Pipe Router Node

Pipe Router does nothing but route a wire. No data change, no computation, no parameters. Its only role: force the wire to pass through its position in the graph, giving the artist visual control over the routing.

It is visually very small (just a dot / small diamond) to stand apart from functional nodes. Several Pipe Routers in a row let you draw complex wires (90° angles, clean zigzags).

• Effects Library: Tools > Flow > Pipe Router
• Quick add: double-click an existing wire to insert a Pipe Router automatically.

Pipe Router

A visible wire that passes through a waypoint. The flow is drawn from start to finish with clean angles.

Wireless Link

An invisible wire between source and destination. No visual trace between the two.

Rule of thumb: keep the flow readable, just tidy it up → Pipe Router. Hide the connection completely → Wireless Link.

Before Pipe Router (crossing wires):
[Source A]──────────┐
                    │
[Source B]──────────┼──── [Merge] ── [Output]
                    │
[Source C]──────────┘
   (wires overlap visually)

With Pipe Routers:
[Source A]──[PR]──[PR]──┐
                        │
[Source B]──────────────┼──── [Merge] ── [Output]
                        │
[Source C]──[PR]────────┘
   (wires cleanly routed at 90°)

Connecting through a crowded area:
[Source]──[PR]──[PR]──[Distant destination]
   (Pipe Routers go around the nodes in between)

• Avoiding crossing wires - add Pipe Routers to go around other nodes instead of passing over them.
• 90° connections - two Pipe Routers at a right angle = a wire that changes direction cleanly.
• Long distant wires - several Pipe Routers in a row to draw a wire across a large area of the graph.
• Readable complex comps - in a comp with many nodes, Pipe Routers give you a clear visual flow.
• Shared templates - reusable comps benefit from a clean graph so other artists can understand them.

• Double-click a wire for quick insertion - the fastest way to add a Pipe Router.
• No performance cost - purely visual. Add as many as you need for clarity.
• Align to the grid - turn on Snap to Grid in the node editor for perfectly aligned Pipe Routers.
• Several Pipe Routers in a row - for a zigzag or L-shaped wire, 2 Pipe Routers give a 90° angle.
• Keeps visual tracking - unlike Wireless Link, you can still follow the flow from one node to the next, just redirected.
• Works with Underlay and Sticky Notes - it can sit inside an Underlay without any problem.
• For extremely long wires (a graph spanning several screens), consider Wireless Link instead to save space.