The Node Editor Menu
Contents of this page
Create Menu
The Node Commander provides similar functionality to the Asset list arranged in the Asset Browser. You don't have to move the mouse there, just press the C key and the list will open. However, the Node Editor must be active for this! However, you can just as well click on the + button above the Node View.
In addition to the functionality described for the Asset list, Node Commander has the following:
- the ESC key or a click outside closes the window (the filter string remains saved).
- the TAB key changes from the list to the Filter field.
- Shift + TAB switches from the Filter field to the list.
If you copy a value to the clipboard using the Copy value command, you can use Create Value Node from Clipboard to create a new Value Node with the value already set correctly.
The current data status of a port is copied and fixed in the Value Node. If there is a value in the clipboard that comes from outside Cinema 4D, it is always read in with the data type "String".
Example: You used a Classic Object Node to create geometry in the Node Editor. If you want to place this geometry into a Value Node, first create a Port Inspector for the Geometry output (this should link to a Scene Node, otherwise nothing may be output at the port). Then execute the Copy value command from the context menu for this port. When the Create Value Node from Clipboard command is called up the complete geometry will be saved in the Value Node with the correct data type. The "Classic Object Node" can then be deleted.
Creates an empty group for the current Node Material or for the currently active Node setup.
Groups are summary, parent Nodes that contain a network of Nodes (and/ or groups as well). The ports of Nodes in these groups can also be propagated outwards in order to feed values from Nodes outside of the group or to access values of Nodes within the group. See the Node User Interface section for more information.
Groups can also be converted to Assets (see command Change Group Type To) , which can then be saved in the Asset Browser, for example, or used as functions directly in the Object Manager.
You can also select multiple Nodes and execute the Group Nodes command to place them directly into a new group.
Click the folder icon of the group or double-click the Group Node to open the group and fill it with content.
Scaffold functions similarly to a group, but it is permanently open and therefore its optional labeling and coloring serves more to visually separate related Node functions from the rest of the network. Nodes can be added to or removed from a Scaffold at any time using drag and drop. A Scaffold can also be converted to a standard Node Group if desired. You can find more information about Scaffolds here.
A Note can be used to display descriptive texts within a Node graph, e.g., in order to be able to find one's way around a network even after a longer period of time and to be able to read up on how it works. The color background of the note and its font size can be selected individually.
The actual text of a Note can be edited after double-clicking on the Note. You can find more information about Notes here.
Groups selected Nodes (see also previous command).
Here you will find various Nodes that, among other things, serve as the basis for Capsule settings. This menu will only be active if one or more Nodes have already been selected. All Nodes listed here can - similarly to a Group - contain other Nodes. The selected Nodes will therefore be placed into the Node selected here.
The commands in this menu are only available if a Group has already been selected If so, the Group's type can be switched, e.g., from a simple Node Group to a Nodes Selection Group or an Nodes Mesh Group.
Ungroups grouped Nodes and deletes the Group Node. Connections are maintained - as well as outwardly, if possible. This also works with Asset Construction Nodes, such as the Nodes Modifier group.
Scaffolds and Notes
How do Scaffolds work?
Here, the three middle Nodes along with their Wire Rerouters have been added to a Scaffold. Scaffolds can be individually named, colored, and annotated to highlight a portion of the Node graph.
As you can see in the figure above, Scaffolds act like a colored background. In addition, however, the size and shape of this area automatically adjusts to the Nodes inside it. Thus, although the size of the Scaffold can also be changed individually by dragging its outer edges, the area can never be scaled smaller than its content. By dragging the Scaffold's area, it can also be repositioned in the Node Editor along with the Nodes it contains.
To add new Nodes to an already existing Scaffold, the corresponding Node can simply be dragged onto the Scaffold's colored area. Likewise, by dragging a Node out of the colored area of the Scaffold, Nodes can also be removed from the Scaffold.
The color background of the Scaffold and also the title displayed at the top can be edited in the Basic settings of the Scaffold in the Attribute Manager. If desired, the Comment option can also be activated there to show a short text below the Scaffold. This option can also be found on standard Nodes.
A full description of all Scaffold parameters can be found here.
Special actions for Scaffolds
Right-clicking on the area of a Scaffold opens a context menu with some special commands and actions for Scaffolds. We focus here on the commands that are not also included in the normal context menu for groups or Nodes.
