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Working with Nodes

Nodes are the basic building blocks used to represent layers, channels, and shaders in Mari. Nodes can exist individually, within Backdrop nodes, or as part of a Group (including graph layers) in the Node Graph.

Adding, Deleting, and Bypassing Nodes

You can add nodes using the Tab menu or the right-click menu. When you add a node, Mari automatically connects it to the currently-selected node.

Adding Nodes Using the Tab Menu

1.

Click the existing node that you want the new node to follow.

Tip:  If you don't select an existing node, the new node is added at the cursor location.

2.

Press the Tab key and start typing the name of the node you want to create.

This opens a prompt displaying a list of matches.

3.

To select the node you want to add from the list, you can either click on it, or scroll to it with the Up and Down arrow keys and press Return.

Tip:  If you decide not to add a node, press Esc to close the node selector.

Adding Using the Right-Click Menu

1.

Right-click on an existing node that you want the new node to follow.

2.

From the menu that opens, select the node you want to add. For example, Filter > Clamp.

Tip:  If you don't select an existing node, the new node is added at the node selector's location.

Adding Images through the Image Manager Palette

You can add images, as Tiled or Triplanar Projection nodes, to the Node Graph by dragging-and-dropping them from the Image Manager palette.

To add a Tiled node:

1.

In the Image Manager palette, right-click and navigate to Add to Node Graph > As Tiled.

OR

Click and hold an image preview.

2.

Drag-and-drop it in the Node Graph palette.

The image is added as a Tiled node.

Note:  You can add multiple images as Tiled nodes at once. In the Image Manager palette, select multiple images and drag-and-drop them in the Node Graph palette. The images are added as Tiled nodes.

To add a Triplanar Projection node:

1.

In the Image Manager palette, right-click and navigate to Add to Node Graph > As TriPlanar.

OR

Press Shift then click and hold an image preview.

2.

Drag-and-drop it in the Node Graph palette.

The image is added as a Triplanar Projection node.

Note:  You can add multiple images as Triplanar Projection nodes at once. In the Image Manager palette, select multiple images then press Shift and drag-and-drop them in the Node Graph palette. The images are added as Triplanar Projection nodes.

Deleting Nodes

To delete a node from the Node Graph, either:

• Select the node and press Delete (Fn+Backspace on Mac keyboards with no dedicated Delete key), or

• Select the node, right-click in the Node Graph and select Edit > Delete.

Bypassing and Disabling Nodes

Mari allows you to bypass a single node, or its inputs, and disable a selection of nodes to alter the image output as if the node(s) were removed from the node tree. Bypassing and disabling are similar, but work slightly differently.

To Bypass a single node:

1.

Select the target node in the Node Graph.

2.

Press Ctrl/Cmd+D on the keyboard or right-click in the Node Graph and then select Edit > Bypass.

All inputs but one are disabled in order as you repeat the bypass action, negating their effect on the node tree without removing them.

For example, cycling through the bypass modes for a Merge node with three inputs results in:

• First bypass - all inputs except Base are disabled.

• Second bypass - all inputs except Over are disabled.

• Third bypass - all inputs except Mask are disabled.

• Fourth bypass - all inputs are disabled, effectively terminating the upstream node tree.

• Fifth bypass - all inputs are re-enabled.

To Disable a node or a selection of nodes:

1.

Select the target node or nodes in the Node Graph.

2.

Press D on the keyboard or right-click in the Node Graph and then select Edit > Disable.

The selected nodes are disabled, negating all but their preferred input's effect on the node tree. For example, disabling a shader node only passes the diffuse input down the node tree.

Note:  You can set the preferred input for a node by editing the node's .xml file. For example, to set Base as the preferred input: <Input Name="Base" PreferredInput='1'></Input>
Node .xml resides in the following locations, by platform:
• Windows: <install_directory>\Bundle\Media\Nodes\
• Mac OS X: <install_directory>/Content/Media/Nodes/
• Linux: <install_directory>/Media/Nodes/

3.

Press D or select Disable again to re-enable the selection.

