Node Editor menu and toolbar

Node Editor menu bar

Edit menu

Simple Mode: Change the view mode of the selected nodes to simple mode so that only the input and output master ports are shown. See Node view modes for more information about the Node Editor view modes. You can also do the same via the toolbar icons or via the + S shortcut.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your nodes are displayed in simple mode the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Connected Mode: Change the view mode of the selected nodes to connected mode so that the input and output master ports, as well as any connected attributes, are shown. See Node view modes for more information about the Node Editor view modes. You can also do the same via the toolbar icons or via the + C shortcut.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your nodes are displayed in connected mode the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Full Mode: Change the view mode of the selected nodes to full mode so that the input and output master ports, as well as primary node attributes, are shown. The set of primary attributes for a given node is based on the properties of the attributes such as whether they are keyable or dynamic. See Node view modes for more information about the Node Editor view modes. You can also do the same via the toolbar icons or via the + F shortcut.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your nodes are displayed in full mode the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.

NoteWhen none of the nodes are highlighted (active) in the Node Editor, selecting any of these options or using their corresponding shortcuts will affect all nodes.
Pin: When you pin a node, it stays within the Node Editor view and retains its position even after a regraph. You can pin multiple nodes in one step by selecting multiple nodes and then selecting this option. You can also do the same via the toolbar icons.
Unpin: When you pin a node, it stays within the Node Editor view and retains its position even after a regraph. You can unpin multiple nodes in one step by selecting multiple nodes and then selecting this option. You can also do the same via the toolbar icons.

NoteWhen none of the nodes are highlighted (active) in the Node Editor, selecting either the Pin or Unpin menu item will affect all nodes.

View menu

Frame All: Adjusts the graph view to fit all objects in the editor. You can also use the hotkey A.
Frame Selection: Adjusts the graph view to fit all selected objects in the editor. You can also use the hotkey F.
Zoom In: Zoom into your graph. You can also use the hotkey +.
Zoom Out: Zoom out of your graph. You can also use the hotkey -.

TipIf you find it difficult to read your node name when you are zoomed out of your graph, mouse over the node and a tool tip with the node name pops up.

Bookmarks menu

Create Bookmark: Select this option to create a bookmark to store the current node graph as a quick reference.
Bookmark Editor: Select this option to open the Bookmark Editor to edit your bookmarks. See Bookmarks in the Node Editor for more information on editing bookmarks.
<bookmark name>: A list of existing bookmarks is listed under this menu. Select the bookmark name to load each bookmark. You can also click the beside each bookmark name to rename your bookmark.

Options menu

Render Swatches: Disable this option to disable swatch rendering in the Node Editor, Hypershade, and Attribute Editor for the current session of Maya.

NoteAs soon as you disable swatch rendering, all existing swatches should stop updating. Swatches that are already drawn remain visible but are not updated.

You can also set this option in the Preferences window by selecting Window > Settings/Preferences > Preferences > Display > Render swatches in editors and your setting will be applied upon the startup of Maya. For example, you can disable this option via the Preferences window to improve performance when loading a scene, then re-enable swatch rendering for your Node Editor session by enabling this option via the Node Editor Options menu.
Sync Node Editor / Model Selection: Enable this option so that if you highlight a node in the Node Editor, the same node is also selected in the scene and vice versa. See Selection in the Node Editor for more information.
Add to Graph on Create: Enable this option so that when you create a node in the scene, it is also added to the Node Editor. If this option is disabled, only nodes that you create using the Node Editor (for example, using Tab creation or drag and drop creation; see Create a Node for more information) are shown. You can also disable this option by clicking the lock button to lock the view. See Locking the view for more information.
NoteYou can also control the Sync Node Editor / Model Selection and Add to Graph on Create options by selecting Windows > Settings/Preferences > Preferences > Settings > Node Editor. If you select these options under the Preferences window, the changes are applied the next time you open the Node Editor. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.

NoteYou can also select these options via the work area marking menu. See Node Editor marking menus for more information.

Display menu

Customize your graph in the Node Editor by selecting any of the provided options.

Shapes: Choose among the options to customize which shapes are displayed.
Transforms: Select this option to include transform nodes in your graph.
Extend to shapes: Select this option to include child shape nodes for selected transforms.

You can also select the All Shapes, All Shapes Except Shading Group Members, and No Shapes options from the Node Editor toolbar. See Node Editor toolbar for more information.

You can also select these options via the work area marking menu. See Node Editor marking menus for more information.

You can also control these options by selecting Windows > Settings/Preferences > Preferences > Settings > Node Editor. If you select this option under the Preferences window, the changes are applied the next time you open the Node Editor. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.