This is used to move selected Nodes into a new Scaffold. This can also be used for Nodes that are already included in another Scaffold. The use of Scaffolds within Scaffolds is therefore also possible. To delete a grouping, simply press the Backspace or Del key. The content of an Scaffold is preserved.
This command can convert an Scaffold to a normal Group Node, which can then also be provided with individual inputs and outputs and opened and closed as usual.
This allows you to delete the Scaffold together with the content created in it.
This command selects all Nodes and Wire Rerouters that are in the Scaffold.
As mentioned above, the edges of a Scaffold can be dragged directly with the mouse to resize it individually. In this case, other Nodes that may be hidden by the Scaffold in the course of scaling are not automatically included in the Scaffold. Only Nodes that are actively dragged onto the Scaffold are added to it. This command automatically resizes the Scaffold to fit the Nodes it contains.
When Nodes are dragged onto or out of the Scaffold, it will adjust its size automatically.
How do Notes work?
Here you can see three examples of Notes below the three modeling and selection functions in the middle.
As seen in the above illustration, Notes can resemble typical sticky notes. In the Basic settings of the Notes in the Attribute Manager you will find options to adjust the color background and also the font size used for the note text. You can enter or edit the actual note text after double-clicking on the Note.
Notes can be placed directly with the mouse or horizontally scaled by dragging on the left or right edge of the Note. In doing so, the Note always adapts to its text content.
As you can see in the figure above below the Polygon Bevel Node, Notes can also be used transparently. To do this, activate the option for Transparent Background in the Basic settings of the Note.
A complete description of all Note parameters can be found here.
Edit Menu
These are the usual commands that allow you to Undo or Redo, for example, changes in the Attribute Manager, deletions, creation of Nodes and connections, and so on.
In contrast to the XPresso Editor, moving or scaling of Nodes, for example, does not fall under this functionality.
This allows selected Nodes to be copied to the clipboard (in the case of Cut, the original Nodes are also deleted) and copied back to the Node Editor with Paste. Existing connections between the selected Nodes are also copied.
This command duplicates selected Nodes (including the connections between them).
Alternatively, you can drag and drop Nodes in the Node View while holding down the Ctrl key. These Nodes will be duplicated after releasing the mouse button.
Use this command to remove selected Nodes. Pressing the Backspace or Delete key does the same.
This removes all existing connections on the input and output sides of the selected Nodes.
All Nodes and their connections get selected.
Use this command to select all Nodes directly linked to the selected Node. This makes it easy to select a series of connected Nodes. So this concerns both the Nodes connected to inputs and to outputs.
All Nodes that are connected with the Input of the selected Node will be selected.
All Nodes that are connected with the Output of the selected Node will be selected. This selection includes the entire branch of the setup that follows, not only the Nodes that are connected directly. As a rule, this selection will therefore end at the Scene Node of the setup or at the Output Node for a Redshift material.
Deselects all Nodes
Opens the Material Editor for the material currently displayed in the Node Editor. In principle, the Material Editor has the same settings as the Attribute Manager for a selected material.
This command selects the corresponding Node Material in the Material Manager for the active Node Editor, whose material settings will then be displayed in the Attribute Manager.
Using this command, a Scene Node setup can be converted to a common scene, which primarily offers access to the generated mesh that can in turn be edited using the normal Cinema 4D tools. To do so, open the Scene Nodes Representation: you will find all meshes under the 'Meshes' Null object.
Furthermore, under 'Hierarchy', you will find all instances that reference the aforementioned meshes, arranged in a correct hierarchy. The hierarchy displayed in the Object Manager is a representation of that defined in the Node Editor.
Why instances? Scene Nodes generate almost all geometry internally as instances and will therefore be shown as such in the Object Manager.
Here you access specific Preferences settings for the Node Editor.
View Menu
If Nodes are located outside the current Node View, you can use this command to display all selected Nodes simultaneously. If necessary, the view is changing its zoom factor so that all selected Nodes become visible.
Shows all Nodes in the Node Editor view. The view will be scaled accordingly.
Selected Nodes will be displayed at the center of the view without changing the zoom factor. For multiple selections, the center of the selected Nodes will be placed at the view's center.
All Nodes will be placed at the center of the view without changing the zoom factor.
Use this to zoom in and out of the Node Editor view. Using the Hotkey 2 and the mouse works faster.
If you have a Node network made up of 376 Nodes, for example, you won't see much detail in the Node Editor view. This command sets the zoom to a quite legible 100%.
