User Manual

Using Compound Nodes
Another node structure you can use to keep complex node trees organized is the compound
node. You can Command-click to select any number of nodes in the node tree (selected nodes
are highlighted white), and then use the “Create Compound Node” command to nest all
selected nodes inside of a single node.
Before/after creating a compound node
The resulting compound node that’s created has as many inputs and outputs as are necessary
to accommodate the connection lines that attached the nodes you selected to the rest of the
node tree.
You can use compound nodes to organize complicated node trees by nesting sets of nodes
that work together to do a specific thing within a single node. You can also turn a set of nodes
that you’re using to create a specific effect into a compound node in preparation for saving to
the Gallery. Creating a library of effects in this way makes it easy to reuse them via the Append
Grade command, without the undue burden of adding lots more nodes to your grade later on.
Methods for creating and working with compound nodes:
 To create a compound node: Command-click each node you want to nest inside of a
compound node to select them with a white highlight, or drag a bounding box around
a group of nodes. Then, right-click one of the selected nodes, and choose Create
Compound Node from the contextual menu.
 To edit a compound node: Either hold the Command key down while double-clicking
the compound node you want to open, or right-click any compound node and choose
Show Compound Node from the contextual menu. The contents of that node appear in
the Node Editor, taking the place of the overall node tree.
Chapter – 124 Node EditingBasics 2838