Time

The Time node provides a suite of timing outputs that update every frame while the graph is running. Seconds and Frame increment continuously from the moment the graph starts, making them ideal for driving animations and procedural effects.

Delta reports the actual time elapsed between consecutive frames. This value fluctuates with system load and is essential for frame-rate-independent animation — multiplying a velocity by Delta ensures consistent motion regardless of whether the graph runs at 30fps or 120fps.

Clock outputs the real wall clock time as a formatted string, useful for overlays or time-of-day-based logic. Unix provides the raw timestamp for precise time calculations or external synchronization.

• Animating properties over time using Seconds with math nodes
• Building frame-rate-independent motion by multiplying speed values with Delta
• Displaying a real-time clock overlay on the output viewport
• Counting frames for sequenced or stepped animations
• Synchronizing events with external systems using Unix timestamps

• Use Delta rather than a fixed time step to keep animations smooth across varying frame rates
• Seconds is a Float, so precision decreases after extended runtimes; for long-running installations consider using Unix or resetting periodically
• Frame is useful for animations that should advance in discrete steps rather than continuous time
• Clock updates once per frame, so it reflects the time at the start of each render cycle