The background of the Node View can use a discreet grid. This command hides or shows the grid in the Node Editor view. Grid snapping works independently of this display.
This can be used to turn the Grid snapping on and off. If enabled, Node edges will snap to the grid lines. Otherwise, you can position Nodes freely.
Shows and hides the Navigator.
Here you can hide or show the Info Area at the bottom left. The Info Area can additionally display the IDs of selected Nodes and Assets if this has been enabled in the Node Editor preferences. The size of the Info Area can be adjusted individually by clicking and dragging at the area's top or right edge.
When working with groups you often have to delve into these, i.e., the Node Editor shows the contents of a given group. Call up this command if you want to move up a level, i.e., out of this group. Alternatively, you can click on a layer to which you want to jump next to the Node path.
This command can be used to display the contents of a selected Group. This also includes traditional Group Nodes as well as most Nodes in the Asset Construction Group, which can also contain Nodes. This command's function reflects the action of clicking on the Node's Folder icon.
This command will let you jump to the next lower layer in the Node path and can be helpful when working with nested groups. The following figure gives a simple example. Alternatively you can click directly on the elements of the Node path to jump to another hierarchical level within the setup, or you can click on a Folder icon of the respective Group Node.
On the left you can see the path at the top of the Node Editor that contains the visible Group as well as two additional Groups. Each time The Go to Next History command is executed, the neighboring component to the right in the Node path will be activated. As you can see on the right, calling up the command once will open the first Group. The complete path will only be made visible if you navigate through all layers by clicking on the Folder icons on the Group Nodes.
Selected or all Nodes will be arranged so they are visible in the current view - compact, arranged in order and positioned horizontally/ vertically:
This command arranges selected nodes so that they are placed in the current view as visibly, compactly, by order, and horizontally/vertically as possible:
Before and after the Arrange Selected Nodes command is called up.
This command is available as soon as an input or output has been selected at a Node where there is a connection to another Node. The command then leads to the selection of the input or output at the connected Node and centers this Node in the Node Editor. This is especially useful when there is a large distance between two connected Nodes, so that both Nodes may not be visible at the same time in the Node Editor at the current zoom level.
Node Menu
This function only affects Material Nodes. Allows you to show or hide the Node's preview (in the upper area of each Node).
The application's Preferences menu has a Material tab in which a default setting defines if the preview for new Node creation should be visible or not. What's the point of hiding the preview when it provides such valuable information? Well, for very extensive Node networks it can be very computationally intensive to update all previews when changes are made. In such cases it can be useful to hide the preview.
Hide All Ports hides the port area for all selected Nodes. The connections are maintained. This is a purely optical effect, for example, to get a better overview of your setup. With Show All Ports you can reverse the effect.
Selected ports can also be defined as hidden with the Delete key. The Show All Ports command will not make them visible again. You would have to define the respective port as being visible via the Add Input command.
The function of the following two commands can also simply be accessed for each Node using this icon:
Only the ports with connections will be shown for the selected Node. All others will be hidden. This can be undone using the Show All Ports command.
Several ports such as Op or Matrix can be opened via a predefined Arrow symbol to make additional sub-ports visible. This command closes all opened ports on the selected Nodes so only the top-most port hierarchy remains visible. This effect reflects that of manually clicking on the Arrow icon next to a Port Group.
On the left, for examole, you can see various sub-ports of an opened OP Output on the Mesh Primitive Node. After the command was executed, the Op Port Group on the selected Cube Node was closed automatically.
In the Material Node Editor, the Solo Mode works as follows (Nodes don't necessarily have a preview; these are, for example, useless for Nodes in the Scene Node Editor):
Different Nodes defined as Solo Nodes, rendered texture on a cube.
The enabled Solo Node mode omits all other Nodes. In the Node Editor view and for rendering, only the Nodes fed into the Solo Node and the Solo Node itself will be evaluated and displayed. This is, for example, very useful if your Node preview is too small because you can display or render the effect of individual Nodes at any scale.
Use this command for a selected Node (possibly with a selected output port: see also Solo port) or simply click on the Node's 'S' icon. Logically, only a single Node can be a Solo Node. To exit the Solo Node function, call up the Set Solo Node/Port command or simply click again on the 'S' icon.
A comparable function for Scene Nodes can be found in the Basic settings. The Bypass option makes it possible to deactivate a Node calculation in order to only check the function of the remaining Nodes.
