Utility
Utility nodes remap the values depending upon the node’s algorithm.
Curve¶
Remap Value to custom curve.
Fast Eval¶
Use a custom multi-threaded formula for evaluating the curve.
Curve¶
The visible result of the function used to remap input values.
Reload Curve¶
Blender doesn’t allow for creating or saving of UI curves. In order to get a node as we have in NodeScapes we create an RGB Curve shader node in a hidden node group. If this node group or the source node is deleted, the curve in the NodeScapes node will disappear and reveal this button. Clicking it will recreate everything it needs to in order to have the curve again. It will also recreate the curve if the curve node had been executed previously.
Understanding the Curve Node¶
Animated representation of the relationship between the x-axis (input values) and y-axis (output values)
The curve node is just a graph. It takes the values (heights) and passes them through the curve. The curve is just a visual representation of a mathematical formula or function or func (\(y=x\), \(y=2x\), \(y=2x^2\), etc.). So if we look at the example curve here we see that if we plug in an input value of 0.0 (\(y=func(0.0)\)) we will get an output value of 0.0 because where the x-axis equals 0.0 the y-axis also equals 0.0 on the curve (ex. 1 below). If we plug in 0.5 as the input value (\(y=func(0.5)\)) we get an output value of 1.0 because where the x-axis is 0.5 the curve is at 1.0 on the y-axis (ex. 2 below).
| Input of 0.0, Output of 0.0 | Input of 0.5, Output of 1.0 |
|---|---|
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Examples¶
Using a gradient node we can visualize the curve in the geometry.
Bell Curve¶
| Node Layout | Result |
|---|---|
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Squiggle Curve¶
| Node Layout | Result |
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Noise with Curve¶
| Base Geometry | Node Layout | Result |
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Edge Fade¶
Fade Value to 0 as it gets closer to the edge of the falloff.
Split Radi¶
Split the radius up into X and Y in order to create an ellipse fade off cone
Fade Type¶
Linear: Fades out linearly ( each value is equally less than the one before)
- Ease: Eases in and out
- Ease More: Greater ease in and out
Fade Direction¶
X or Y
Coordinates¶
The coordinates you want to fade out
Angle¶
Rotate the fade direction
Offset (X, Y)¶
Moves center of Fade relative to the center of the object
Radius¶
Distance in Blender units to start fading
Falloff¶
Distance away from the Radius in Blender units to reach 0
Examples¶
Base¶
| Node Layout | Base Geometry without Edge Fade |
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Fade Type¶
| Linear Fade | Ease Fade | Ease More Fade |
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Fade Direction¶
| Fade only in the X direction | Fade only in the Y direction | Fade in the X and Y direction |
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Radius/Falloff¶
| Radius: 0.5 | Radius: 0.5 + Falloff: 0.5 |
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Offset¶
| Base Offset: (0, 0) | Base Offset: (0.5, 0.5) |
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Split Radi¶
Split Radi: (0.4, 0.8)
Angle¶
Rotated 45º
Gradient¶
Returns a gradient of selected type from 0-1.
Type¶
Linear: Create a gradient from 0 to 1 of the given axis (X or Y)
Direction:
- X: Gradate along the X axis
- Y: Gradate along the Y axis
Circular¶
Create a gradient from 0 to 1 in a circular shape with 1 being in the middle and 0 at the edge
Radius
- X: Sets the circular radius in the X axis
- Y: Sets the circular radius in the Y axis
Offset
- X: Move the center of the gradient in the X axis
- Y: Move the center of the gradient in the Y axis
Coordinates¶
Connect the output of the nodes you’d like to use for creating a mask here
Examples¶
Example Node Layout
Linear¶
X Axis
| Geometry | Weights | Linear |
|---|---|---|
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Y Axis
| Geometry | Weights | Linear |
|---|---|---|
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Circular¶
Geometry
| Radius 1x1, Offset 0x0 | Radius 1x1, Offset 1x1 | Radius 0.5x0.5, Offset 0x0 | Radius 0.5x0.5, Offset 1x1 |
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Weights¶
| Radius 1x1, Offset 0x0 | Radius 1x1, Offset 1x1 | Radius 0.5x0.5, Offset 0x0 | Radius 0.5x0.5, Offset 1x1 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Vertex Colours¶
| Radius 1x1, Offset 0x0 | Radius 1x1, Offset 1x1 | Radius 0.5x0.5, Offset 0x0 | Radius 0.5x0.5, Offset 1x1 |
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Interpolate¶
Change the size and density of the current changes
Interpolation Type¶
Nearest Neighbor
- Align vertices to the closest vertex. More Info
Bilinear
- Smooths from one vertex to the next in a straight line. More Info
Bicubic
- Smooths from one vertex to the next in a smooth curve shape. More Info
New Size¶
- The number of Blender Units in the X and Y axes
New Density¶
- The number of faces per Blender Unit
Interpolation Types:¶
Wiki Image: Comparison of 1D and 2D Interpolation
Use:¶
Using the Hydraulic Erosion node with a lower resolution mesh can give more realistic results, such as more large erosion grooves. Using the Interpolate node afterwards can then provide greater detail for other nodes
Interpolation Example
Map Range¶
Linearly remap Value.
Value¶
Link values you’d like to affect here
Interpolation Type¶
- Linear
- Stepped Linear
- Smooth Step
- Smoother Step
From Min¶
All values less than and equal to this value will be remapped to To Min
From Max¶
All values greater than and equal to this value will be remapped to To Max
To Min¶
The smallest value you want to export
To Max¶
The largest value you want to export
Examples¶
Node Layout
From Min: 0, From Max: 1, To Min: 0, To Max: 1
From Min: 0, From Max: 1, To Min: -0.1, To Max: 0.1
Remap 0-1¶
Remaps all values to be between 0 and 1 without clamping.
