Auto patching

vvvv beta general
#1

Hallo,
just some random burbling, what about an “auto patching” function where when 2 nodes get close to each other to a certain threshold and there are in/output pins of the same data structure then a connection is automatically created and confirmed when the moving node is released.

Another interesting function could be something like

S.

#2

This could be done with set patch…
why not prototype something and see if you like it?

#3

If something like this will be ever made by devvvvs, I’d really like

  • to have it off by default
  • toggled only with the use of a command when launching vvvv.exe
  • toggled only if it is an odd, no, better an even day - as they are fewer and I cannot afford to get a new keyboard\mouse\pc\table\chair\window\respect from neighbors\god’s sympathy every day.
#4

this may work for 3 nodes as shown in the video, but in an actual project I consider this highly unfeasible …

#5

Hi,
of course this is just rambling thinking…

@catweasel yes that is of course the way to try it out I just posted it to see reactions and opinions such as that one from

@h99 ;)

@readme that is probably the main drawback, but maybe a second key binding to activate the option while moving may help

S.

#6

I think that the point is that since vvvv lets you chain flawlessly bool, floats and integers, it would be useless try to code some logic out of it: it would end with too much possibilities to manage the thing without it seeming a rather casual behavior.

Even with a key binding, it would be frigging frustrating: vvvv has usually very complex nodes - read it as many input pins.
What does this mean and what are the consequences, imo? Over and above another rant from you-know-who about another key combo, you would spend much more time

  • trying to position the node so that is created the correct link between the two pin that you mean to be linked
  • swearing out loud because it’s hard
  • apologizing for it with people around you
  • swearing again, but softly
  • being heard again
  • apologizing again
  • moving to another room
  • widening the node so to space pins
  • moving carefully the node around
  • creating the right link
  • patching some more
  • randomly undoing stuff
  • repeating from point 2 to point 6
  • thinking to buy 3 up to 5 monitors to have the chance to see all at once a logic part of the patch

rather than move approximately there a node, click on a pin and click on another pin.

Imo, indeed, the vimeo video shows a barely nice thing, but useless, if not dangerous at all.

#7

Hi,
about, let’s call it function 1 (auto-connection), you must think about the threshold, it can be set small enough (even down to 0) so that new connections would be created when there is a clear intention by the user, i.e.: I drag a Geometry node’s output pin close enough to a Shader node’s Geometry input pin, with threshold to 0 the pins should touch each other before the connection is created.
I don’t think that this function would be that much different as a helper as the middle click node creation function, clear intention, faster patching.
About function 2 (break a connection and create 2 new ones using the moving node) this is of course a more difficult beast, as what happens if there are multiple possibilities on the input pins of the moving node?
In both cases the idea of “disabled connection” should be available, taking my first example, when I drag the Geometry node close enough to the Shader node the connection is visible but not activated until I release the mouse button, confirming my choice.
This function is not available right now so I don’t think it is possible to prototype it with Setpatch.

S.

EDIT: now that I come to think about it, wouldn’t be useful a “connection disabled” function? So that connection could have three states: active, active/hidden and disabled. Useful if you want to disable it momentarily without loosing it.

#8

on the lines of this idea, somthing that could speed up patching is a linking function that when clicking close to a node starts a links from the nearest pins and with another click closes the link to the nearest compatible pin on the nearest node(to the mouse), somethimes i find frustrating to miss pins clicks.

#9

@sapo I’d like better enlarging pins (pins yes!) when approached by the cursor, which would end up being more or less the same.
FullHD displays on 15 inchers can be a real pita on this issue.
S.