The Start Node works as follows in the Material Node Editor: Node Materials can be made up of very complex networks consisting of hundreds of Nodes. If you want to make minor changes to a material without diving too deeply into the Node Editor, one Node - a single Node per Node Material - can be defined as a Start Node. This Node's inputs (and only this Node's inputs) will be displayed in the Attribute Manager or the Material Editor's Input tab when the material is selected.
If, on the other hand, you only want to display a few ports and you're working with groups, propagate the respective ports from the group and define the Group Node as a Start Node.
Start Nodes will be marked with a green frame if unselected.
In the following example, only the Spiral Node's Arms setting should be displayed as an externally controlled setting. Proceed as follows:
- Place all the Nodes in a group by selecting them and choosing Group Node from the context menu. Open the group (click on the Group Node's folder icon).
- Right-click the spiral Node's Arm port and select Propagate Port from the context menu.
- Exit the group by clicking on 'Node' in the Material or Group Name.
- Select the group node and select Start Node (Node menu).
As soon as you select the Node Material, only the Arms parameter will be displayed (image bottom right).
If you now click on the Group Node to select it and select Convert to Asset, the Asset will be created.
Calling Start-Node again will remove the Start Node state.
Unused Nodes are Nodes without connections (groups are not included). They therefore serve no purpose and can be deleted using Delete Unused Nodes.
This command hides all unconnected ports for selected Nodes (these can be shown again after right-clicking on the Node and choosing Add Input or Add Output).
Assets Menu
Details about Assets can be found here.
Similar to Edit Asset, except that a selected Asset instance must be present in the Node View.
When editing existing Assets, modifications made should be saved using this command. A dialog window will open that you should be familiar with from the Save Asset command (see above). Since the old Asset state is also saved, versioning will be implemented.
When editing existing Assets, a new Asset can be saved without the aforementioned versioning. A dialog window will open that you should be familiar with from the Save Asset command (see above).
Assets are most often created from Group Nodes (an example process is described here ).
As soon as this command is called up for a selected Node, a dialog window will open:
Name
Define a name for the Asset. This Asset will appear with this name in the Asset list. This name will also appear in the Info area if you use it in the Node Editor view as an instance (i.e., you drag it from the Asset list into the Node Editor view). Even if you rename the Node, this name will remain unchanged.
Version Info
Assets can have several versions (versioning). Imagine you create an Asset, build a scene with it and save the scene. You then edit the Asset by, for example., changing a color or adding Nodes. If you now save the asset(Save New Version), you can use the Version Tag to define a version (e.g., 1.1 oder Version 2, etc.). The Asset will then contain both the original and the new version.
If you now load the originally saved scene or use the Asset anew, the newest Asset version will be used by default. You can, however, switch between versions in the Asset instance (i.e., the Group Node) at any time:
You can also imagine versioning as follows: Assuming you saved a primitive cube in Cinema 4D R15. A Fillet setting was added in R18. If you load the R15 scene into R18 you often had a compatibility mode that lets you load and older version. If the option is enabled, the cube is loaded without fillets, if disabled, with fillets. Sometimes the cube would be loaded without any prompt regarding its older state. If versioning were applied to primitives, you would be able to switch back-and-forth between versions.
Maxon can update the nodes it supplies in the application via the Online Updater. This is done in a manner that ensure that older scenes remain functional.
So what you define here in the Version Info will subsequently appear in the Asset instance as the Asset version name.
ID
This is a unique ID (you don't have to enter anything) is assigned with which an Asset can be clearly identified by the application. This ID - supplemented by a random set of characters - is then displayed in the Info area of the Node Editor when the respective Node is selected.
Database
Assets can be saved in different databases.
Most often, the following will be offered:
- Preferences: Assets will be saved in the default directory 'userrepository'
- Scene: An Asset copy will be copied in the scene file (this also happens if the scene is saved using the Save Project including Assets option).
- + Databases that are linked in the Preferences menu under "Files/Paths/Databases". Note that Assets linked as ZIP files in databases cannot be saved in these.
This menu is dynamic and will display all corresponding locations.
Category
If you take a look at the Asset list you will see numerous Assets in the alphabetically arranged categories. You can add categories at any time (these are themselves Assets by the way).
The Asset to be saved will be placed in the selected category.
Custom Assets can be dragged and dropped to other categories.
Clicking on OK will save the Asset and add it to the Asset list and will make it visible in the Node Commander where it can be used.
