Internal Networks - Where is the "Final Inputs" bar?

[reck]

I've never used the internal networks before but when i've downloaded clip files in the past some of them have been packaged up into a single node with the rest of the structure in the internal network. I figured i'd have a go but when I tried copying some nodes into the internal network of my own I don't have the "final inputs" bar at the bottom.

Something else I noticed in that in the example clip file I downloaded the top level node, a colour adjust shader, doesn't have an input arrow at the top, when I add a new colour adjust shader it does have an input arrow.

[attachimg=1]

If I look at the internal network on the first colour adjust shader, the one that came with the clip file, it has a final inputs bar so I can connect up nodes to it.

[attachimg=2]

If I look at my colour adjust shader (colour adjust 2), I don't get the final inputs bar so I can't connect up internal nodes to it.

[attachimg=3]

So how do you go about placing a node network into another nodes internal network and connecting it up? Also why the inconsistency with with the input arrows and final inputs bar?

[Tangled-Universe]

As far as I know you need to manually tweak the .tgd in a text editor to place a group of nodes inside another node.

I don't think it's inconsistent. If you place nodes inside another and those nodes act as input for that node then to me its logical that there's no input anymore at the top-level since the input is already in use one level down.

[reck]

Is there really no way to create an internal network from within Terragen? Does that mean all these clip files i've downloaded over the years with self containing networks have all been tweaked with a text editor?

[Tangled-Universe]

No.

I just investigated a bit further on this and this is how to create an internal network inside TG2. So without text editors:

Create your node, say a surface layer, and click on the symbol next to the text field of the node's name. It looks like a gear.
Choose 'edit internal network'.
Inside create a powerfractal and give it a name you can remember, say 'test'
Go back to the top level to see your surface layer.
Right click on the 'child layer' input port and choose 'assign shader'.
You'll see your surface layer mentioned twice and choose the one with the internal network symbol.
Then choose the shader 'test'.

The input port disappears now and inside the surface layer you'll now see the powerfractal connected to the surface layer input at the bottom.

That's it!

[jo]

Hi,

That internal connection bar is dynamic. It appears and disappears depending on whether there are connections from an internal node to the connecting node. Martin's steps describe how you could get the internal bar, or add an node input to the bar if it was already there. If you then broke the connection the node input will stay inside until you do something like save and load a project or clip containing the node, where it will reappear back on top of the node. It would also appear back on top of the node if you made a connection to a node that wasn't inside the containing node.

Regards,

Jo

[reck]

Thanks Martin, Jo,

I understand now. I think the thing that was throwing me was that I couldn't see how to link up the last node in the internal network to the parent node. I had no idea you could right-click on the input port to assign nodes.

Cheers