Network editor

Overview

See how to use the network and parameter interface.

The network editor lets you see and edit the nodes in a folder in the scene hierarchy, and the connections between the nodes.

Usually you will have a network editor alongside a linked parameter editor , which lets you view and edit the parameters of the nodes you select in the network editor. You can also press P in the network editor to split it into a network view and a mini parameter editor.

Toolbar

	Changes the display of the network editor to a list.
	Displays a small network overview box in the bottom left corner of the network editor pane.
	Displays a small color palette in the bottom left corner of the network editor pane. You an change the color of selected nodes by clicking a color on this palette.
	Creates a network box around selected nodes so you can group nodes visually.
	Creates a yellow text box where you can comment on nodes or networks.
	Creates a subnet which lets you encapsulate multiple nodes inside a single node.
	Lines up the horizontal edges of the selected nodes.
	Lines up the vertical edges of the selected nodes.
	Moves the selected nodes so they have an equal amount of horizontal space between them.
	Moves the selected nodes so they have an equal amount of vertical space between them.
	Snaps nodes to the closest grid position.
	Displays the network editor grid. When this button is on, snapping is enabled.
	Opens a dialog that allows you to search for a node in your network. You can also open this dialog by pressing Ctrl + F in the network editor.
	Opens the display options dialog for the network editor.

Network view

The layout area shows a graphical representation of the nodes in the network and connections between them.

Node

Nodes are represented in the layout area by a box, with an icon showing the node type, flags, and inputs and outputs.

If the node is drawn with red stripes, it means the node did not cook properly. If the tile is drawn with a yellow and black border, it means the node only partially cooked, and may be producing bad data. In either case, press MMB on the tile to see the error or warning message.

Inputs	Connect to the outputs of other nodes. Many SOPs take geometry as input from “upstream” nodes, modify it, and output the modified geometry, to be used as input to other nodes.
Outputs	Connect to the inputs of other nodes. Many SOPs take geometry as input from “upstream” nodes, modify it, and output the modified geometry, to be used as input to other nodes.
Flags	Most node tiles have areas on the tile that you can click to turn certain flags on or off for that node. Some flags toggle on and off when you click the flag area, but some flags can only be on for one node at a time.

Press RMB on the icon to show a context menu for the node.

Tip

Press N in the network editor to toggle between the node names, names of the tools that created the nodes, and no names.

Node context menu

Toggle flag name	Use these menu items to switch the display flag, render flag, template flag, or lock flag on and off. They are the same as clicking the colored flags on the tile.
Take Toggle Display flag name	Add the state of the flag to the current take.
Preview Window	(SOPs only) Opens a new viewport in which you can view and edit the SOP’s geometry. This lets you see the effects of work in other panes, or higher up in the chain, on that sop.
Spreadsheet	(SOPs only) Opens a geometry spreadsheet for the SOP in a new floating window.
Extended information	Opens an Extended Operator Info window for the node.
Save Geometry	(SOPs only) Lets you save the SOP’s geometry as a `.geo`, `.bgeo` (Houdini geometry), `.poly`, `.bpoly` (action geometry), `.rib` (RenderMan), `.dxf`, `.iv` (Inventor), or `.obj` file (see file formats supported by Houdini ). You can read the geometry back into Houdini use the File SOP.
Save Texture UV to Image	(SOPs only) Lets you render out a UV image from the SOP.
Parameters	Opens a parameter editor for the node in a new floating window.
Animatable Parameters	Opens an Animatable Parameters window for the node.
Scope Channels Dialog	Opens a Scope Channels Dialog for the node.
Create Nested Channel Groups	Creates a hierarchy of channels in the channel editor corresponding to this character asset’s parameters.
View Dependencies	Opens a View dependencies window for the node.
Edit Comment	Opens a window where you can view and edit the node’s comment field. This is the same as clicking the comment icon in the parameter editor.
Edit Parameter Interface	Opens the Edit Parameter Interface window for the node.
Align Vertical Edges	Lines up the vertical edges of the selected nodes.
Align Horizontal Edges	Lines up the horizontal edges of the selected nodes.
Distribute Selected Horizontally	Moves the selected nodes so there is an equal amount of horizontal space between them.
Distribute Selected Vertically	Moves the selected nodes so there is an equal amount of vertical space between them.
Create Digital Asset	(Subnets only) Creates a new scripted subnet from the node and saves it to a `.optype` file. You can then load the `.optype` file using File > Install OP Type. You can script this using optyperead, optype, optypeinstall, and optypeuninstall.
Hide/Expose Inputs/Outputs	Hides or displays the node’s inputs/outputs.
Select Inputs/Outputs	Selects all nodes that connect into/out of the node.
Save to Gallery	Opens the Edit Node Gallery Entry window for the node.
Change Type	This lets you change the node to a different node type, while optionally keeping its name, parameters, and network contents.
Select	Selects the node.
Reference Copy	Creates a copy of this node that gets all its values from the original.
Delete	Deletes the node. The network does its best to reconnect the remaining nodes.
Help	Opens the help for the node.
Operator Type Manager	Opens the Operator Type Manager window.
Type Properties	Opens the Operator Type Properties window.

