Introduction¶

The different node editors are used to work with node-based workflows. Each node editor type has its own specific purpose. Therefore, this section only explains how to work with nodes in general. In the list below it shows a list of different types of node trees and where each is documented.

Example of a node editor.¶

Icon	Name	Documentation
	Shader Nodes	Documentation is in the Render section.
	Composite Nodes	Documentation can be found in the Compositing section.
	Texture Nodes	Texture Nodes are covered in the UV editor docs.

Editor Interface¶

Header¶

The Header contains various menus, buttons and options, partially based on the current node tree type.

Common node editor header options.¶

View: This menu changes your view of the editor.
Select: This menu allows you to select a node or groups of nodes.
Add: This menu allows you to add nodes.
Node: This menu allows you to do things with selected nodes.
Use Nodes: Tells the render engine to use the node tree when computing the material color or rendering the final image, or not. If not, the tree is ignored. For materials, this is mostly a legacy option, because in the past materials could not be created with node trees.
Use Pinned: When enabled, the editor will retain the material or texture, even when the user selects a different object. A node tree can then be edited independent of the object selection in the 3D View.
Go to Parent button: This button allows you go to parent node tree e.g. leaving a group.
Snapping: Change options for snapping node positions to achieve a cleaner node tree layout.

Navigating¶

Navigating the node editors is done with the use of both mouse movement and keyboard shortcuts.

Pan MMB: Move the view up, down, left and right.
Zoom Ctrl-MMB, Wheel: Move the camera forwards and backwards.
View Selected: NumpadPeriod
View All: Home

Adding Nodes¶

Reference

Mode: All Modes
Tool: Toolbar
Menu: Add
Hotkey: Shift-A

Nodes are added via the Add menu or using the Shift-A shortcut.