[4/2/26] node frustrations

sometimes you have to sit down and ask yourself:

how many times can i explain how to make the same nodegroup without losing my mind...

and the truth i've realized is - that number for me is finite. and perhaps smaller than people would like. and the solution is so soooo simple. just make the node (and those like it) a free preset. no need to go over the same minutiae every tutorial. every. single. damn. time.

and this solution is something i actually set up a long time ago (in the form of an addon - it grabs the newest pack update and populates the asset browser). it's free and it will always be free.



but alas - the people still complain :(




fair enough in one sense. very frustrating in another.

at least as of writing, my goal with my videos is to make something i would personally watch. that means videos about ideas - not necessarily the click-for-click exact workflow. especially if my bases are covered in the sense that the 'missing nodes' are free (and often quite boring and scaffold-y).

now, why the blog post? well mostly because it's been nearly 2 months since my last entry! but also because i've been actively working on the pack for several hours this/last week. so it's on my mind. and i truly didn't expect people to have any sort of reaction to me using them.

i guess one thing that i need to do is emphasize that the resources are in the description (just a link to the addon page - which again is here).

ideally i can cover more ground and make far more complex results with these new shortcuts. i just want my own personal houdini.