Texture nodes are one type of render node that, when mapped to the material of an object, let you define how the surface of an object looks when rendered.
Texture node(s) (with material nodes) feed into the Shading Group node, which tells the renderer how to shade the surface. See also Shading group node.
Texture nodes can be procedural textures generated by Maya, or imported bitmap images that you can use as texture maps for material attributes. Texture maps on various attributes such as color, bump, and specularity affect the appearance of the material. For more information about texture maps, see Texture mapping.
2D textures wrap around an object, like gift wrapping, or stick to a flat surface, like wallpaper.
3D textures project through objects, like veins in marble or wood.
With a 3D texture, objects appear to be carved out of a substance, such as rock or wood. You can scale, rotate and move 3D textures interactively in a scene view to achieve the desired results.