About Requiring Input for Dynamo Graphs

To make Dynamo graphs more adaptable to meet your needs, they can be designed to request user input before use.

Before using Dynamo Player to run the graph, you can provide input directly in the Dynamo Player interface. This feature avoids the need to learn and use Dynamo to make project-specific adjustments to the graph.

Setting up a Dynamo Graph to Require Input

Before you can use Dynamo Player to run a graph that needs project-specific input, the graph writer must use Dynamo to prepare the graph to request the input.

To prepare the graph, the graph writer must do the following:

1. Open the graph in Dynamo.
2. Right-click a node that needs input, and select Is Input.
3. For any nodes that you do not want exposed in Dynamo Player, right-click a node and clear Is Input.
4. Save the graph and share it with Civil 3D users.

Supported Input Types

Any interactive selection or drop-down user interface (UI) input node in Dynamo works in Dynamo Player. Dynamo Player supports input for certain types of nodes in a Dynamo graph, including but not limited to the following:

• Select Object
• Select Objects
• Choose Object Type
• File Path
• Directory Path
• String
• Boolean
• Number
• Number Slider
• Integer Slider
• Custom Selection

The specific types of nodes that support input will change over time. As Dynamo users create new node types, Dynamo Player may not immediately support input for them. Over time, however, Dynamo Player may support input for those node types, if appropriate.

Outputs

Nodes set as Is Output in the Dynamo graph will appear as outputs in Dynamo Player. Alternatively, you can expose a Watch node in Dynamo Player so users can see the results. Set the Watch node as Is Output and give it a custom name.

Unsupported Input Types

In a Dynamo graph, some types of nodes do not support input from Dynamo Player. In Dynamo Player, these inputs are marked with the text Unsupported Input Type.

When running a graph, Dynamo Player ignores unsupported input types.

• If the node has a default value or is not required for the graph, the graph can run successfully without resolving the unsupported input type.
• If the graph requires a value for that node, the graph will not run. To provide a value, click Edit in Dynamo to open the graph in Dynamo, and make changes there.