Lock Preview and Underlays
Last updated
Last updated
Locking preview to a node shows only the that node in the viewport. When a node preview is locked, changes made to the other nodes will force updates to all nodes between that node and the locked node. This allows you to see the end result of a change.
To pin a node, right-click it and select Lock Preview. You can also select the node and press F. Now when you edit any other node before the locked node, the changes will propagate all the way to the locked node every time.
The locked node can be accessed quickly from the Toolbar in the Data Editor. It is shown as a green link.
By default Gaea will use the nearest "Heightfield"/Terrain node to display the structure beneath the color or mask. However, if your graph splits or follows a secondary path to the color node, then it may use an incorrect node to display the terrain. To prevent this, all you have to do is go to the correct heightfield node, right-click and select "Use as Underlay".
To use a node as the underlay, right-click the node and select Use as Underlay. You can also select the node and press G.
The Underlay node can be accessed from the toolbar in the Data Editor. It is shown as a purple link.
To see a flat preview, click V to temporarily toggle a flat preview in the viewport.
Be mindful when you modify nodes that are before the Underlay. If they are part of the chain that leads up to the Underlay node, modifying them will cause all nodes in between to update as well, much like normal Lock Preview. This can make Gaea slow when working in 2K or higher preview resolution.
If Gaea detects such an Underlay, it will show a warning in the Property Editor.
