Operators and Nodes

The operator is the type of node that can be added to a graph.

When a node is created in a graph, we say that it is an instance of an operator. A node's name is the name of its operator preceded by an integer that identifies it (for example, 3: Add). The integer is unique to the graph in which the node appears.

Operators either perform computations, or they represent a graph's input or output. Constant values are a special case of computation.

Output Nodes

An output operator (listed in the Outputs category) determines the type of the tool or compound that a graph represents. You must have exactly one output node in each graph.

Input Nodes

Input nodes can be explicit or implicit:

• Explicit inputs are listed in the Parameters category. These are shown automatically in the tool's UI.
• Implicit inputs are listed in the Implicit Parameters category. These inputs are provided by 3ds Max, depending on the type of the tool.
• Compound inputs are listed in the Inputs category. These are the input types that a compound can have.

Constant Nodes

Constant data can be encoded in the graph using the Constant operator. The Constant node has an edit box. It computes the data type dynamically by parsing the text string you enter. Using the constant operator you can encode the following types:

• integer

  Enter any number without a decimal point; for example 42.

• single

  Enter any number with a decimal point; for example, 3.14 or 1.0.

• string

  Enter quotation marks around the text; for example, "Hello world".