Asset Nodes, which are mostly created from groups, can be converted back to Groups using this command. The Folder icon will then be displayed again.
This is used to open the group. Alternatively you can double-click on the Group Node to display its contents.
If an Asset is encrypted, this command will be grayed out.
Debug Menu
Here, the evaluation of the relative calculation time for all Scene Nodes is calculated. All Nodes will be highlighted in color and a percent value will be displayed beneath the respective Nodes. This percent value shows how much of the overall calculation effort is required by each Node. This information can be very helpful if you want to improve the performance or calculation speed of the setup. Thanks to the Head Map, you can see at a glance which Nodes require the most calculation effort within your setup and where you can optimize. More in-depth information about Heat Maps and how to use them can be found here.
Note that Redshift Node Materials are not supported by Heat Map evaluation.
Activating the Heat Map will cause the Nodes to be highlighted and a percent value to be displayed beneath each Node.
If the Relative mode is activated for the Heat Map, the percent values and the corresponding Node highlight will be calculated relative to the shown depth of the setup. For example, if you look at the Nodes within a Group, all values will only be based on the Nodes within that Group. If this mode is disabled, all values will be calculated absolutely, i.e., always based on the Nodes within the setup.
If you look at the entire setup as a whole, i.e., in the path set in the Node Editor in which the Scene Node is active, the state of this option does not play a role. The image below shows an example of this.
You can see the entire setup at the top that contains the Geometry Modifier Group. If you display the Nodes within this Group, their evaluation is dependent on the Heat Map (bottom-left the Relative mode; next to it on the right the Absolute mode).
The top part of the image above shows the complete setup. The calculation requirements of the Geometry Modifier Group is shown to be 50% based on the entire setup. In order to find out how this value came to be we will open this Group by clicking on the Folder icon in the Group's header. This can be seen in the image on the bottom-left. The Group contains two Nodes whose Heat Map values add up to 100%. We are in Relative mode here, which takes the currently displayed Nodes into consideration. If the Relative mode is disabled, we would get the result in the image to the right. The Heat Map of the Nodes within the Group will now be evaluated together with the remaining Nodes in the setup. Now we again have a value of about 50% within the Group, which was shown on the top layer of the setup for that Group.
The colored Heat Map and its percent values help to quickly locate parts of the Node setup or Capsule Asset that require more calculation effort. However, percent values alone don't say anything about the time needed for calculation. A cube primitive may show 100% in a simple setup but is in fact calculated very quickly. High percent values alone don't necessarily mean that a setup has to be optimized at that point or that it will take long to calculate.
This command can also be made to output solid time values and statistics for more detailed information. For this, the Heat Map should not be activated first. What this output means in detail as well as information about all debugging tools can be found here.
Ports can be marked for the Data Inspector in order to see the incoming and output values. Also, the values of simple data types can also be displayed with the Port Inspector directly next to the Node in the Node Editor. This marking can be removed again by clicking on the X symbol of the respective Data Inspector icon. Alternatively, this command can be used to remove all existing links from Ports to the Port Inspector at once. To do so, no Nodes have to be selected. More about using Data or Port Inspectors can be found here.
The Data Inspector can list the values that are output or input at the Ports. Since the Data Inspector is a separate window, it can also be closed at any time and opened again when needed using this command. A newly opened Data Inspector always has the Interactive mode enabled, which means that the data of a selected Port will automatically be displayed. You can find out more about how to use the Data Inspector here.
Mode Menu
The Node Editor has various modes that will normally switch automatically- depending on which Node type is being used. In Scene Mode, for example, you can create a Node circuit yourself and then forward the result to a Scene Node. This means, for example, that geometry calculated in the Node Editor is displayed in the viewports without the need for an entry in the Object Manager.
If you select a Cinema 4D Node Material or a Redshift Material in the Material Manager, the Node Editor will automatically switch to Material Mode and display the material's Nodes.
The third mode is called Capsule and activates automatically if an Asset Construction Node is selected in the Object Manager. In that case, the Node Editor directly displays the contents of the Asset Construction Node, unless it is an Asset Capsule. So if you have already configured an Asset Construction Node group with a Node setup and then created an Asset from it, the Capsule Mode is activated, but the content of the Asset cannot be displayed or edited directly in the Node Editor any more. This requires, for example, converting the Asset to a Group.
For more information about these three modes, see the general explanations of the Node Editor.