Graph view | Substance 3D Designer

This page presents the Graph view dock of Substance 3D Designer.

The graph view is the main window of Substance 3D Designer, where you author and edit your graphs. The graph view has two main areas: a toolbar at the top, providing quick access to certain functions, and the actual graph area where nodes are placed.

The graph view is used for all graph types, but differs slightly between Substance graphs, function graphs, MDL graphs and FX-Map graphs, mainly in the toolbar area.

In this page

Viewport navigation

The graph may be navigated using the following actions:

• Pan: MMB / Ctrl+RMB
• Zoom: MouseWheel / Alt + RMB

Using a trackpad (macOS only)

• Pan: Two-finger swipe
• Zoom: Two-finger pinch / Two-finger swipe while holding Cmd

You focus on the selected node(s), or the whole graph if nothing is selected, with the F key.

Navigation can also happen by using Navigation pins and the F2 key, see graph items below.

Moving objects

Click LMB on a object (I.e., a node or graph item) then hold and drag the cursor to move a node around the graph. If more than one object is selected, all selected objects are moved along with the one under the cursor.

If the cursor reaches a border of the Graph View while moving objects, the view is panned in the direction of the cursor. Note that the pan is faster as the cursor moves further away from the border.
This also applies to drawing selection boxes across Graph View borders.

By default, objects are snapped to the grid as they are moved. Hold Ctrl (Windows) / ⌘ (macOS) while moving objects to disable that snapping.

Graph items

Several helper objects are available to help organise and navigate the graph, especially when as it grows into a complex network of nodes which can be challenging to read:

Dot nodes let you reroute and merge connections, and can be used as portals to hide long or unwieldy connections;

Frames helps you group nodes with a visible title and color-coding;

Comments let you keep track of the purpose of a node or group of nodes, and make any other helpful annotations;

Navigation pins enable the ability to quickly jump to points of interest in the graph.

Graph contextual menu

When clicking RMB in empty space in the graph, a contextual menu appears and can include the following options:

Add node: Open the Node menu to add a node in the graph;

Add comment: Add an unparented Comment graph object;

Add frame: Add a Frame graph object;

Add pin: Add a Pin graph object;

Add Dot node: Add a Dot node;

View outputs in 3D view: Assign all the graph's outputs to a material in the 3D view by matching usages, see Interacting with the 3D view below;

Reset and view outputs in 3D view: Reset a material in the 3D view and assign all the graph's outputs to that material by matching usages, see Interacting with the 3D view below;

View output in 2D view: Display one of the graph's outputs in the 2D view, see Interacting with the 2D view below;

Compute node thumbnails: Trigger the computation of the result of all nodes in the graph – which will be stored in the image cache – and use their first output as their thumbnail;

Clear nodes thumbnails: Clear the image cache containing the result of all nodes in the graph, which in turn clears the node's thumbnails;

Save package: Save the package which contains this graph;

Paste: Paste the nodes currently copied in the clipboard, including their upstream connections, at the cursor's location. If the cursor is not in the Graph View viewport, the nodes are placed at the center of the viewport.

Paste without link: Paste the nodes currently copied in the clipboard, excluding their upstream connections, at the cursor's location. If the cursor is not in the Graph View viewport, the nodes are placed at the center of the viewport.

Select all: Select all nodes in the graph;

Previous pin: Navigate to the previous Pin object in the graph;

Next pin: Navigate to the next Pin object in the graph;

Copy selection: Copy the selected node(s), connection(s) and parameter value(s) to the clipboard;

Delete selection: Delete the selected node(s);

Delete and relink: Delete the selected node(s) and replace them by direct connections from their upstream nodes to their downstream nodes, if possible;

Duplicate selection: Duplicate the selected node(s) in the same graph, including their upstream connections, at the cursor's location. If the cursor is not in the Graph View viewport, the nodes are placed at the center of the viewport.

Duplicate selection without link: Duplicate the selected node(s) in the same graph, excluding their upstream connections, at the cursor's location. If the cursor is not in the Graph View viewport, the nodes are placed at the center of the viewport.

Select upstream nodes: Select all nodes upstream of the selected node(s);

Select downstream nodes: Select all nodes downstream of the selected node(s);

Swap links*: Swap the connections between the selected pair of input and output connectors;

Disable node/selection: Disable the selected node(s) so they have no impact on the result of the stream, see Disabling nodes below.

*: Only available when the selection includes two links, or three nodes where two of the nodes are connected to inputs of the same third node.

Working with nodes

Graphs are primarily vessels for nodes which can ingest, generate and modifiy data then output it as the graph's result. Using nodes involve the following concepts and actions.