Selecting Nodes

Mari offers a number of options for selecting nodes. Selected nodes are highlighted in yellow.

Type of Selection	How to Make the Selection
Select a single node	To select a single node, simply click on it.
Select multiple nodes	To select multiple nodes, you can either press Ctrl/Cmd while clicking on each node you want to select, or click and drag in the workspace to draw a marquee around the nodes you want to select.
Select all nodes	Press Ctrl/Cmd+A.

Renaming Nodes

If you need to rename a node, you can either:

1.

Click on the node and press N or right-click on the node and select Edit > Rename Node.

The node name becomes editable.

2.

Enter a new name and press Enter.

OR

1.

Double-click on the node to open its properties.

In the Name field at the top of the Node Properties panel, you should see the current name of the node.

2.

Delete the current name and enter a new name in its place.

Editing Nodes

To copy, paste, and perform other editing functions in the Node Graph, you can use the standard editing keys (for example, Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy, and Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste). Copied nodes inherit the values of their parent, but these values are not actively linked. Copied nodes allow you to assign different values to the original and the copy.

When you paste nodes, Mari automatically connects them to the node that is selected before the paste operation. If you don’t want to connect to anything, click on a blank area of the workspace to deselect any selected nodes before pasting.

Type of Edit	How to Perform It
Copy nodes to the clipboard	To copy nodes to the clipboard: 1.   Select the node or nodes you want to copy. 2.   Right-click in the Node Graph and select Edit > Copy (or press Ctrl/Cmd+C).
Cut nodes	To cut nodes: 1. Select the node or nodes you want to cut. 2. Right-click and select Edit > Cut (or press Ctrl/Cmd+X). Mari removes the node(s) from the Node Graph and writes the node(s) to the clipboard.
Paste nodes from the clipboard	To paste nodes from the clipboard: 1.   Select the node that you want the pasted node(s) to follow. 2.   Right-click in the Node Graph and select Edit > Paste (or press Ctrl/Cmd+V). Mari adds the nodes to the Node Graph, connecting them to the selected node.

Baking to Bake Point Node

The Bake Point node allows you to:

• Control the workflow, making the export of your scene or parts of your scene easier.

• Increase the performance of the Node Graph by baking the result at a specific node, making the render process faster.

• Configure the data definition of the textures.

To create a Bake Point node:

1.

In the Node Graph, right-click on a node where you want to bake to a Bake Point node and select Nodes > Misc > Bake Point.

The Add Bake Point dialog opens.

2.

Set the Image data. See Add Paint/Bake Point Dialog for more information.

3.

Click Ok.

The Bake Point node is created and connected to the selected node.

4.

Double-click on the Bake Point node.

The Bake point node panel is highlighted in the Node Properties palette, the following options are available:

Bake Point Node Properties	Description
Bake Point
Name	Enter the name of the Bake Point node.
Bake	To cache your nodes to the Bake Point node, click on Bake. Note:  You can also bake Bake Point nodes directly in the Node Graph, right-click and select Edit > Bake Points > Smart Bake And Update or Bake Selected. See Node Graph Functions
Delete Baked	To delete the cached results, click Delete Baked.
Use Baked	If you want Mari to use the cached results to display in the viewer and to render, enable the Use Baked checkbox. If you want Mari to disregard the cached results, disable the Use Baked checkbox.
Export Baked	To export your cached results, click Export Baked.
Export Path	Set the location where to export your cached results.
General
Management	Set whether the properties of the Bake Point node are managed by the channel or the Bake Point node itself.
File Space	To control which values are imported or exported from files, set the channel to Normal, Vector, Vector (flipped Y), or Normal (flipped Y).
Size	Set the size of the patches in the channel.
Depth	Set the color depth of the channel.
Color Data
Colorspace	Set the colorspace of the channel. Automatic is determined by the file name, size, and type of data in the channel. Changing the colorspace of the channel changes all the color pickers and swatches when working on that channel.
Raw Data	Enable Raw Data to prevent the data from being converted to another colorspace.
Scalar Data	Enable Scalar Data to indicate that pixel data is not affected by color management.
Node
Description	Enter a description for the Bake Point node.

