User guide

13 Groups, Macros, and Super
Tools
Groups, Macros and Super Tools are ways of creating higher level compound nodes out of other nodes. Groups and
macros are created in the Katana UI, while Super Tools are created using Python.
Groups
Group nodes are nodes that can contain a number of child nodes. They are typically used to simplify the Node
Graph by collecting nodes. Group nodes can be duplicated like any other node, creating duplicates of any child
nodes. For an introduction to groups, and their uses, see the Groups and Macros > Introduction to Groups chapter
in the Katana User Guide.
The simplest way to create a group is by selecting one or more nodes in the Node Graph and pressing G. A new
Group node is created, with the previously selected nodes as it’s children. Any connections between selected nodes
are preserved. You can also create an empty group by choosing Group from the Tab hotkey node creation menu.
As well as standard Group nodes - which can have child nodes of any node type - there are two special convenience
Group nodes to make it easier to collect multiple nodes of the same type: GroupStack and GroupMerge.
GroupStack nodes are for nodes with a single input and output (such as MaterialAssign), and connect all the internal
nodes in series. GroupMerge nodes are for nodes with a single output that don't require any input, and connect all
the internal nodes in parallel using a Merge node. To create a GroupStack or GroupMerge node of a particular node
type simply create a GroupStack or GroupMerge and Shift+middle-drag a node of the desired type into it, from the
Node Graph tab.
Group nodes - as with any other node - can have user parameters, with which you can add parameters to a node,
and interactive connections between parameters. See the Adding User Parameters section for more on adding and
using user parameters.
A Group node comprised of nodes with no incoming or outgoing connections outside the group, will itself have no
input or output ports. For a group to have input or output ports, its child nodes must have suitable connections
outside the group, or they must be explicitly created. For more on Group nodes, and their incoming and outgoing
connections, see the Group Nodes section.