Improve the Node Editor

[trevor.adams]

 (Copied from original User Voice forum)

"First of all, I do not understand why I have to click on the node such as "addDoubleLinear" three times to get to the input attributes?

Why if the attribute is already attached, it disappears from the shortcut menu??? All work in the node editor is reduced to the mad mouse clicking! 

Ideas: 
1) access to all (input or output) attributes inside of quick menu that appears when you try to connect to collapsed node 
2) possibility to copy part of graph with connections 
3) compounds

Please, do something like softimage ICE inside of maya (it was piece of art!!!!). 
I really want to see something like c++ maya API inside node editor (not current awful node editor), with arrays, math, visual debugging, ability to wrap graph in to compound and compile it in to node."

[molemansd7]

Just a simple thought... the way it automatically arranges nodes when adding new ones can be distracting. I currently pin nearly everything by default so I don't lose my place in complex systems. At least make the option a toggled preference or something.

[userX4542]

yes yes yes, ICE!!

[some109]

It'd be nice if you could create collapsible network boxes as well like Houdini, and add "sticky note" annotations.

[molemansd7]

Annotations of some kind would be nice. Similar to commenting your code,
you can remember what a specific node was intended for, instead of
wondering, "Why was I negating this again?"

[braden99]

+1 for compounds of Procedural recipes...

[nadirahmadmengal]

add ICE from Softimage 

[KernAttila]

I agree, this bugs me everyday and it's a big drop of productivity to have to unfold the nodes to see attributes already connected.
Also, it would be nice to have a list of all compatible attributes when dragging a connection to a node's input slot, the "other" option is there but not efficient at all. Something like SOuP's Smart Connect tool.
As many of long time maya users, I have developped the "workaround workflow", when you know something won't work, and you end up middle-click dragging a node on an other to bring up the connection editor.

[eXSst]

Each of maya's modules like nucleus or render setup that is active in the scene should be able to check for itself whether it is still in a valid state after something has been changed in the node editor.

So each module should "listen" for node editor changes and at least warn the user if his action breaks it.

[jwlove]

Here are some things that bother me about the node editor that would be awesome if they were addressed (some may have been said by many other people as well... and I'm currently working in 2017, so I apologize if any of these are already addressed...)

- the graph re-arranges every time you hit the input/output connections buttons making it really hard to keep your bearings looking at complicated node networks.  So, I pin everything as I go.  There is the option to 'pin all nodes by default' but it's not actually helpful because with that option on, graphing anything brings in all the nodes stacked on top of each other and you have to pull them apart one at a time...  So, I have to graph, pin, graph, pin, etc, etc, etc.  Ideally though, I would really prefer to not pin them and they just stay where they are - I'm perfectly capable of arranging them to make sense after that initial graphing.

- if I start with a single node and 'walk' through connections by clicking the 'input connections' button with a traversal depth of 1, the connected nodes always come in 3-4 node widths away to the right (everything else is pinned of course - like I said on the previous item).  This is fine if I'm clicking 'output connections' because outputs are to the right, but for inputs, please put them to the left!

- the whole graph re-arranges if new nodes get generated and connected (like when you run a script).  If you hit 'tab' and create a new node and connect it by hand, this doesn't happen.  This one is is also about the non-pinned node re-arrangements...  seems like there's a lot of those

- I think some node types need a little loving on what attrs show up when you unfold the node with 1/2/3 clicks.  For example, after you create a new 'multMatrix' node: 1 click shows the 'message' output attr; 2 clicks adds the 'matrixSum' output attr; it never shows the 'matrixIn' attr no matter how many times you unfold it, so I have to right click and go to 'show all attributes'.  It would be great if 1 click to unfold this node showed the 'matrixIn' and 'matrixSum' attrs since that's what you predominately use it for...  There are other nodes with similar issues - just go through all the node types and update them.

- maybe I'm just not seeing the option, but it would be great if there was an 'update bookmark' option.  If I've bookmarked a node network (so I don't lose it when nodes re-arrange), and I need to add some more nodes to it, I have to manually delete the old one in the bookmark editor, and then create a new one - but sometimes I accidentally left click the old one instead of right click to delete it, which brings up the 'old' bookmark and makes me have to go search for the nodes I was trying to add all over again and add them back to the graph to then create the new bookmark.  I've tried just using the same name after going to 'create new bookmark', but it just results in another bookmark with an identical name to the old one.

