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Dot node (also Portal) | Substance 3D Designer

Dot node icon

The Dot node is a helper that lets you simplify and clean up graphs by rerouting and grouping connections. It is especially useful for graphs with many long connections running over other connections or nodes.

A pair of Dot nodes can be used as portals to hide a connection going over a long distance, or in places where routing the connection would be challenging.

In this page


Creating Dot nodes

Dot nodes may be added in any graph type, in any of the following ways:

Tip:

When a Dot node is created, its 'Name' property automatically gains focus so you can immediately edit the node's name.


Merging links

Press ALT and move a Dot node over links to merge multiple node connections together.

Merging links


Portals

Dot node as portal - icon

Dot nodes can be used as portals to send data over a long distance in the graph without having a cumbersome long link that hurts readability. This effectively hides the link between Dot nodes.

Dot node as portal

Creating portals

A portal is automatically created between two Dot nodes – a transmitter and a receiver – when the transmitter Dot node is named. Naming a Dot node is done by setting a unique identifier in its Name property.

When one or more named Dot nodes exist in a graph, any Dot node can be connected to it as a receiver by:

  • Creating a link between the receiver's input and a transmitter's output;
  • Selecting the transmitter's name in the receiver's Input Portal property.

Duplicating or copying receivers preserves their connection to the transmitter as a portal.

Identifying portals

Dot nodes used as portals have a wireless signal icon placed next to the connector used as a portal.

Selecting any Dot node used as a portal displays its hidden connections to other portals as a dashed line.

Deleting portals

A portal is deleted when the transmitter's Name is cleared, or when the hidden connection is deleted by:

  • Selecting a portal, then selecting the hidden connection and deleting it;
  • Selecting the receiver and pressing the X button next to the Input Portal drop down in the Properties.
Caution:

Using Dot nodes as portals is not supported in FX-Map graphs.

Check out this tutorial about Dot nodes as portals:

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