Create Channels from Node


  • Where to find it: 


    • NodeGraph / Right Mouse Click / Edit / Misc


    • Main Window / Extension Pack / Nodegraph / Edit /   Misc



  • Shotcut (Nodegraph Only): F4

    




Overview


The Channels from Node Tool allows you to quickly create Channels for Node Outputs and Shader Inputs, with your personal preference and presets for naming,

resolution etc. Optionally presets can also be standardized across a team via an Environment Variable.


An Example of creating the necessary channels for a material with one click


Video



Nodes vs Shaders


  • If the Channels from Node Tool is launched with a regular Node selected, the resulting channels will be attached to the Node Outputs
  • If the Channels from Node Tool is launched with a Shader Node selected, the resulting channels will be attached to the Shaders Inputs


Presets



  • Using the Channels from Node Dialog you can save Presets of Channels Names and Channel Configurations, to quickly recall them between projects.
  • The active preset selected, when executing the Dialog ('Create Channels' Button) is saved and restored the next time you open the dialog
  • Presets can be exported and imported using configuration files.
  • Presets can be auto populated from an Environment Variable MARI_CHANNELS_FROM_NODE



Preset Dropdown


Choose from a saved preset.


Selecting a preset will update the Channel Name Fields, Resolution, Bitdepth etc. in the dialog if the presets

contains values for the corresponding node ports on the selected node in the node graph


Executing the dialog via the 'Create Channels' Button while a preset is selected, will trigger this preset to be reselected

the next time the dialog opens




Create new Preset

 

Adds a new preset to the preset list. 

WIthin presets all settings from the main section of your dialog will be saved except:


      • Active Row State
      • 'From Channel' Custom Resolution



Delete Preset

 

Deletes the currently active preset.


Please note, if the preset was automatically added via an environment variable, the next time the Dialog is opened, the preset will

reappear in the dropdown



Update Preset

 

Updates the currently selected Preset with the settings found in the main section of the dialog.


Please note, if the preset was automatically added via an environment variable, the next time the Dialog is opened, the preset will

revert back to the preset provided by the Environment variable



Rename Preset

 

Renames the currently selected preset



Export Presets

 

Exports all presets in your dropdown as a configuration file.



Import Presets

 

Import Presets from a configuration file. If presets with same names already exists, a dialog will prompt you for conflict

resolving


Example of a conflict resolve dialog for importing presets


Presets via Environment Variables


To standardize presets within a team of artist you can Export Presets  and point the Environment Variable


    • MARI_EP_CHANNELS_FROM_NODE


to the preset file.


Users opening the dialog while such an Environment Variable is loaded will:


    • have all Presets included in the Configuration File/Environment Variable populated into their preset dropdwon
    • Presets from the Environment Variable will be the preferred presets in case of duplicate names
    • The Preset that was active when the Configuration File was saved will be the initial active preset (until user chooses another one

and confirms/executes the dialog



Row Activation Quick Buttons


Create Channels from Node will only create channels for the Activated Rows when the dialog is executed.

You can activate rows either by selecting the row (or multiples) and clicking on the row activation checkbox.



In addition to manually selecting or multiselecting rows some quick row activation buttons are available at the top of the dialog:


All 

Activates all Rows


Hotkey: Alt + A


None

Deactivates all Rows


Hotkey: Alt + D


Inv

Inverts the current row activation(s)


Hotkey: Alt + I


Connected

Activates all rows that correspond to ports that have an existing node connection. 

Regardless of Row Activation, Rows corresponding to ports with  a connection will always be listed at the top


Hotkey: Alt + C


Example of Base Color, Roughness and Normal Slot being activated after clicking the 'Connected' Button



Selected

Will activate the currently selected rows


Hotkey: Alt + S


Last used

Will activate the rows, that were active the last time the dialog was executed (if port names exist as well on currently selected node).

The Last Used Mode is the default Mode that is being activated when the dialog is launched.


Hotkey: Alt + R


Row Selection Quick Buttons


By using Row Selection Users can quickly change settings for multiple rows at once


Example of multi row selection and changing settings


The quick row selection buttons at the top of the dialog allow you additional row selection control:


All

Will select all rows


Hotkey: Ctrl + C


None

Will deselect all rows


Hotkey: Ctrl + D


Inv

Will invert the row selection


Hotkey: Ctrl + I


Active

Will select any row that has been activated / has its row checkbox activated


Hotkey: Ctrl + S





Row Settings


Each row in the main section of the dialog corresponds to one node port on the selected node.

Only ports are shown that do not have an existing channel attached to them.


Row Activation Checkbox

Activating the checkbox on the far left side of a row will trigger the corresponding channel to be created when the dialog is executed



Shader Input / Node Ouput Name

The Port the resulting channel will be connected to.


    • If the dialog was launched with a shader node selected, this will display the shader input port name(s)
    • If the dialog was launched with a regular node selected, this will display the shader output port name(s)
    • If a material node was selected, this will display the full length port name



Shader Input / Node Ouput Short Name

If a shader or material was selected when the dialog was launched, this will display the 'Short Name' of the Port.

Short Names are the abbreviated Port Names for Shader Inputs the Mari Material System is using.


Channel Name

The name the new channel will be given when the dialog is executed.

Channel Names support Variables for auto filling in parts of Channels Names.


Supported Variables are:


$ENTITY

Replaced with the Object Name


$VERSION

Replaced with the Geo Version Name



Resolution

The resolution the new channel will be given when the dialog is executed.


    • 256x256,512x512,1024x1024 etc.


You can choose from the standard Mari resolutions which will result in uniform texture resolution

across all udims


    • From Channel


Specify an existing channel in your project to inherit udim specific resolutions from





View Source Channel


The Channel that is assigned as source can be viewed in the Resolution Dropdown's Tooltip


Depth

The Bit Depth the new channel will be given when the dialog is executed.


Colorspace

The Colorspace the new channel will be given when the dialog is executed.


Raw / Scalar

Determines if the Channel should contain Raw Data and if the Viewport Color Transform should be activated when

viewing the channel