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How Do You Create a Custom Node Group in Blender?

Published in Blender 3 mins read

You can create a custom node group in Blender by using the Node Wrangler addon. This addon provides a user-friendly interface for creating and managing node groups.

Here's how to create a custom node group:

  1. Enable the Node Wrangler addon: Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons and search for "Node Wrangler." Enable the addon by clicking the checkbox next to it.

  2. Select the nodes you want to group: In the node editor, select the nodes you want to include in your custom group.

  3. Create the node group: Right-click on any of the selected nodes and choose "Make Group" from the context menu.

  4. Rename and customize the group: A new node group will be created with a default name. You can rename it by double-clicking on the group's name and then typing in a new name. You can also customize the group's input and output sockets by dragging and dropping them from the "Group Input" and "Group Output" sections.

  5. Use the custom node group: Once you have created your custom node group, you can use it in your node tree by adding it as a new node. This will create an instance of the group, allowing you to reuse the same nodes with different inputs and outputs.

Example:

Let's say you want to create a custom node group that combines two images using the "MixRGB" node.

  1. Add two "Image Texture" nodes and a "MixRGB" node to your node tree.
  2. Connect the outputs of the "Image Texture" nodes to the "Color1" and "Color2" inputs of the "MixRGB" node.
  3. Select all three nodes.
  4. Right-click on any of the selected nodes and choose "Make Group."
  5. Rename the group to "Image Mixer" and customize the input and output sockets as needed.

Now you have a custom node group called "Image Mixer" that you can use to combine any two images.

Practical Insights:

  • Node groups allow you to streamline your node trees, making them more organized and efficient.
  • You can use custom node groups to create reusable components that can be used in multiple projects.
  • Node groups can also be used to create complex effects that would be difficult to achieve with individual nodes.

Solutions:

  • If you need to modify the nodes within a custom node group, you can double-click on the group to open it in the node editor.
  • You can also create nested node groups, allowing you to create complex and hierarchical node structures.

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