xNode: A C# repository from elvismunyikiiru

Support xNode on Ko-fi or Patreon

xNode

Thinking of developing a node-based plugin? Then this is for you. You can download it as an archive and unpack to a new unity project, or connect it as git submodule.

xNode is super userfriendly, intuitive and will help you reap the benefits of node graphs in no time. With a minimal footprint, it is ideal as a base for custom state machines, dialogue systems, decision makers etc.

Key features

Lightweight in runtime
Very little boilerplate code
Strong separation of editor and runtime code
No runtime reflection (unless you need to edit/build node graphs at runtime. In this case, all reflection is cached.)
Does not rely on any 3rd party plugins
Custom node inspector code is very similar to regular custom inspector code
Supported from Unity 5.3 and up

Wiki

Getting started - create your very first node node and graph
Examples branch - look at other small projects

Installation

Instructions

Installing with Unity Package Manager

Via Git URL (Requires Unity version 2018.3.0b7 or above)

To install this project as a Git dependency using the Unity Package Manager, add the following line to your project's manifest.json:

"com.github.siccity.xnode": "https://github.com/siccity/xNode.git"

You will need to have Git installed and available in your system's PATH.

If you are using Assembly Definitions in your project, you will need to add XNode and/or XNodeEditor as Assembly Definition References.

Via OpenUPM

The package is available on the openupm registry. It's recommended to install it via openupm-cli.

openupm add com.github.siccity.xnode

Installing with git

Via Git Submodule

To add xNode as a submodule in your existing git project, run the following git command from your project root:

git submodule add git@github.com:Siccity/xNode.git Assets/Submodules/xNode

Installing 'the old way'

If no source control or package manager is available to you, you can simply copy/paste the source files into your assets folder.

Node example:

// public classes deriving from Node are registered as nodes for use within a graph
public class MathNode : Node {
    // Adding [Input] or [Output] is all you need to do to register a field as a valid port on your node 
    [Input] public float a;
    [Input] public float b;
    // The value of an output node field is not used for anything, but could be used for caching output results
    [Output] public float result;
    [Output] public float sum;

    // The value of 'mathType' will be displayed on the node in an editable format, similar to the inspector
    public MathType mathType = MathType.Add;
    public enum MathType { Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide}
    
    // GetValue should be overridden to return a value for any specified output port
    public override object GetValue(NodePort port) {

        // Get new a and b values from input connections. Fallback to field values if input is not connected
        float a = GetInputValue<float>("a", this.a);
        float b = GetInputValue<float>("b", this.b);

        // After you've gotten your input values, you can perform your calculations and return a value
        if (port.fieldName == "result")
            switch(mathType) {
                case MathType.Add: default: return a + b;
                case MathType.Subtract: return a - b;
                case MathType.Multiply: return a * b;
                case MathType.Divide: return a / b;
            }
        else if (port.fieldName == "sum") return a + b;
        else return 0f;
    }
}

Plugins

Plugins are repositories that add functionality to xNode

xNodeGroups: adds resizable groups

Community

Join the Discord server to leave feedback or get support. Feel free to also leave suggestions/requests in the issues page.

elvismunyikiiru/xNode