# Variables

Variables are useful for making your Graph easier to follow and understand, while also giving the option to expose certain values to the Material Editor and Code.

# Constants

Any Constant nodes created within a Shader will be compiled as constant values in shader code. These values cannot be changed

![](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/shader-graph/images/constants.png)

# Variables

Any Constant nodes that are given a name are automatically exposed in the Material Editor. these values can be customized when creating a Material from the Shader.

![Giving a Float constant the name "Intensity"](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/shader-graph/images/giving-a-float-constant-the-name-intensity.png)

![How the Variable appears in the Material Editor](https://cdn.sbox.game/doc/systems/shader-graph/images/how-the-variable-appears-in-the-material-editor.png)

If a Constant has "Is Attribute" set to true, then the value will not be exposed in the Material Editor and will instead be accessible via `RenderAttributes` in code.