Useful for making Vertex Color and Weight maps
Examples¶
| Node Layout | Base Geometry without Remap 0-1 | Using remap 0-1 |
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Smooth Step¶
Remaps Value to a given curve
Ease In¶
Ease in with the given curve
Ease Out¶
Ease out with the given curve
Easing Function¶
Sine
Ease using the sine formula.
Quadratic¶
Ease using a quadratic curve.
Cubic¶
Ease using a cubic curve.
Quartic¶
Ease using a quartic curve.
Quintic¶
Ease using a quintic curve.
Exponential¶
Ease using an exponential curve.
Circle¶
Ease using a circle curve.
Back¶
Ease using a back curve (pushes smallest and largest values up/down a bit respectively).
Elastic¶
Ease using an elastic curve (similar to Back but multiple times).
Bounce¶
Ease using a bounce curve (a curve one might use to animate a bouncing ball).
Example¶
Node Layout
Base Geometry without Smooth Step
| Ease Function | Ease In | Ease In/Out | Ease Out |
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| Sine |  |
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| Quadratic |  |
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| Cubic |  |
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| Quartic |  |
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| Quintic |  |
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| Exponential |  |
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| Circle |  |
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| Back |  |
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| Elastic |  |
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| Bounce |  |
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Camera Mask¶
Results in a map of values either '0' or '1'. '0' means the vertex is not visible by the selected camera. '1' means the vertex is visible by the selected camera. Useful for mixing or creating vertex groups for efficient particle placement
Camera¶
The camera to use for visibility
Coordinates¶
Connect the output of the nodes you’d like to use for creating a mask here
Padding¶
Expand the mask beyond the camera bounds.
Examples¶
Result¶
Example Node Layout
| Geometry Result | Weight Result | Color Result |
|---|---|---|
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| Result when Camera Mask node is linked to the Displacement input of the Mesh Output node. | Result when Camera Mask node is linked to the Weights input of the Mesh Output node. | Result when Camera Mask node is linked to the Colors input of the Mesh Output node. |
Padding¶
Padding Example using the layout from above
Update Example¶
When a Camera Mask node is selected in the NodeScapes node tree and its chosen camera is moved or its lens/render dimensions change the node will update with each change
Update Example using the layout from above
Normal Mask¶
Results in a map of values from 0-infinity relative to how close each vertices' normal is to the target normal and the threshold value
Clamp¶
Values higher than 1 and lower than 0 are ignored and set to either 1 or 0 respectively
Target Normal¶
This is the large sphere in the node
Click and drag to rotate the sphere in order to choose the normal value. Default value is a normal facing directly up, usually meaning a flat surface
Show Normal Sphere¶
Display the target normal as a sphere to easily rotate the normal
When off the target normal is displayed as 3 float values
Normal Picker¶
Click a place on the object to choose the normal in that area
Coordinates¶
Connect the output of the nodes you’d like to use for creating a mask here
Threshold¶
How lenient to be when including normal values close to the targeted normal
Falloff¶
How far from the target normal + threshold value to fade out the mask
Example¶
Example Geometry Result using the Normal Mask node
The following images are all using the above layout
| Base Geometry | Vertex Color Result | Vertex Weight Result | |
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| Normal Mask Result as Geometry |  |
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Slope Mask¶
Results in a map of values from 0-infinity relative to how close each vertices' slope is to the Target Slope and the Falloff
Pick Slope¶
Click a place on the object to choose the slope in that area
Coordinates¶
Connect the output of the nodes you’d like to use for creating a mask here
Target Slope¶
How great of a slope to include in the map
Slope is how steep the terrain is at each vertex
Effectively this is the Normal Mask but doesn't care about direction, only slope
Falloff¶
How lenient to be when including slope values close to the targeted slope
Example¶
Example Node Layout
The following images are all using the above layout
| Base Geometry | Vertex Color Result | Vertex Weight Result | |
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| Slope Mask Result as Geometry |  |
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Transform¶
Transform the mesh without affecting the object's transform data
Translate¶
Move the mesh
Rotate¶
Rotate the mesh
Scale¶
Scale the mesh
Vertex Edits¶
The 'Vertex Edits' node allows you to save manual edits to the geometry from Sculpt Mode or Edit Mode and keep adding and changing node settings.
Save From Edit Mode¶
Enter into Edit Mode to make changes. Only changes to the Z axis will be saved. The mesh will be reverted and changes not saved if an vertices or edges are added during this mode.
Save From Sculpt Mode¶
Enter into Sculpt Mode to make changes. Only changes to the Z axis will be saved. Do not turn on Dynamic Topology or else the mesh will be reverted and any changes unsaved.
Clear Vertex Edits¶
Clicking this button will clear the edits saved to this node
Saving Edits¶
Saving Edits Example. Here a heart was drawn beforehand using sculpt mode
Changes are saved when clicking either of the Save from Mode buttons which enters into its respective mode for changes to happen. Once Object Mode has been re-entered the new coordinates are compared with the original coordinates and the difference is added to what was saved previously.
- Each Vertex Edits node can save a new and completely different edit.
- The mesh will be updated to the point the Vertex Edits node exists in the tree. So what is visible in Object Mode may change once Save from Mode has been clicked
- Making changes to the Grid node may cause errors. To fix these errors go back to your original density and size OR clear the edits and do them again.