Houdini 21.0 Networks and parameters

Network editor shortcuts

A quick reference for hotkeys and user interface shortcuts in the network editor.

On this page

View keys
Adding to the network
Wiring
Tools
Navigation
Working with nodes
Laying out nodes
Clicks and drags
Notes and network boxes
Finding nodes

Tip

Look through the menus to discover network editor functionality and keyboard equivalents.

View keys ¶

Key	Alternate	Description
`Space` +		Pan
`Space` +		Zoom
`H`		Pan and zoom to show all nodes
`G`		Pan and zoom to show the selected nodes

Adding to the network ¶

Key	Description
`⇥ Tab`	Add a node to the current network from a menu.
`=`	Add a File node (if available in the current network).
`⇧ Shift` + `O`	Add a network box to the current network. If any nodes are selected, they are added to the box.
`⇧ Shift` + `P`	Add a sticky note to the current network.

Wiring ¶

Key	Description
on connector	Drag between two connectors, or click one connector and then the other, to wire nodes together.
on connector	Insert a new node before any currently connected nodes.
on connector	Branch a new node off the connector.
`Alt` + on node	Show a menu of connectors to start wiring from. This can be useful when you're too zoomed out to hit the connectors.
`Y`	Hold `Y` and drag across wires to cut (disconnect) them.
Shake node	Disconnect from any wires.
`Alt` + on wire	Add dot. You can also `Alt`-click while drawing a wire to insert a dot “on the fly”.
`Alt` + on dot	Pin/unpin the dot. You can also `⌃ Ctrl` + `Alt`-click while drawing a wire to insert a pinned dot “on the fly”.
`8` while dropping node	Holding `8` temporarily disables wiring the node in if you drop the node on a wire. This lets you drop a node without worrying about accidentally rewiring it if there is an existing wire in the same area. If you've turned off Tools ▸ Allow dropping nodes on wires, then holding `8` temporarily enables dropping a node onto a wire to wire it in.

Tools ¶

Key	Description
`P`	Toggle a floating parameter editor pane in the top right corner of the network.
`⇧ Shift` + `W`	Toggle a tree view of the complete network hierarchy on the left of the network.
`O`	Toggle the network overview in the bottom left corner of the network.
`C`	Toggle the color palette in the bottom right corner of the network.
`Z`	Toggle the shape palette in the bottom right corner of the network.

Key	Alternate	Description
Double-click	`Enter`	Double-click a node to go inside, or select it and press `Enter`.
`U`		Press `U` to go up a level.
`⌃ Ctrl` + ‹`N`›		Press `⌃ Ctrl` and a number from 1-5 to set a quick mark.
`⇧ Shift` + ‹`N`›		Press `⇧ Shift` and a number from 1-5 to return a set quick mark.
` (backtick)		Go back to the previous view. This lets you quickly switch back and forth between two views, possibly in different networks.
`PgUp`		Select the node upstream (connected to the input) of the currently selected node.
`PgDn`		Select the node downstream (connected to the output) of the currently selected node.
`⇧ Shift` + `PgUp`		Select the previous sibling node of the currently selected node.
`⇧ Shift` + `PgDn`		Select the next sibling node of the currently selected node.

Working with nodes ¶

Key	Description
	Press on a node to show the node info window while you hold the button down. This is a quick way to glance at the information in the info window.
`⇧ Shift` +	Press `⇧ Shift` + on a node to show the node info window without cooking the node. This may be useful for nodes that take a long time to cook.
`Alt` + drag node	Create a copy of the node.
`S` + drag box selection	Holding `S` locks the drag to be a selection. This can be useful if there’s not enough “empty” space to start a box selection without hitting something else.

Laying out nodes ¶

// Note: have to indent this so the Include below doesn’t get sucked under this heading.

Key	Description
Drag node + `Space`	When dragging a node, hold `Space` to lock the mouse pointer inside the network view. This lets you autoscroll long distances without worrying about the mouse pointer going outside the pane.
`A`	Hold `A` and drag up/left on a node to automatically lay out the upstream nodes. Drag down/right to lay out the downstream nodes. If some nodes are selected, only those nodes are moved.
`⇧ Shift` + `A`	Select the nodes to align, then hold `⇧ Shift` + `A` and drag on the node to align to. Drag left/right to align horizontally, or up/down to align vertically.
`Alt` + `A`	Select the nodes to move, then hold `Alt` + `A` and drag left/right on a node. Drag left/right to distribute horizontally, or up/down to distribute vertically.

