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Shading Windows and Editors
Hypershade
Connection Editor
The Connection Editor provides
node network information in a side-by-side layout where you can
view two connected nodes in a node network. This editor is useful
for fine-tuning a shading network.
You can quickly and easily traverse from node
to node and show a node’s outputs or inputs to facilitate connections,
meaning you can make connections in either direction in a node network.
NoteSome utility nodes can only be connected
to a material’s attributes through the Connection Editor.
Connected attributes in the Connection
Editor appear in italics (Mac OS X excepted), while non-keyable attributes appear
dimmed. Some dimmed attributes indicate a nested list of attributes. Double-click
the attribute, or expand the attribute to view the connectable nodes.
To connect nodes with the Connection
Editor, see
Connect render nodes using the Connection Editor.
Connection Editor buttons
The Connection Editor’s
buttons control how connections are made.
- Reload Left and Reload Right
-
Loads a node into the output or input panes
of the Connection Editor. Select a
node, object, or shader and click Reload Left or Reload
Right.
- from -> to
-
Switches the output attributes to input attributes,
and the input attributes to output attributes.
- Arrow buttons ( )
-
Moves the output node into the input pane ( ), or
moves the input node into the output pane ( ).
- Clear All
-
Removes the nodes from the output and input panes.
- Remove
-
Removes the node in the output
pane.
- Break
-
Breaks the selected connection.
Select the connection you want to break from the output pane, then
click Break. This button is only available
when the Auto-connect option is off.
- Make
-
Makes a connection between
the selected attributes. Select an output attribute, and select an
input attribute, then click Make. This
button is only available when the Auto-connect option is
off.
- Close
-
Closes the Connection Editor.
Connection Editor menu bar
- Options > Auto-connect
-
Causes a connection to be created automatically,
when you select an output attribute and an input attribute. This
option is on by default.
- Options > Channel Names
-
Changes the way the attributes are displayed
in the Connection Editor. The Nice setting
displays the names in the most readable manner with leading capitalizations
and spaces. The Long setting displays the attributes
in the same manner as nodes are displayed. The Short setting
displays names as short forms, for example, Bounding
box displays as bb.
- Options > Attribute Order
-
Changes the order in which the attributes are displayed
in the Connection Editor’s list. Attributes
can be sorted in ascending or descending alphabetical order.
- Left Display > Show Readable and Right Display
> Show Readable
-
Displays all the attributes for the node, regardless
of whether the attribute is keyable or not. This option is on by
default.
- Left Display > Show Outputs
Only and Right Display > Show Outputs Only
-
Displays only the output connections for the selected
node.
- Left Display > Show Inputs
Only and Right Display > Show Inputs Only
-
Displays only the input connections for the selected
node.
- Left Display > Show Non-Keyable and Right Display
> Show Non-Keyable
-
Displays the non-keyable (attributes you cannot create
connections for) attributes of the node. This option is on when
the Show Readable option is on.
- Left Display > Show Connected
Only and Right Display > Show Connected Only
-
Displays only the attributes that have connections.
- Left Display > Show Hidden and Right Display
> Show Hidden
-
Displays hidden attributes for the node.