Overview
Group nodes perform two main functions. First, they can be used to encapsulate any number of nodes within them for easy reuse in other textures. Second, a Group node's inputs can be reused within the group as many times as desired, using Reference nodes.
Group nodes have an Edit button that appears above their top right corners in the Nodes tab workspace. Clicking this button allows you to enter the group in order to view or edit its contents. For a more thorough introduction to working with groups, please refer to the Extending the Library tutorial, which provides a hands-on introduction to effectively using groups. There are also video tutorials which discuss groups.
The Group Inputs and Nested Groups panels found at the left side of the interface are especially relevant to Groups. For a description of these panels, please refer to the Interface page.
The title of a Group node tells you how many nodes
have been hidden within it. This one contains 13 nodes.
Inputs
A group's inputs can be reused as many times as desired within the group. To do so, enter the group by clicking its Edit button, and place a Reference node wherever you would like to access one of these inputs. Group nodes are unique in that the number of their inputs will change depending on their Inputs property.
Properties
Property |
Description |
Inputs |
Sets the number of inputs that you would like this group to have. |
Name |
Allows you to name the group in order to make its function more apparent. |
Skip for Color Only |
During color-only renders, certain parts of a texture, usually those adding highlights or shadows, are skipped so that a flat-looking version is created. Activating this property will cause the Group to be skipped during color-only renders. This property doesn't have an effect during normal renders. When a group is skipped, it becomes equivalent to whatever is in its first input. More information on color-only rendering can be found in the Using Effect Maps tutorial. |