator controls the shell position around the center in a clockwise direction, starting at the leftmost edge of the circle. In this last case, make sure you
enable the generator's Repeat parameter, to avoid discontinuities.
When the Enable Clamps parameter is set, the shell values will remain in the same order as they appear in
the Component Editor, that is, from one to six. If the position of a lower-numbered shell is larger than that of a higher numbered shell, it will be clamped. With Enable Clamps off, the shell order strictly depends on
the shell position. The shells can slide past one another as their positons change. For example if Shell Position 3 is 32.0% and Shell Position 2 is 40.0%, the color (or percent or bump) of the third shell will
come before the second one. Shell Position 1 is a little different as some of its value will always remain in the first position, even when most of its value switches positons under this condition. Keep in mind that
when one shell slides past another, the order of the shells changes, and therefore, the values that are being blended will change abruptly as well.
