cgfxShader:
===========

The Maya Cg Plug-in allows artists to author and visualize content using
advanced hardware rendering and the Cg high level language.
The plug-in includes:

    * Intuitive artist controls
          o Slider control over key real-time parameters (such as bump depth, etc...)
    * Integration with Maya's lights
    * CgFX integration with Maya's Hypershade node-based shader editor
    * Dynamic shader-specific GUIs
          o Supports standard GPU image formats (such as DDS)
          o Supports .fx shader format
    * Samples include:
          o Bumpy Shiny, Toon Shading, Anisotropic Metal, Ghostly, Refraction, Dispersion, Rainbow, and more

The cross-API capability of Cg is a breakthrough for development teams
targeting content for multiple platforms. The Maya Cg Plug-in supports the CgFX
file format (.fx) and automatically provides intuitive interface controls and
semantics to users and developers alike - for editing shader effects in
real-time. Since the CgFX format also supports both DirectX and OpenGL,
developers may encapsulate a series of fallback techniques for rendering any
effect. CgFX files are text-based and describe the complete render state for a
particular effect -- multiple passes, texture states, and any number of
individual vertex and pixel shaders maybe defined to create a complete
appearance or effect.