Background context menu

Tool Menu

Opens the Tab menu.

Add

Allows you to add a file operator, bundle, group, new network, network box from selected nodes, or a sticky note.

View Nodes as a List

Changes the display of the network editor to a list. You can also press T to toggle between the regular view and Tree list view.

Viewing Controls

Home All	Pans and zooms to center all nodes in the network pane. You can also do this by pressing H in the network editor.
Home Selected	Pans and zooms to center the selected nodes in the network pane. You can also do this by pressing ⇧ Shift + H in the network editor.
Frame All	Pans and centers all nodes in the network pane. It is similar to Home All, but does not zoom. You can also do this by pressing F in the network editor.
Frame Selected	Pans and centers selected nodes in the network pane. It is similar to Home All, but does not zoom. You can also do this by pressing ⇧ Shift + F in the network editor.
Previous Zoom Level	Reverts to the previous zoom distance. You can also do this by pressing Z in the network editor.
Expose All	Exposes all hidden nodes. You can hide selected nodes by choosing Hide Selected in the menu or pressing ⇧ Shift + D.
Hide Selected	Hides selected nodes in the network. You can redisplay them by choosing Expose All in the menu or pressing ⇧ Shift + E.
Show Operator Tree/Parameters/Groups	Displays the tree view, parameter editor, or groups in the network editor pane. These can be toggled on and off by pressing W, P, and X respectively.
Display Options	Opens the Network Editor Display Options dialog.

Layout Controls

Layout All/Selected	Organizes and spaces nodes neatly. You can also
Align All/Selected to Grid	Snaps nodes to the closest grid position.

Cut/Copy/Paste

Cuts, copies, or pastes selected nodes.

Delete/Rename/Collapse

Deletes, renames, and collapses selected nodes.

Select All

Selects all nodes in the network editor.

Node Connections

Bypass Selected Nodes	Turns on the bypass flag of the selected nodes. You can also do this by clicking the bypass flag of specific nodes, or by pressing ⇧ Shift + B in the network editor.
Reorder Inputs on Selected Nodes	Switches the order of inputs on selected nodes. This only works on nodes with multiple inputs. You can also do this by clicking R in the network editor.
Disconnect Selected Node Inputs	Disconnects all inputs of the selected nodes but leaves the outputs intact.
Disconnect Selected Node Inputs and Outputs	Disconnects all inputs and outputs of the selected nodes. You can also do this by selecting the nodes and shaking them from side to side.

Navigate

Jump Up to Container Level	Navigates the network editor up to the container level. This can also be done by pressing U in the network editor.
Dive Into Contained Network	Dives down into the network of the selected node. This can also be done by pressing I or Enter when the node is selected.
Select First Input/Output Node	Navigates up or down the network from the selected node. This can also be done by pressing PgUp or PgDn when a node is selected.
Select Left/Right Sibling	Navigates between siblings of the selected node. This can also be done by pressing ⇧ Shift + PgUp or ⇧ Shift + PgDn when a node is selected.

Find Node

Opens a dialog that allows you to search for a node in your network. You can also open this dialog by clicking in the toolbar or pressing Ctrl + F in the network editor.

Scope/Delete Channels

Scopes or deletes animated parameters on the selected node.

Run Script

Opens a dialog which you can use to run Houdini scripts with user interfaces.

Show Network Editor Toolbar

Allows you to toggle the toolbar display on and off.

Note

The toolbar preferences are saved as part of the Desktop.

Enable Drop-on-Wire

When this checkbox is turned on, you are able to drag and drop nodes onto wires to connect them to the network. You can also toggle this option on and off by pressing E in the network editor.

Gear menu

For the contents of this menu see Background context menu above.

List view

List view shows all nodes in the current network and their flags and attributes in a tabular format. Right click in the network editor and choose View nodes as a list.

Ordering

Right click in list view and open the List Order submenu to set the order in which nodes appear in the list.

User Defined	Lets you manually set the order of nodes by dragging them.
Alphabetical	Sorts the nodes by name.
Operator Type	Sorts the nodes by type.
Hierarchical	In Object networks (OBJ), this sorts the nodes into a tree according to parent-child relationships. Child objects are indented under parent objects. If the indenting would push the node off the edge of the pane, `+number` is used instead to show how many additional levels the node would be indented.

Troubleshooting

A yellow-and-black outline around a node means the node only partially cooked, possibly because of bad input data. Red stripes over the icon mean the node had an error. You can press on the node’s icon to see the warning or error message.
You can also use the performance monitor to log cooking errors as they occur.
In the tree view you can use the hotkeys ((e)) to jump to the next error node and E to jump to the previous error node.

Reference Network editor