"These shaders begin the transition to other modern techniques with a flexible selection of components. The features include (but not a complete list):
Built-in framebuffer outputs
Better importance sampling for faster renders
Components as separate building blocks for arbitrary layering. A single library can make shaders for many different things from car paint to skin and more.
Non-lightmapping scattering shaders (multi-threaded)
Light Path Expression options for specifying framebuffer passes
Layers maintain energy conservation without user interaction
and more. . .
Create layered materials with arbitrary complexity
Combine any number of diffuse, glossy and specular reflection and transmission components
Layer or mix in subsurface scattering or surface emission components
Render faster and more efficiently than shader network combination with math nodes
Render faster subsurface scattering with a shader that
removes the lightmapping preprocessing step
improves the control for faster, more intuitive setup
Output multiple passes writing to framebuffers that
automatically distinguish themselves with Light Path Expression (LPE) names
provide mapping these LPE names to arbitrary framebuffer names through string options
support transparency in a pipeline-friendly manner
Use render techniques relying on shadow- and photon shaders with little extra effort"
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It looks interesting what they doing
The only thing that still bugs me is the fact that they are working towards a multi importance sampling setup, but in the end we gonna still use those new shaders with a crappy GI system that doesnt support MIS. both IBL and userIBL dont have bounces. I really hope they start working on a new modern GI system.
Bit disappointed they didnt touch it, i was really hoping we would get some GI update since its the weakest part of MR.
