#Cycles in a Nutshell

#What is a shader?

#The Fundamental Shaders

###Diffuse - scattered reflection

###Glossy - sharp reflection

###Translucency - scattered transmission

###Transparency - sharp transmission

#Combining Shaders

###Mixing shaders

###Adding shaders

Cycles in a Nutshell

What is a shader?

The Fundamental Shaders

Diffuse - scattered reflection

Glossy - sharp reflection

Translucency - scattered transmission

Transparency - sharp transmission

Combining Shaders

Mixing shaders

Adding shaders

See this answer for a more detailed explanation.

See this question for more on adding vs. mixing shaders.

See this answer for a more detailed explanation.

See this question for more on adding vs. mixing shaders.

Adding two shaders means the surface will be have like both shaders. Meaning if you add a diffuse shader and a glossy shader, when a ray hits the surface it will bounce off in a random direction (diffuse) and along the specular angle, effectively creating 2 rays for every ray that hits the surface. It is worth noting here that without carefully calculating the shaders being added, adding shaders is likely to produce non physically accurate results.

Adding two shaders means the surface will be have like both shaders. Meaning if you add a diffuse shader and a glossy shader, when a ray hits the surface it will bounce off in a random direction (diffuse) and along the specular angle, effectively creating 2 rays for every ray that hits the surface. It is worth noting here that without carefully calculating the energy of the shaders being added, adding shaders is likely to produce non physically accurate results.