Connect nodes without joining the pipes manually

Can you select the preferred input from one node to another without having to connect the pipes manually? Will there be any keyboard commands that solve that?

Can you select the preferred input from one node to another without having to connect the pipes manually?

Hi Eliot!

Yes. You have several options that you can choose from.

StatixVFX KissConnect and MergeConnect Hotkeys

StatixVFX has a "Nuke2Fusion" package in the Reactor package manager that helps artists migrate to Fusion/Resolve by easing the transition process.

This atom package has a "stx_KissConnect" feature that is used by touching one node against another so they "kiss", then you tap the "k" hotkey in the Nodes view to connect them via their default connection ports. This is inspred by Flame and Smoke's node kissing concept.

There is also a "M" hotkey that can be used to activate the "stx_mergeConnect" feature to connect 2D compositing nodes to a common merge node. A "Shift + M" hotkey activates the "stx_merge3DConnect" feature that to connect many Fusion 3D system nodes to a common merge3D node.

You can read more about them on the StatixVFX GitHub page. Here are two gif-a-mations of the stx merge features that was pulled from the nuke2fusion docs:

stx_mergeConnect.gif (278.8 KiB) Viewed 1998 times

stx_merge3DConnect.gif (656.07 KiB) Viewed 1998 times

Node Connection Contextual Menu

Also, if you don't want to have to drag precisely from one node output connection and land exactly on another nodes input connection you can try this approach out:

If you hold down the Alt (Win/Linux) or Option (macOS) key down on your keyboard while dragging from the output connection on one node, over to the center of the node shape on another node, you will see a contextual menu list of node input connections appear.

Alt_Drag_Connection_Line.gif (103.08 KiB) Viewed 1998 times

You can then choose one of the inputs by name, and the node output connection will be connected instantly to that named input.

(This approach can be useful if you are dealing with nodes like CubeMap node where you can have the "separate images" layout is active which exposes six input connections you need to connect imagery to.)

Oh thank you very much Andrew. You are a hero!

Hi, sorry for digging out old topics, but i have a question about that Kiss Connect.
Does it not work in Fusion 18 Standalone ?