Note:  The Bake Point node is used for caching nodes, you can't paint in a Bake Point node.

Warning:  Changing colorspace settings of a channel removes any cache from all nodes of that channel.

To update the Bake Point nodes:

Note:  The Bake Point nodes that need updating are highlighted in red.

1.

Double-click on a Bake Point node.

The Bake Point node panel is highlighted in red the Node Properties palette.

2.

Click Bake.

The Bake Point node is updated and turns green.

OR

1.

In the Node Graph, select the required Bake Point node(s).

2.

Right-click and select Edit > Bake Points > Update Selected or Update Downstream.

The Bake Point nodes are updated and turn green.

Exporting and Importing Paint and Nodes

Mari allows you to export and import Paint image data or a selection of nodes for use in other projects or layers. Paint is saved as named files or sequences and node selections are saved as .mng files.

Action	How to Perform It
Export	To export Paint data: 1.   Select the Paint node you want to export. 2.   Right-click in the Node Graph and select File > Export. 3.   See Exporting Textures from Layers for more information. Tip:  To export Paint data from multiple Paint/Bake Point nodes: Select the required Paint and/or Bake Point nodes, right-click and select File > Export. Mari opens the Export from Paint dialog for each selected node first. See Exporting Textures from Layers for more information. Mari starts exporting.
Import	To import Paint data: 1.   Right-click in the Node Graph and select File > Import. 2.   See Importing Textures to Layers for more information.
Export nodes to file	To export nodes to file: 1.   Select the node or nodes you want to export. 2.   Right-click in the Node Graph and select File > Export Nodes. 3.   Navigate to the directory where you want to store the node(s). 4.   Type a name for the export at the end of the pathway, followed by the .mng extension.
Import nodes from file	To load nodes from file: 1.   Select the node that you want the loaded node(s) to follow. 2.   Right-click in the Node Graph and select File > Import Nodes. 3.   Navigate to the directory that stores the .mng node file. 4.   Select the file, and click Open. Mari adds the node(s) described by the file to the selected node.

Customizing Node Colors and Behavior

You can customize node colors by type, such as all Filter nodes, or make changes to the appearance of the Node Graph and default node size. In the case of certain nodes, such as Dot and Backdrop, you can also customize the node's size when added to the Node Graph.

All default node parameters are stored in a file called NodeGraphStyleSheet.ini (on Windows and Mac OS X) or NodeGraphStyleSheet.conf (on Linux) which resides in your .mari or .config file depending on your operating system:

• Mac OS X:<home directory>/.config/TheFoundry/NodeGraphStyleSheet.ini

• Linux:<home directory>/.config/TheFoundry/NodeGraphStyleSheet.conf

• Windows: <home directory>\.mari\TheFoundry\NodeGraphStyleSheet.ini

Within this file there are several broad categories, which you can edit to customize the appearance of the Node Graph and the nodes it contains.

Category	Function	Example
Scene	Sets the Node Graph background color.	SceneBackgroundColor="(50,50,50,255)"
NodeStateColors	Sets the color used to denote various node states and the general appearance of nodes.	NodeTextColor="(0,0,0,255)"
Category Colors	Sets the color used to denote a particular category of nodes.	FilterNodeColor="(234,234,234,255),(125,125,125,255)"
Edge	Sets the appearance and behavior of node edges when you connect pipes to nodes.	EdgeLabelColor="(234,111,0,255)"
NodeDimensions	Sets the size of nodes that don't have specialized controls of their own, such as Dot and Backdrop.	NodeHeight=20
AutoInsert	Sets the size of the activation zone when you drag a node over an existing pipe to auto-insert between nodes.	AutoInsertItemWidth=4
Backdrops	Sets the size and appearance of Backdrop nodes.	MinimumBackdropNodeHeight=150
StickyNoteNode	Sets the minimum height of StickyNote nodes.	MinimumStickyNoteNodeHeight=30
DotNode	Sets the size of Dot nodes.	DotNodeSize=16