[Bf-funboard] Strong Node-Based architecture

Tue, 13 Jul 2004 16:12:53 +0200

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------000205000606000907030501
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Ok, so let's go into greater Detail.

'node-based' is basically an approach to structuring virtually any kind 
of data. By definition it means that objects (called nodes) are 
connected via inputs and outputs. An object can be any collection of 
data (like a 3D-geometry or a complicated shader). The in- and outputs 
are categorized into certain types like textures, geometry etc. By 
defining high level in- and output-types it becomes possible to control 
object's attributes in pretty amazing ways.

But there's more to it. The whole idea of describing anything just by 
data flowing among objects affects the way scenes are set up and 
problems are solved. As it might be somewhat hard to grasp at first 
glance it makes everything very simple once fully understood. It is the 
most direct way from analyzing a task to solving it.

A GUI that enables link creation by dragging lines from object to object 
is obviously the ideal way to handel these node-based systems. Thoug I'm 
not really certain about it I think that the Blender-Core would allow 
for a fair amount of this functionality. It is object-oriented after 
all, isn't it? I just wish the GUI'd allow to harvest more of it.

The well known Animation-Package Maya is completely based on this 
structure, as is the High-End compositing-tool Shake. Whoever had 
experience with those will be able to explain the benefits of node-based 
systems.

alex@schnittenparadies.de wrote:

>On Mon, 12 Jul 2004, Konrad Haenel wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Once established such a system might be extended to almost all aspects 
>>of Blender. I'm thinking of shader-editing, animation & constraints and 
>>especially compositing.
>>
>>Good Idea?
>>    
>>
>
>I don't know. Can you be any more specific as to how an improved
>OOPS view helps with projects, and what 'node-based' actually means
>in *practice* and how it improves workflow and slims the GUI?
>
>
>alex@schnittenparadies.de
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Bf-funboard mailing list
>Bf-funboard@blender.org
>http://www.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-funboard
>
>  
>

--------------000205000606000907030501
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
 <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
 <title></title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
Ok, so let's go into greater Detail. 
 
'node-based' is basically an approach to structuring virtually any kind
of data. By definition it means that objects (called nodes) are
connected via inputs and outputs. An object can be any collection of
data (like a 3D-geometry or a complicated shader). The in- and outputs
are categorized into certain types like textures, geometry etc. By
defining high level in- and output-types it becomes possible to control
object's attributes in pretty amazing ways. 
 
But there's more to it. The whole idea of describing anything just by
data flowing among objects affects the way scenes are set up and
problems are solved. As it might be somewhat hard to grasp at first
glance it makes everything very simple once fully understood. It is the
most direct way from analyzing a task to solving it. 
 
A GUI that enables link creation by dragging lines from object to
object is obviously the ideal way to handel these node-based systems.
Thoug I'm not really certain about it I think that the Blender-Core
would allow for a fair amount of this functionality. It is
object-oriented after all, isn't it? I just wish the GUI'd allow to
harvest more of it. 
 
The well known Animation-Package Maya is completely based on this
structure, as is the High-End compositing-tool Shake. Whoever had
experience with those will be able to explain the benefits of
node-based systems. 
 
 
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:alex@schnittenparadies.de">alex@schnittenparadies.de</a> wrote:
<blockquote
 cite="midPine.LNX.4.10.10407121437150.4639-100000@loom.intrr.org"
 type="cite">
 <pre wrap="">On Mon, 12 Jul 2004, Konrad Haenel wrote:

  </pre>
  <blockquote type="cite">
    <pre wrap="">Once established such a system might be extended to almost all aspects 
of Blender. I'm thinking of shader-editing, animation &amp; constraints and 
especially compositing.

Good Idea?
    </pre>
  </blockquote>
  <pre wrap=""><!---->
I don't know. Can you be any more specific as to how an improved
OOPS view helps with projects, and what 'node-based' actually means
in *practice* and how it improves workflow and slims the GUI?

<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:alex@schnittenparadies.de">alex@schnittenparadies.de</a>

_______________________________________________
Bf-funboard mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Bf-funboard@blender.org">Bf-funboard@blender.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-funboard">http://www.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-funboard</a>

  </pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>

--------------000205000606000907030501--