Doc:2.6/Reference/Nodes/Using Nodes

Using nodes

Adding Nodes

Nodes are added in two ways to the node editor window:

• By clicking the Add menu in the node editor toolbar and picking the type of node you want, or
• By clicking the ⇧ ShiftA -> Add and picking a node from the popup Add menu.

Arranging Nodes

In general, try to arrange your nodes within the window such that the image flows from left to right, top to bottom. Move a node by clicking on a benign area and dragging it around. The node can be clicked almost anywhere and dragged about; connections will reshape as a bezier curve as best as possible.

Connecting nodes

LMB -click and drag a socket: you will see a branch coming out of it: this is called a "thread".

Kepp dragging and connect the thread to an input socket of another node, then release the LMB .

In this case, a copy of each output is routed along a thread. However, only a single thread can be linked to an input socket.

Disconnecting nodes

To break a link between sockets CtrlLMB -click in an empty areas near the thread you want to disconnect and drag: you will see a little cutter icon appearing at your mouse pointer. Move it over the thread itself, and release the LMB .

Duplicating a node

Click LMB or RMB on the desidered node, press ⇧ ShiftD and move the mouse away to see the duplicate of the selected node appeaing under the mouse pointer.

Gotcha! When you duplicate a node, the new node will be positioned exactly on top of the node that was duplicated. If you leave it there (and it's quite easy to do so), you can not easily tell that there are two nodes there! When in doubt, grab a node and move it slightly to see if something's lurking underneath.