You can either use expressions or connect attribute nodes directly. Maya is all node based, so just because something is a geometry or NURBS node doesn't mean it can't be fed into a shader node. If you select a polygon or NURBS object in your main window and open the Hypershade window, and select Graph > Input and Output…
New poster here I've been trying to use Maya 3D and make an animated texture layer rig of sorts. I'm using a layered texture to use several different animation loops on it, and I'm trying to set an attribute on the nurbs controller that let's me switch between the different loops. My plan was having a switch that lets me…