Spline (Cubic) Stops Previewing Correctly with Spline Merge List

[Alvin Manning]

I'm pretty sure this is a bug, but please correct me if the issue is something on my end:

1. 13.0.2
2. Windows 10
3.  Create Spline (Cubic), connect it to another Spline (Cubic), connect the result to a Spline Merge List.
4.  The final result is as expected, albeit with two issues: 1. the tangent handle lines are no longer visible in the 2D preview when one of the spline nodes are selected and 2. The last Spline (Cubic) node gets squashed into 2048x16 C32F, making it uneditable. The effect always happens to the final Spline (Cubic) node in the chain, regardless of how many are connected.

[Alvin Manning]

The same effect "squashing" effect happens with a Spline 2D Transform node if it is the final node in the chain leading into a Spline Merge List.

[Alvin Manning]

Further updates: Spline Fill seems to cause the same effect as Spline Merge List. Even Spline Append gets squashed down by either of those two nodes.

[Alvin Manning]

NOTE: If you connect the Preview output to any other node, the issue is not present.

[davescm]

1. I replicate that here - the controls are there but the connecting handle is missing when viewing the merge list but clicking on a previous spline node to adjust it

2. If still viewing the merge node, the controls for the last spline node are visible (albeit with the same issue as above - the individial circles are not connected to the associated point with a line.
To preview the last spline node, you can double click the preview output (no need to connect it)

Dave

[Cyril Dellenbach]

Hello @Alvin Manning,

Sorry for the late answer.

This isn't a bug, but I admit this isn't a very intuiative behavior.

1. The tangent lines aren't visible, because the preview is on the Spline Merge List which doesn't support those tangent lines. Therefore, you can edit/move the handles from a previous Spline (cubic) node, but not preview its tangents.

A workaround in order to see the entire thing would be to plug the last Spline (cubic) preview connector to a Blend node, in addition to the preview of the Spline Merge list.

2. The last spline node being "squashed" is also the expected behavior. The 2D preview of a node is always the main connector plugged to the next node. Considering the Preview connector won't be plugged with a Merge List (or else) the 2D preview comes from the Spline Coordinate which is indeed a 2048x16 map.

With that being said, you can double click on the output Preview connector in order to see the 2D preview of the node.

Best regards,

[davescm]

Thanks for confirming this - and for the workaround blend mode in '1.'

Dave

[Alvin Manning]

Hi Cyril,

That is indeed an unintuitive behavior, but thank you for explaining. 

[harryteasley]

So, let me get this straight: spline nodes appearing squashed when they're linked to various output nodes is expected behavior.

You can avoid that behavior by simply linking the preview output to some random other node.

I wonder if there are any users out there who want the expected behavior. My sense is that 999 times out of a thousand, users will always just add a node to the preview output, so they can do things like edit the spline while it's connected to the graph, and know what they're doing.

I would just change the expected behavior.