Render node
Canvas
Composites a generator node's texture onto the output viewport in 3D space. This is the only way to make a generator's visual output visible on screen. Multiple Canvas nodes layer on top of each other to build the final rendered scene.
Inputs
| Port | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
| EnableOff takes this layer out of the composite entirely. | bool | true |
| ImageThe generator texture to composite. Connect more and extra image ports appear — they all draw together in this one layer. | image | — |
| MaskOptional image deciding where this layer is visible. Bright areas show it, dark areas hide it. | image | — |
| Mask ModeWhich channel of the mask image is read — Alpha, Red, Green, Blue or Luminance. Values outside the list fall back to Alpha. | int | 0 |
| Mask InvertFlips the mask so the layer shows where it was hidden. | bool | false |
| OpacityTransparency of the whole layer. Useful 0…1; it is not clamped, and above 1 the layer over-brightens rather than becoming more solid. | float | 1.0 |
| Position XMoves the layer sideways in Grafit units, 0 being the centre of the view. | float | 0 |
| Position YMoves the layer up and down in Grafit units, 0 being the centre of the view. | float | 0 |
| Position ZMoves the layer toward or away from the camera — positive is closer and looks larger. Depth maps over -100…100. | float | 0 |
| Rotation XTilts the layer around its horizontal axis, in degrees. Any value works; it just keeps turning. | float | 0 |
| Rotation YTilts the layer around its vertical axis, in degrees. Near 90° it turns edge-on and disappears. | float | 0 |
| Rotation ZSpins the layer in the picture plane, in degrees, positive clockwise. Any value works. | float | 0 |
| SizeAuto stretches the layer to the full render view and follows every resize; Custom uses Width and Height. Cabling Width or Height forces Custom. | int | 0 |
| WidthLayer width in Grafit units when Size is Custom. 2 matches the short edge of the view. | float | 2 |
| HeightLayer height in Grafit units when Size is Custom. 2 matches the short edge of the view. | float | 2 |
| ScaleUniform multiplier on top of the layer's size. Not clamped — 1 is original size, 0 collapses it to nothing. | float | 1.0 |
| Blend ModeHow this layer mixes with what is already drawn — Normal, Add, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Subtract, Difference, Exclusion or Negative. | int | 0 |
| Depth TestOff composites strictly by layer order. On lets Position Z decide what hides what, giving real 3D overlap between canvases. | bool | false |
| Scale XStretches the layer sideways on top of Scale. Cable an Align's Scale X here (with Scale Y) to fit, fill or stretch a picture into a frame. | float | 1.0 |
| Scale YStretches the layer up and down on top of Scale. Cable an Align's Scale Y here. | float | 1.0 |
| ClipA frame outside which nothing of this layer is drawn — a live crop. Cable an Align's Clip here so a Fill picture stays inside its cell. | structure | — |
How It Works
The Canvas node is the bridge between generator nodes and the output viewport. Generator nodes (such as shapes, text, images, and particle systems) produce offscreen textures via their Image output. The Canvas node takes that texture and places it as a textured quad in the 3D output scene.
Position X, Y, and Z control where the quad appears in Grafit coordinate space. Rotation X, Y, and Z orient the quad in 3D, specified in degrees. Width, Height, and Scale determine the quad's size. Together, these parameters provide full 3D placement of any generated texture.
The Mask input accepts a second texture that controls which parts of the main Image are visible. In alpha mode, the mask's alpha channel determines visibility. In luminance mode, the mask's brightness is used instead. Mask Invert flips the masking so that originally hidden areas become visible.
Blend Mode controls how the Canvas composites with everything drawn beneath it:
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
| Normal | Standard alpha blending |
| Additive | Adds color values, creating glow and light effects |
| Multiply | Darkens by multiplying color values |
| Screen | Lightens, the inverse of multiply |
Multiple Canvas nodes render in layer order (Layer 1 = back, higher layers = front), building up the final composited scene. Depth Test can be enabled for correct 3D occlusion when multiple canvases overlap in Z space.
Use Cases
- Displaying any generator output (shapes, text, images, particles) on the viewport
- Layering multiple visual elements with different blend modes for compositing effects
- Positioning and animating textures in 3D space
- Masking visuals using a second generator's output
- Building multi-layer scenes with controlled depth and blending
Tips
- Every generator node needs a Canvas node to be visible; without one, the texture exists but is never drawn
- Use Additive blend mode for glow, light, and energy effects; use Multiply for shadows and darkening
- Position Z combined with Depth Test enables proper 3D layering when canvases overlap
- Animating Position, Rotation, and Scale with Time or Mouse nodes creates dynamic motion
- Set Enable to false to temporarily hide a layer without disconnecting it from the graph
- Width and Height default to 2 (covering the viewport from -1 to +1), so a Scale of 1.0 fills the shortest viewport dimension exactly
Open Canvas in the interactive catalog →
Canvas is one of 381 nodes in Grafit Pro.
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