Fetch

Reference another node's output, or a scene or layer render, without a wire.

What it does

Fetch pulls in another node's output by reference instead of by wire. Pick a target from the node list and Fetch resolves to its value on every cook. Point it at a single node and that node's output passes straight through. Point it at a Scene or a Layer and that scene or layer's composited image is rendered and returned as a flat image.

The reference is a live pointer to the target, by node or by name, so it keeps tracking as the graph changes. There is no wire to re-route or break.

When to use it

• Reusing a node's output elsewhere in the graph without dragging a long wire across the canvas

• A rename-stable reference: set the target by name and it keeps following the upstream node

• A flattened image of a whole Scene or Layer for compositing, rather than wiring every element individually

Gotchas

Typing a target that is not in the searchable list is fine. Fetch falls back to matching by node name, so a name typed or driven by an expression still resolves.

Worked example

1. Add a Fetch node.

2. Leave Source on "Node", then set Target. Start typing to search the node list and pick the node whose output to reuse.

3. Fetch now outputs that node's value. Reuse it anywhere without adding a wire back to the original node.

4. To pull in a whole Scene or Layer instead, set Source to "Scene" or "Layer" and pick it as the Target. Fetch outputs a flattened image of everything in it.

See also

Router · Null · Hold · Rasters (images)