GBuffer To Image
Updated: 3 Mar 2025
Allows GBuffer channels from a rendered scene to be used as video nodes for compositing or export purposes.
GBuffer To Image
Method #
This node allows GBuffer channels from a rendered scene to be used as video nodes for compositing or export purposes. By default, the base render layer is used as the GBuffer source, but a Render Layer may be supplied via the appropriate input.
While the Standard Renderer can output some of the channels, for performance reasons it doesnt generate most of the gbuffer
Use a Video Exporter node to export the contents of the GBuffer To Image node to video. Multiple channels may be exported separately and simultaneously.
Composite
Depth
Metalicness
Colour
Object Mask
Alpha
Material ID
Normal
Roughness
Parameters
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
Parameter Details Preview In Viewport Preview the generated image as an overlay in the viewport.
- Off : No preview is generated.
- RGBA : Preview the image blended with alpha in the viewport.
- RGB : Preview the colour channels in the viewport.
- Alpha : Preview the alpha channel in the viewport.
- PIP : Preview the image blended with alpha in the viewport, in a smaller picture in picture display, on top of the existing content.
Apply PostFX Before Alpha Image Input (Legacy) When enabled, the alpha input image is applied after the postfx pass, overwriting any effects the postfx would have applied to the alpha channel.
Source Channel This selects which channel from the gbuffer to generate as an image.
- Colour : The unshaded colour of all objects in the scene.
- Alpha : The alpha channel of the scene. as its a gbuffer output, only alpha from geometry will be accepted (e.g shadow catcher), not the full layer alpha.
- Normal - World Space : The normals of all surfaces in the scene, relative to the world.
- Normal - Local Space : The normals of all surfaces in the scene, relative to the camera.
- Specular Colour : The colour of specular lighting on all surfaces in the scene.
- Depth - Camera Space : The depth of all surfaces in the scene away from the camera, without compensating for the camera far plane.
- Depth - Camera Space (Normalised) : The depth of all surfaces in the scene away from the camera, compensating for the camera far plane.
- World Position : The position of each point in the scene in world space.
- Object mask : Uses geometry to mask all surfaces in the scene.
- Object ID : Colours objects using their internal object id’s.
- Material ID : Colours objects using their internal material id’s.
- Object ID (False Colours) : Colours objects using their internal object id’s - but with false colours to make differences more obvious.
- Material ID (False Colours) : Colours objects using their internal material id’s - but with false colours to make differences more obvious.
- Roughness : Colours objects using the different values of roughness on object surfaces.
- Metallicness : Colours objects using the different values of metallicness on object surfaces.
Output Format The format to use for the output image.
Inputs
These properties control the core behaviours of the node.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Preview In Viewport | Preview the generated image as an overlay in the viewport.
|
| Apply PostFX Before Alpha Image Input (Legacy) | When enabled, the alpha input image is applied after the postfx pass, overwriting any effects the postfx would have applied to the alpha channel. |
| Source Channel | This selects which channel from the gbuffer to generate as an image.
|
| Output Format | The format to use for the output image. |
| Name | Description | Typical Input |
|---|---|---|
| Render Layer | Use the gbuffer of a specific render layer. | Render Layer |
| Effect Mask | Mask out areas that Post-FX applied to this node won’t be applied. | Loader |
| Alpha Image | Use a separate video nodes luminance values to overwrite the alpha channel of the image. | Loader |