Creating AND MANAGING NODES

Nodes can be placed in graphs in 5 ways, regardless of the graph type:

• Clicking or dragging from an icon on the node toolbar (see below). Only Atomic nodes can be placed this way.
• Right-clicking on an empty area of the graph, and choosing Add node. Only Atomic nodes can be placed this way.
• Dragging a thumbnail from the Library View into the graph View. This method works for all types of nodes, including node Instances.
• Pressing Spacebar to access the Node menu. See below.
• Using the keyboard shortcut mapped to a node. Mapping is performed in the Preferences window.

If a node is placed when another node is selected, Designer will attempt to automatically connect the new node to the old node.
This automatic connection always places the new node after the old one in the flow.

Removing nodes can be done in two ways, depending on how you want a lost link to be treated:

• Select a node and press Delete, or right-click and choose Delete selection. This breaks all existing connections, potentially leading to broken functionality.
• Select a node and press Backspace, or right-click and choose Delete and relink. This attempts to keep links when possible, preventing broken functionality.

SELECTING NODES

You may select one or more nodes to copy them, delete them, move them around the graph, etc.

To select a single node, place the cursor on the node and click LMB.

To select multiple nodes, the several methods are available:

• One-by-one: Hold Ctrl then click LMB on nodes. Unselected nodes are added to the selection, while selected nodes are removed from the selection;
• Selection box: Click LMB on empty space in the graph, hold then drag the cursor to draw a selection box. Nodes at least partially included in the box are selected when releasing LMB;
• Upstream: Click RMB on a node and select the Select upstream nodes option: the node and all nodes which are part of streams connected to the node's inputs are selected;
• Downstream: Click RMB on a node and select the Select downstream nodes option: the node and all nodes which are part of streams connected to the node's outputs are selected.

Node contextual menu

When clicking RMB on a node, a contextual menu appears and can include the following options:

View output in 2D view: Display one of the node's outputs in the 2D view, see Interacting with the 2D view below;

View in 3D view: Assign all the node's outputs to a material in the 3D View by matching usages, see Interacting with the 3D view below;

Reset and view in 3D view: Reset a material in the 3D view and assign all the node's outputs to that material by matching usages, see Interacting with the 3D view below;

View output in 3D view*: Assign a specific node output to a material in the 3D view by matching usages;

Add comment: Create a Comment graph object and parent it to this node;

Add frame: Create a Frame graph object and fit it to the selected node(s);

Copy info to clipboard: Copy the node's unique identifier (UID) to the clipboard;

Expose parameters: Display the Expose node parameters dialog for this node;

Create*: Create input and/or output nodes for each of this node's inputs and/or outputs;

Open reference*: Load the graph referenced by this node as a separate Graph view tab;

Open reference in context**: Load the graph referenced by this node in the context of the current graph, as a breadcrumb in the existing Graph View tab;

Create graph from selection: Copy the selected node(s) into a new graph;

Copy selection: Copy the selected node(s), connection(s) and parameter value(s) to the clipboard;

Delete selection: Delete the selected node(s);

Delete and relink: Delete the selected node(s) and replace them by direct connections from their upstream nodes to their downstream nodes, if possible;

Duplicate selection: Duplicate the selected node(s) in the same graph including their upstream connections;

Duplicate selection without link: Duplicate the selected node(s) in the same graph excluding their upstream connections;

Select upstream nodes: Select all nodes upstream of the selected node(s);

Select downstream nodes: Select all nodes downstream of the selected node(s);

Swap links***: Swap the connections between the selected pair of input and output connectors;

Disable node/selection: Disable the node or selected node(s) so they have no impact on the result of the stream, see Disabling nodes below.

*: Only available for graph instance nodes.
**: Only available for graph instance nodes and if the Enable in-context editing option is checked in the Preferences.
***: Only available when the selection includes two links, or three nodes where two of the nodes are connected to inputs of the same third node.

Connecting nodes

A node A's output connector can be connected to another node B's input connector, which will result in node B using the data output by A for performing its computations.

You may create a new link by clicking LMB on each of those connectors, in any order.
Also, if a node B is created while a node A is selected, then the first output of node A will be automatically connected to the primary input of node B.

The following operations may be performed on existing links:

Delete: Delete links by either clicking LMB on the link and pressing Delete, or by Alt-clicking on any connection that has links. Alt-clicking deletes all links on that connection;

Duplicate: Duplicate links by holding Ctrl, clicking LMB on a connector and dragging the cursor. Click LMB on another connector to connect the link;

Move: Links can be picked up and moved from a connector to another by holding Shift, clicking LMB on a connector and dragging the cursor. Click LMB on another connector to connect the link.

Disabling nodes

Nodes can be disabled so they have no effect in the graph but do not need to be disconnected or deleted.

Disabled nodes have the following behaviour:

• They are displayed with the  Disabled badge, a dashed outline, and an interior rerouting link instead of a thumbnail;
• The nodes will output the data received in their main input;
  
• Disabled nodes can be chained together;
  
• Their properties and connections are not modified;
  
• Their disabled state is saved and persists across sessions;
  
• When publishing to SBSAR, the resulting file takes into account the disabled state of nodes – i.e. what you see is what you get.
  