- some indication of a transform's parent node would be nice - maybe a very light gray dotted line drawn at right angles?  If the node is a parent, the line would come out the bottom, if it's a child, the line would go into the left.  Also, I wouldn't necessarily want the parent node to pop in when I graph input connections while traversing, this is more of a request that if a node's parent is in the graph, show that dotted line.

Thanks!

[trevor.adams]

This one's gathered more than enough votes - setting to "Under Review" status for a deeper investigation on our part.

[jwlove]

Something else that kind of annoys me is hitting tab in the node editor, typing out a node type, and not being able to tell the full name of the node.  The text field is not long enough for the full name of some nodes.  It's not a big issue for many node types, but I can't always remember the exact name of the node I'm looking for.  For example, there are several 'animBlendNodeAdditive___' nodes that all get cut off at 'animBlendNodeAdd' in the suggestion list.

Either, the text field and suggestion dropdown needs to be long enough to accommodate the length of all available node names, or if you start typing and then arrow down through the list, the text field itself should update with the node name of whatever is currently selected so you can select the node type that you actually want.  You've GOT to be able to see the whole node name.

I think maya 2017 did this... not sure why 2018 doesn't...

[johnkeates2865]

I just got inspired to contribute here buy the following:

I wanted to move some nodes to the right of another node, so I dragged them to the right. Maya decides that suddenly the whole view of the node editor should jump to the left, so the nodes that I am dragging go way off to the left. I try to drag them to the right again and the same thing happens.

Also, hooking nodes together frequently makes them pop randomly around the place so my whole notion of what node is what gets discombobulated.

Honestly... I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that a disgruntled programmer sabotaged the node editor code in such a way that the other programmers can't put it back or something. How did it get like this?

[johnkeates2865]

Here is link to a video showing how maddening the node editor usually is. I made a screen capture of me working and virtually every thing I did was as bad as you see here. It is discombobulating both in of itself and to wander how such a thing could possibly exist, even in this imperfect world. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1a00qccz8pq17y6/nodeEditorHell.mov?dl=0

[userX4542]

@johnkeates2865

I feel your pain.

[johnkeates2865]

By the way, I have tried 'pin all nodes by default' before and it never did anything. I tried it again in 2019, ready to come back here and make an apology and the first thing that happened is the node I connected to shot miles out of view and the unitConversion node that was automatically created went even further. 

Also, is it possible to prevent unit conversion nodes from being created? I often end up with two created either side of a node, each countering the other.

[BenediZ]

Just want to mention, because it's the same topic:

Maybe you once introduce simple helpers to sort large node graphs (and it's all the same for Hypershade).

Other softwares have backdrop-nodes, text and/or docking, to keep the graph clean, in Maya there isn't anything...

I remember that one software even gives the ability to collapse such backdrop-frames to a single button. So you have kind of subfolders within your graph, which is quite useful, because you then can work in sections and haven't to expand everything.

SubstanceNuke

[fasihulhassan]

Bifrost graph procedural graphs workflow should be included in maya hypershade and maya node editor. the recent node editor is so complex make it simple like, houdini or your own bifrost graph

[on-animation]

Add ASSETS ENCAPSULATION Functionality like Hypergraph!!!!

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2020/ENU/Maya-Man...

Why is not possible work with Assets in the Node Editor like in the Hypergraph?

Encapsulation is so powerfull but is working now only in Hypergraph... But all the people is using mainly the Node Editor.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/maya-ideas/assets-node-editor-encapsulation-like-in-hypergraph/idi-p/...

I think the assets are not enought used in the industry by things like that.

[on-animation]

I must to insist that the node editor needs functionality to work with Assets encapsulation like in HyperGraph...
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/maya-ideas/assets-node-editor-encapsulation-like-in-hypergraph/idi-p/...

[BenediZ]

Any timing on this? Node Editor and Hypershade UI? How many years of reviewing are considered?

I mean this is what we work literally every day with.

Just in comparison to the daily usage of Node Editor and Hypershade: How much time does the average user spend with Bifrost? ...maybe 0,1% of the time?