Show menu

Objects: Select which object types to show in the Node Editor. Select Clear Below to turn off all filters. You can also select these options via the work area marking menu. See Node Editor marking menus for more information.
Show All: Turns off all filters in the Show menu.
Show Selected Type(s): Shows only object types of the same type as the current selection. This option lets you create a filter that limits the types of objects displayed in the Node Editor to the same type of object as the current selection.
Show Auxiliary Nodes: Shows node types that the Node Editor normally does not show because they are rarely needed (such as underworld nodes).
Auxiliary Nodes: Lets you set which nodes are considered “auxiliary”.

You can customize which nodes are hidden to reduce clutter in the editors. Generally, these are nodes that are not normally useful to see or edit. Select this option to display the Auxiliary Nodes editor and customize the node types that are hidden in editors.

Help menu

Help: Lists various learning options, including links to the Maya Help and the Learning Path.

Node Editor toolbar

Text Filter Indicator: Click to clear any applied filters (beyond the implicit one) and return the graph to its default contents.
Enter text to filter listing: You can enter syntax to limit the node listing in the Node Editor. The syntax is case sensitive. For example, P* shows only nodes beginning with the letter P. Every listed child node is displayed with its corresponding parent node even if the parent node would not otherwise be shown because of the filter.
Display All Shapes: Customize your graph by selecting this option to display all shapes. You can click the icon to select this option, or select it from the Display menu. The option that you have selected is also reflected in the toolbar: the corresponding icon is highlighted.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your setting is applied the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Display All Shapes Except Shading Group Members: Customize your graph by selecting this option to display all shapes except shading group members. You can click the icon to select this option, or select it from the Display menu. The option that you have selected is also reflected in the toolbar: the corresponding icon is highlighted.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your setting is applied the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Display No Shapes: Customize your graph by selecting this option to refrain from displaying shapes. You can click the icon to select this option, or select it from the Display menu. The option that you have selected is also reflected in the toolbar: the corresponding icon is highlighted.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your setting is applied the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Create a new bookmark: Select this option to create a bookmark to store the current node graph as a quick reference.
Open the Bookmark Editor window: Select this option to open the Bookmark Editor to edit your bookmarks. See Bookmarks in the Node Editor for more information on editing bookmarks.
Load previous/next bookmark: /

Click to load the previous and to load the next bookmark.
Clear the graph: Clears the current Node Editor layout.
Remove selected nodes from graph: Customize the layout of your graph by removing the selected nodes. To remove a node from the graph, select it and click this icon.
Layout the graph: Takes the current collection of nodes being displayed in the Node Editor and re-arranges them.
Input connections: Displays only the input connections of selected nodes. See also Connect Nodes.
Input and output connections: Displays the input and output connections of selected nodes. See also Connect Nodes.
Output connections: Displays only the output connections of selected nodes. See also Connect Nodes.
Increase/decrease traversal depth: You can customize how far you can see the connections graphed in the Node Editor. By default, depth traversal is unlimited (set to -1).

Use the arrows or enter an integer into the numeric field of the menu bar to change the depth traversal value. Click the Unlimited button or set the number to -1 to remove the depth traversal limit.
Simple Mode: Change the view mode of the selected nodes to simple mode so that only the input and output master ports are shown. See Node view modes for more information about the Node Editor view modes. You can also do the same via Edit > Simple Mode or via the + S shortcut.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your nodes are displayed in simple mode the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Connected Mode: Change the view mode of the selected nodes to connected mode so that the input and output master ports, as well as any connected attributes, are shown. See Node view modes for more information about the Node Editor view modes. You can also do the same via Edit > Connected Mode or via the + C shortcut.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your nodes are displayed in connected mode the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.
Full Mode: Change the view mode of the selected nodes to full mode so that the input and output master ports, as well as primary node attributes, are shown. The set of primary attributes for a given node is based on the properties of the attributes such as whether they are keyable or dynamic. See Node view modes for more information about the Node Editor view modes. You can also do the same via Edit > Full Mode or via the + F shortcut.

You can also customize this option in the Preferences window, and your nodes are displayed in full mode the next time you create a Node Editor window. See Node Editor Preferences for more information.

NoteWhen none of the nodes are highlighted (active) in the Node Editor, selecting any of the simple, connected or full mode icons will affect all nodes.
Pin selected nodes / Unpin selected nodes: /
You can select multiple nodes and pin or unpin them all at once. When you pin a node, it stays within the Node Editor view and retains its position even after a regraph. Select to pin and to unpin.

NoteWhen none of the nodes are highlighted (active) in the Node Editor, clicking either the pin or unpin icon will affect all nodes.
Allow/disallow new nodes to be automatically added to the graph: /

Click this icon to lock your Node Editor view so that any new nodes you create do not appear in the graph. indicates the unlocked state and indicates the locked state. See Locking the view for more information. You can also do the same by disabling the Add to Graph on Create option via the work area marking menu or the Options menu. See Node Editor marking menus for more information.