Image Layer Node
In
Shader Editor
and
Compositing
we need a Node that could be act like Layer in bitmap editor layers system to avoid of mess and conflict.
right now for adding more than two Image on top of each other you need tons of nodes to combine them together. I know right now we can do it even by node group but it will save a lots of time.
With this new node we can add more than two Image just in one node with desired amount and fill colors with masks and opacity at once...
Indeed this Node is Mix node in core but ability to layer it in more than two Image at once just in one node.
24 Comments
No need even for the +/- buttons, just always have an empty socket at the bottom of the tree and add/remove entries as they're plugged/unplugged.
* @matt.heimlich * I think that would be a departure from the way it's currently done. Also - you would have to always have a blank one for your code to ignore at the bottom.
* @matt.heimlich * it could be, but you have to remember that a new layer always have a color If you not wire it with image. so empty layer have to contain nothing...
* @matt.heimlich * yes, no need "-" (because you don't know what layer need to be deleted), but need "+" (as * @ammusionist * sad about blank).
* @ammusionist * Not a whole blank layer, just a simple empty socket.
I know this is not my topic, but maybe the node should look something like this?
* @Eugene D * just wonderful. It could be. the Idea behind this is important and what kind of UI is best serve to that concept is great.
I think that each layer should have an up/down arrow to reorder the easily without having to disconnect/reconnect nodes. Or drag and drop but i don't know how hard it would be to do
* @darknoodlesorigine * yeess... or meybe drag-able! that would be really great...
This would greatly simplify the node graph for my NPR shaders, and it'd be even more flexible than using several mix nodes. Great idea.
* @Josephbburg * for me too. shrink the wiring time and simplify the node count...
Isn't something like this possible already with node groups?
* @testure * yes you can but you have to wire it first then for each extra layer instead of one button to go, you have to go back inside your group and add a few new node...
* @aslan.tamjidi * It's not clear from your mockup that you intend for the node to work in that way. In your mockup, you have two images connected, and no option for a third- which means you would have to string additional nodes together (or create a node group anyway)
nice Idea, it seems doable with python.
* @Aditia A. Pratama * I don't think it's possible to make custom material nodes in Python. I've never seen any. There are Python material nodes for external renderers, though, so maybe it can be done.
Do you know of an example of custom Python nodes using Cycles/EEVEE?
* @Aditia A. Pratama * I don't know nothing about Python. if it's doable more ppl could able to write it for Blender...
* @Josephbburg * github.com/aachman98/Sorcar/blob/master/nodes/_base/node_base.py
I think this is a good example, but I'm not sure about capability of compositor or shader editor for this purpose.
* @Josephbburg * ah yes, for cycles and eevee I think you need to create your own build for this purpose, but if you check in addon directory, cycles actually has it's own addon directory, so probably injecting our code to that folder will do the job. Again this is only my assumption, haven't check it yet 😁
* @aslan.tamjidi * yes and no, IMO you can prototype it with group node and create python operator for it.
* @Aditia A. Pratama * Wow, that addon is beyond awesome. I'll have to try to play around with that some! Although, I'm still skeptical that it's possible to define custom nodes for Cycles or EEVEE (at least without doing some work exposing some more of Blender's C/C++ functions to Python).
This is like a double factor mix node? I can see this coming in handy.. a lot.
* @Andres Stephens - Trinumedia * indeed this is a Mix node but let you add limitless Mix nodes together just in one node.
* @aslan.tamjidi * Less nodes for more functionality.. I'm totally into that kind of UX.