Parent size
This toolbar is only available in Substance graphs, and sets the Output Size of the graph's parent, which impacts the graph's Output Size if it uses the Relative to parent inheritance method.
This page presents the Graph view of Substance 3D Designer.
The graph view is the main window of Substance 3D Designer, where you author and edit your graphs. The graph view has two main areas: a toolbar at the top, providing quick access to certain functions, and the actual graph area where nodes are placed.
The graph view is used for all graph types, but differs slightly between Substance graphs, function graphs, MDL graphs and FX-Map graphs, mainly in the toolbar area.
Navigating the graph happens in two dimensions, by Panning and Zooming.
Each of the zooming methods is inverted with the other:
You focus on the selected Node(s), or the whole graph if nothing is selected, with Hotkey F.
Navigation can also happen by using Pins and Hotkey F2, see graph Items.
When clicking RMB in empty space in the graph, a contextual menu appears and can include the following options:
*: Only available when the selection includes two links, or three nodes where two of the nodes are connected to inputs of the same third node.
Graphs are primarily vessels for nodes which can ingest, generate and modifiy data then output it as the graph's result. Using nodes involve the following concepts and actions.
Nodes can be placed in the graph in 5 ways. Each method works for all types of graphs.
If a node is placed when another node is selected, Designer will attempt to automatically connect the new node to the old node.
This automatic connection always places the new node after the old one in the flow.
Removing nodes can be done in two ways, depending on how you want a lost link to be treated:
You may select one or more nodes to copy them, delete them, move them around the graph, etc.
To select a single node, place the cursor on the node and click LMB.
To select multiple nodes, the several methods are available:
When clicking RMB on a node, a contextual menu appears and can include the following options:
*: Only available for graph instance nodes.
**: Only available for graph instance nodes and if the Enable in-context editing option is checked in the Preferences.
***: Only available when the selection includes two links, or three nodes where two of the nodes are connected to inputs of the same third node.
If RMB was clicked when the cursor is placed over a node, several of these contextual menu options will target that node, regardless of whether other nodes are currently selected in the graph.
Therefore, for a consistently predictable outcome it is recommended to always place the cursor over the node which is part of the selection you actually want to target with a contextual menu action.
A node A's output connector can be connected to another node B's input connector, which will result in node B using the data output by A for performing its computations.
All of a node's connectors do not have to necessarily be connected. Leaving connectors bare results in the following:
You may create a new link by clicking LMB on each of those connectors, in any order.
Also, if a node B is created while a node A is selected, then the first output of node A will be automatically connected to the primary input of node B.
The following operations may be performed on existing links:
This only applies to Substance graphs.
Nodes can be disabled so they have no effect in the graph but do not need to be disconnected or deleted.
Disabled nodes have the following behaviour:
You can disable a node or a group of selected nodes by using the Shift+D keystroke, or by right-clicking in the graph and selecting the Disable node/Disable selection item in the contextual menu.
Only nodes which match the following criteria may be disabled:
This only applies to Substance graphs.
To display a node output in the 2D View, double-click LMB on a node, or click RMB on the node and select the View Output in 2D View option in the contextual menu. If the node has more than one output, select the desired output in the submenu.
You may display any of the graph outputs in the 2D View by clicking RMB on an empty area in the Graph View, and selecting the View Output in 2D View option in the contextual menu. If the graph has more than one output, select the desired output in the submenu.
This only applies to Substance graphs.
To apply an node output in the 3D View, click RMB on a node and select the View in 3D View option in the contextual menu. If the node has more than one output, select the desired output in the submenu. Then choose a target channel of the shader currently used in the 3D View.
(Substance graph only) You may apply all the graph outputs in the 3D View by clicking RMB on an empty area in the Graph View, and selecting the View Outputs in 3D View option in the contextual menu. Make sure one or more Output nodes are present in the graph and that it is set up correctly.
The full list only applies to Substance graphs. Other graph types have a limited set of these options.
The main toolbar can be found in every graph type, and provides general functions, as well as toggles for the visibility of the other toolbars. You can find these functions:
Focus selection: (F) Focus view on selection, or whole scene if selection is empty.
Reset zoom: (Z) Bring back the current zoom level to it's default state, and centers the view on the middle of the graph. Can mean zooming in or out.
Export Graph view: Exports the full graph at a 1:1 resolution as an image. Useful for sharing a screenshot of your entire graph.
Node information:
Node finder: (Ctrl+F) Opens up extra are of the toolbar to search and highlight nodes within your graph.
Highlight flow: Highlight any nodes connected before, or after the currently selected node. Good for tracing a complex path of nodes.
Node palette: shows or hide the node toolbar, see below.
Rectangle links: Switch between rounded or rectangular-shaped links between nodes. Not available for FX-Maps.
Align tools: Toggles display of the Align Tools.
Only on Substance graphs:
Parent size: Toggles display of the Parent Resolution control settings, see below.
Link Creation Modes: Choose between Standard (1), material (2) and Compact material (3) link creation modes.
Timings control: Lets you reset all nodes and reset all timings.
Tools:
Node image cache: Toggles display of the node image cache toggle, see below.
Remove unused nodes: Displays options for removing unused nodes in graphs, see below.
The node toolbar differs depending on the graph type:
Substance graphs: see atomic nodes and graph items.
This toolbar is only available in Substance graphs, and sets the Output Size of the graph's parent, which impacts the graph's Output Size if it uses the Relative to parent inheritance method.
Horizontal and vertical size are linked by default, but can be unlinked for non-square textures. Values can also be reset to the default value of 256 x 256.
This toggle the use of cache when computing nodes in Substance graphs.
When a node is computed, its output images are stored in memory – i.e., cache – so they can be reused when recomputing the graph if this node is not impacted by a change. This means only the part of the graph which actually changes gets recomputed.
The memory storage limit of this cache can be changed in the General section of the Preferences, under the Memory section.
Enabling this option results in a large boost to the overall responsiveness of graph computations, at the cost of a significant increase of Designer's memory usage.
As you iterate in graphs and try things, some nodes which have no effect on the final result can get left behind. This adds clutter as well as wasteful computation since all nodes are evaluated in the first stages of graph rendering.
The Remove unused nodes tool deletes all nodes that are not part of a stream which ends in an output node. The only exception is input nodes since deleting these would change the interface of instance nodes referencing this graph.
The first option applies the cleaning to the current graph exclusively.
If the current graph is a Substance graph, a second option is enabled which lets you include all node parameter functions in the cleaning process. This means if a function graph controlling a node parameter value has unused nodes, then that graph will be cleaned as well following the same rules.
After the cleaning has completed, a report dialog is displayed. You will find more details in the Console, as logs tagged GraphCleaner
. These logs will include the number of removed nodes per graph and parameter functions.
Cleaning can be undone across all impacted graphs as a single action.
These tools are a set of simple helpers to align and organize your nodes. They work in all graph types.
Align horizontally: Aligns all selected nodes horizontally.
Align vertically: Aligns all selected nodes vertically.
Snap nodes to grid: Snaps all selected nodes to nearest grid positions.
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