You can disable a node or a group of selected nodes by using the Shift+D keystroke, or by right-clicking in the graph and selecting the Disable node/Disable selection item in the contextual menu.

Interacting with the 2D view

To display a node output in the 2D view, double-click LMB on a node, or click RMB on the node and select the View output in 2D view option in the contextual menu. If the node has more than one output, select the desired output in the submenu.

You may display any of the graph outputs in the 2D view by clicking RMB on an empty area in the Graph view, and selecting the View output in 2D view option in the contextual menu. If the graph has more than one output, select the desired output in the submenu.

Interacting with the 3D view

To apply an node output in the 3D view, click RMB on a node and select the View in 3D view option in the contextual menu. If the node has more than one output, select the desired output in the submenu. Then choose a target channel of the shader currently used in the 3D view.

(Substance graph only) You may apply all the graph outputs in the 3D view by clicking RMB on an empty area in the Graph view, and selecting the View Outputs in 3D view option in the contextual menu. Make sure one or more Output nodes are present in the graph and that it is set up correctly.

Toolbars

Graph tools

The main toolbar can be found in every graph type, and provides general functions, as well as toggles for the visibility of the other toolbars. You can find these functions:

 Focus selection: (F) Focus view on selection, or whole scene if selection is empty.

 Reset zoom: (Z) Bring back the current zoom level to it's default state, and centers the view on the middle of the graph. Can mean zooming in or out.

 Export Graph view: Exports the full graph at a 1:1 resolution as an image. Useful for sharing a screenshot of your entire graph.

 Node information:

• Display connector name - Toggles the name display of each individual connector on a node.
• Display node result - Toggles the display of numerical values in nodes (MDL graph only)
• Display node badges - Toggles node Badges on all nodes.
• Display node size - Toggles node resolution display (Substance graph only)
• Display timings - Toggles display of millisecond timings for each node (Substance graph only)
• Limit text scaling when zooming out - Keeps the text of graph items at a constant screen size past a zoom threshold, which keeps the text clearly visible when zooming out.
  • Frames titles
    
  • Pins
  • Portals names

 Node finder: (Ctrl+F) Opens up extra are of the toolbar to search and highlight nodes within your graph.

 Highlight flow: Highlight any nodes connected before, or after the currently selected node. Good for tracing a complex path of nodes.

 Node palette: shows or hide the node toolbar, see below.

 Rectangle links: Switch between rounded or rectangular-shaped links between nodes. Not available for FX-Maps.

 Align tools: Toggles display of the Align Tools.

Only on Substance graphs:

 Parent size: Toggles display of the Parent Resolution control settings, see below.

 Link Creation Modes: Choose between Standard (1), material (2) and Compact material (3) link creation modes.

 Timings control: Lets you reset all nodes and reset all timings.

 Tools:

• Clean: removes all nodes which are part of a stream not connected to an Output node;
• Export outputs: - Opens the Bitmap Export interface;
• Reexport outputs: - performs the previous export operation again;
• PSD Exporter: Opens the PSD Exporter interface.

 Node image cache: Toggles display of the node image cache toggle, see below.

 Remove unused nodes: Displays options for removing unused nodes in graphs, see below.

Node palette

The node toolbar differs depending on the graph type:

Substance graphs: see atomic nodes and graph items.

Substance function graphs/MDL graphs: see graph items.

FX-Map graphs: see graph items.

Horizontal and vertical size are linked by default, but can be unlinked for non-square textures. Values can also be reset to the default value of 256 x 256.

When a node is computed, its output images are stored in memory – i.e., cache – so they can be reused when recomputing the graph if this node is not impacted by a change. This means only the part of the graph which actually changes gets recomputed.

The memory storage limit of this cache can be changed in the General section of the Preferences, under the Memory section.

Enabling this option results in a large boost to the overall responsiveness of graph computations, at the cost of a significant increase of Designer's memory usage.

The  Remove unused nodes tool deletes all nodes that are not part of a stream which ends in an output node. The only exception is input nodes since deleting these would change the interface of instance nodes referencing this graph.

The first option applies the cleaning to the current graph exclusively.

If the current graph is a Substance graph, a second option is enabled which lets you include all node parameter functions in the cleaning process. This means if a function graph controlling a node parameter value has unused nodes, then that graph will be cleaned as well following the same rules.

After the cleaning has completed, a report dialog is displayed. You will find more details in the Console, as logs tagged GraphCleaner. These logs will include the number of removed nodes per graph and parameter functions.

Cleaning can be undone across all impacted graphs as a single action.

Align tools

These tools are a set of simple helpers to align and organize your nodes. They work in all graph types.

 Align horizontally: Aligns all selected nodes horizontally.

 Align vertically: Aligns all selected nodes vertically.

 Snap nodes to grid: Snaps all selected nodes to nearest grid positions.