[Draise]

I like the new add All Nodes thumbnails tab to add new nodes for Material nodetrees. It is a perfect replacement for the  SHIFT+A floating menu to add nodes.

But compositing nodes are not included, and when we use another node system like Animation Nodes, where the SHIFT+A from Blender is necessary to see what nodes you can add (without having to guess through a search with CTRL+A). I can’t use the All Nodes tab in the Compositing Node layout, because the majority of those nodes don’t work for compositing. I also can’t use that panel for Animation Nodes.

And now, I have to be extremely savvy to know what nodes I should search for, but for nearly hundreds of different nodes, I think my muscle memory is not able to know what to add or search for. This is not artist friendly at all.

• I was wondering, can we justify adding back the SHIFT+A floating add menu for the Compositer, Material in the Node Panel and also for the Animation Nodes addon, including any other node addons that may use that system?
• Could we alternatively create a menu button in the Node Panel bar to call up the Add menu from the bar?

 

• Could we add and populate the full list of the floating add items into a Add menu without it floating? (Animation nodes has that already, so that one is ok, but Compositing, Materials doesn’t have that, nothing really – making that Add menu… really useless, maybe it should be called “Search” menu)

 

• Could we make the All Nodes tab dynamically repopulate according to the different nodetree add menus, for compositing and other thirdparty nodetrees?

I use it a lot, and I can’t imagine anyone not using it (when the material All Nodes panel doesn’t cut it, which it only succesfuuly does when in Material Nodetree view mode, but not in Animation, Compositing or any other Node Tree mode).

Having to be really savvy and memorize many many nodes by searching is definately not user friendly.

For compositing or animation node workflow, the CTRL+A search option should not be the first choice for easy learning/working and adding nodes, and good work for finding the easier method for Materials Nodetrees, but Compositing or any other third party nodetrees are lacking drastically in that area.

 

:dance:

[Draise]

And yes, the tabs for the node sections are also there in the Composite Nodetrees and Material Node Trees…. but not the case for third party nodetrees.

I guess I just see that one system, the keyboard shortcut from Blender, for the float menu directly under mouse, and the Add menu, have been opted for the tabs system, and only Material nodes have an All Node tab system – which makes sense, so I don’t have to click so many times switching tabs, and just bring them ALL up at once with one mouse or key call.  What I would suggest is having a similar system for Compositing and/or third party Animation Nodes.

 

:dance:

[Reiner]

Hey Draise,

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven’t really touched the node editor yet, developmentwise. Just removed a few double menu entries. The rest is still Blender. For the removed hotkey, i don’t want to add it back really. The nodes are available in the sidebar. And with the prinicple shader available you will not use them alot anymore anyways. On the other hands, the other things the animation nodes, hmmhmm. The problem here is: the Add menu is empty now. I have removed the content. And so you call an empty menu with this hotkey now. Seems that we need some more thinking here.

The All Nodes addon was a first incomplete shot to find out if this brings an improvement. But i am not happy with it.The icons loads eons. You name it, it is incomplete. It’s ways too much icons at once. I would have to separate it even more. And i think about to remove it again. Not sure yet.

[Draise]

Ah.. that explains a bit. I do like the All Nodes panel, though yes, slower to load. I have used it a lot already by default because I see everything I need and don’t have to switch tabs to get a quick prototype. 

Since the Animation Nodes populate the Add menu drop down entry by default, which I am happy enough using it like that – it’s efficient enough – maybe removing the All Nodes tab from Materials Nodetree and others (though I love it – maybe removing it then putting the icons into the other tab add entries instead – they make sense) THEN repopulating the Add bar menu to have all nodes open as the node overview without necessity to have a workflow where having to “discover” them through tab switching slows things down. This might be the consistent solution for the Add node overview menu approach to all node editors.

Maybe the UI goals would be to:

1. General workflow of having a big picture of all nodes, easy mouse over access, for quick creative nodetree development with no tab switching or extra clicks to change the Add tabs category. Good for learning and quick prototyping, artistic.

2. Then have the specific workflow for production specific topical adding process where it would be easier to stay on tab and add said nodes of said group for specific adding process without having to visually “search” for the right item in many. Good for production once you know what you’re doing in an organized mannor.

 

:dance:

[Draise]

Here is just an idea:

Currently the Add menu is.. virtually empty. I can search and add, or add templates which I believe to be addon specific.

It makes no sense at the moment, because there technically is nothing to add from that menu.

There is a halfbaked Material>All Nodes Overview system in the tabs, which makes sense if it were dynamic and consistent with the other nodetrees, but it’s slow and visually cacophonic and uncompatible with thirdparty nodetrees, as clarified.

and FYI, Animation Nodes don’t populate the tabs…

Solution A: Having both a tab system and the add menu in the bar would solve the two goals: quick overview of all nodes on mouseover and production specific orginization on tab switch.

Solution B: Though.. just having ONE system, where one tab is essentually the second system with the All Nodes overview type workflow and removing the add menu from the bar entirely (moving the search and add to All Nodes tab menu with it’s own section, that could be pinned to other tabs) may be a great solution too. 

:dance:

[Reiner]

The add menu contains at least one item. The search. So i cannot remove it completely at the moment. And the past has shown that i better don’t remove such menus anyways. It’s a possible place for addon developers. What i could do is to move it to somewhere else. But i haven’t found a good place yet. For that i would have to redo the tabs in the tool shelf. Which would need some internal rewrite.

As told, i haven’t really started development in the node editor. I also still think about possible improvements. Maybe i even leave this area as it is.

You could nevertheless put your suggestions into the tracker. That way they don’t sink in the forum. But i cannot promise anything. So much other things to do first … ^^

[Author]

Posts