The sockets have color codes that identify what type of data they

can handle. The colors are the same ones from the Material tab.

You can connect Nodes by clicking and dragging from an output

socket to an input.

To select and manipulate Nodes, you can use the same shortcuts

from the 3D Viewport.

You can hold the CTRL key to break a connection while clicking

and dragging with the right mouse button. The cursor will turn to a

knife, and you will be able to cut connections.

You can erase a Node with either the X key or DEL.

To create new Nodes, you can use the SHIFT+A key or the Add

menu in the Shader Editor.

A simple example of what we can do with the Shader Editor is with the

Mix Shader that will allow us to blend two different shaders for a single

material. We can mix a Diffuse BSDF and a Glossy BSDF:

1. Select an object and add a new material.

2. Choose the Diffuse BSDF as the Shader.

3. Open the Shader Editor

4. Press the SHIFT+A keys, and from the Shaders group add a Mix

Shader

5. Press the SHIFT+A again, and from the Shaders group add a

Glossy BSDF

You will get the Nodes shown in Figure 5.6.