Why can't I connect node inputs in compositor?
In material nodes, I often create groups that I connect inputs to within the group, so I can have an external value drive the values within the group. In the screenshot, I cannot drive the glare values from outside of the group. Ideally, I should be able to have an input in my group and use a math node to say that the vertical glare is 75% or whatever the fade of the horizontal one. Unfortunately, because you don't expose those values to inputs, I have to manage each one individually inside of the group, even though I reuse that group all the time (appending node trees across blends, for example, I should be able to just tweak the values in one place each time I use it). This is sadly a very common problem in compositor, where shockingly few values actually get connectable inputs - it's far more common for a compositor node to have a value that can be connected to anything on the input side than the opposite! (forgive my exasperation here, but why‽)
2 Comments
When they add the concept of a boolean input to compositor, and not just geometry nodes, we might have this some day.
I think the reason those other values have no socket is because they change when you change the type, and also, it would make no sense to plug a texture into them. They are fixed values. I still would like to be able to change these outside a nodegroup, so maybe they could add a "fixed value" type socket.
Note that almost none of those node values can be connected to anything. What gives?