:include flags#keys:

Clicks and drags ¶

Action	Description
	Select.
`⇧ Shift` +	Add to selection.
`⌃ Ctrl` +	Remove from selection.
`Alt` +	Start wiring from a node.
`Alt` + `⇧ Shift` +	Select node and all its inputs.
`Alt` + `⌃ Ctrl` +	Select node and all its outputs.
`Alt` + `⇧ Shift` + `⌃ Ctrl` +	Select node and all inputs and outputs.
Drag	Move.
Drag `⇧ Shift` +	Move node and all its inputs.
Drag `⌃ Ctrl` +	Move node and all its outputs.
Drag `Alt` +	Drag out a copy of selected node(s).
Drag `Alt` + `⇧ Shift` +	Drag out a copy of the selected node(s) and all inputs.
Drag `Alt` + `⌃ Ctrl` +	Drag out a copy of the selected node(s) and all outputs.
Drag `Alt` + `⌃ Ctrl` + `⇧ Shift` +	Drag out a reference copy of the selected node(s).

Notes and network boxes ¶

Key	Description
`⇧ Shift` + `P`	Add a sticky note.
`⇧ Shift` + `O`	Put selected items in a network box.
`⇧ Shift` + `J`	Minimize any selected notes and/or boxes.
`⇧ Shift` + `K`	De-minimize any selected notes and/or boxes.
`⇧ Shift` + `M`	Shrink the selected network box to fit its contents.

Finding nodes ¶

Key	Alternate	Description
`⌃ Ctrl` + `F`	`/`	Open the find dialog.
`⌃ Ctrl` + `G`	`>`	Select next match in the last search results.
`⇧ Shift` + `⌃ Ctrl` + `G`	`<`	Select previous match in the last search results.

Networks and parameters

Networks ¶

Network editor

How to create, move, copy, and edit nodes.
Network navigation

How to move around the networks and move between networks.
Connecting (wiring) nodes

How to connect nodes to each other to make them work together.
Network types and node flags

Flags represent some state information on the node, such as which node represents the output of the network. Different network types have different flags.
Badges

Badges indicate some status information about a node. They usually appear as a row of icons below the name of the node.
Node Info

The node info window shows a quick overview of statistics and information about a particular node.
Find nodes in a network

How to use the Find dialog to find nodes based on various criteria.

Editing parameters ¶

Parameter editor

How to change the behavior of nodes by changing their parameters.
Ramp parameters

Explains the tricks to working with ramp parameters.
Pattern matching in parameters

An explanation of the special characters available in pattern-matching parameters.
Modifying a node’s interface

How to change the parameter interface of a node.
Parameter references

How to create references between parameters and create node copies that reference the original.

Next steps ¶

Laying out nodes

How to automatically clean up, align, and distribute nodes.
Organizing, customizing, and annotating nodes and networks

How to keep your networks neat and well documented.
Node and parameter paths

Every node and parameter has a unique pathname you can use to refer to it.
Visualizing dependencies

How to display lines and indicators representing channels references between nodes.
Network editor options

Guide to network editor options.
Network editor shortcuts

A quick reference for hotkeys and user interface shortcuts in the network editor.

Rename nodes

Expressions ¶

Parameter expressions

You can enter expressions into a parameter so its value is computed instead of being static or keyframe animated.
Expressions in filenames

How to use variables and expressions in file path fields to generate numbered and unique filenames.
Spare parameters

How to add extra parameters to an individual node.
Expression cookbook

Tips and tricks for writing expressions to accomplish various effects.
List of expression functions

Expression functions let you compute the value of parameters.

Recipes ¶

Saving and using recipes

How to save parameter settings and groups of nodes so you can recreate them as needed.
Recipe Builder

Creates a subnetwork with spare parameters to use as a container for recipe creation.
Scripting recipes

How to use scripts to create, apply, and run in recipes.
Recipe data format

Details the data format for recipes.

Reference ¶

Network editor menus

Explains all the menu items in the network editor menus.
Parameter editor

Guru level ¶

Customizing the info window

Studios and asset authors can add custom information to the info window.
Parameter Motion Effects

Motion Effects let you easily add secondary motion to keyframed parameters (usually translate, rotate, or scale parameters), such as jitter or overshoot.
Custom HScript expression functions

How to add custom functions to the HScript expression language.