Nodaro DocsReference Sheet
Compose a turnaround, variation board, detail sheet or full model sheet from a Character, Object or Location, and reuse its clean panels as references.
The Reference Sheet node builds a model sheet for a Character, an Object or a Location. It lays out views of the subject, such as a turnaround, expressions or close-up details, with a color palette and notes, on one canvas. It returns the finished sheet for people to read and a clean set of panels for image and video nodes to use as references.
When to use it
- Make a character model sheet, with a turnaround, expressions and a palette, for animation or game art.
- Build a reference card for a product or a prop, so it looks the same in every shot.
- Export a location reference for set and background continuity.
- Feed the clean panels into Generate Image or Generate Video as a multi-image reference.
Quick start
Add the node
Press Tab on the canvas and choose Image › References › Reference Sheet.
Connect the subject
Wire a Character Asset, Object/Props Asset or Location Asset node into the Subject input. The entity needs an approved main image.
Choose the sheet
Open the settings panel. Choose a Sheet type and a Skin, then the Aspect and the text options.
Run it and confirm
Click Run on the node. If the entity is missing panels that the sheet needs, the node tells you how many it will generate and the estimated credits, and asks you to confirm. It then generates them, reuses the panels that exist, and composes the sheet.
Inputs
| Input | Accepts | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Character Asset, Object/Props Asset and Location Asset nodes | The entity to build the sheet from. The node reads its saved panels and its main image. Required. |
Reference Sheet has two outputs:
| Output | What it carries |
|---|---|
| Sheet | The finished sheet as one image: a poster with titles and labels, made for people. Download it, show it, or send it anywhere an image is accepted. Because it carries text, do not use it as a generation reference. |
| Panels | The clean panel set: the separate panel images, with no titles or labels. Wire it into the reference input of an image or video node for multi-image consistency. |
Settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sheet type | Which sections the sheet has. See Sheet types. The default is Turnaround. |
| Skin | The visual treatment: Studio (the default), Cinematic, Blueprint or Illustrated. The skin changes the frame, the colors and the font, never the content. |
| Aspect | Landscape (the default, 1600 px wide), Square (1200 px wide) or Story (9:16) (900 px wide). The height grows with the sections of the sheet. |
| Title & metadata text | On by default. When off, the entity name, the metadata and the notes are hidden. The section headings stay. |
| Panel labels | On by default. When off, the caption on each panel is hidden. |
Sheet types
| Sheet type | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Turnaround | The subject from several angles, such as front, side and back |
| Variation Board | A grid of expressions, poses, materials or variations |
| Detail | Close-up detail panels |
| Full Reference | Everything: a header, the turnaround, the board, the details, the palette and the notes |
Skins
| Skin | Look | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | Clean and neutral | A plain, clean grid |
| Cinematic | Dark, with an accent line under each heading | Pitch decks |
| Blueprint | A faint drafting grid, corner marks and a monospace font | Technical and asset documentation |
| Illustrated | A warm storybook plate with a header band and a serif font | Storybooks and character bibles |
How the panels are made
When the node runs, it works in this order:
- It lists the panels that the chosen sheet type needs.
- It reuses every panel the entity already has, for free.
- It generates the missing panels from the entity's main image with GPT Image 2, at 21 credits a panel.
- It takes a color palette from the main image.
- It composes the sheet and the clean panel set.
When you click Run on the node, it first shows how many panels it will generate and the estimated credits, and asks you to confirm. An automated workflow run or an app run cannot ask, so it generates the missing panels without a confirmation. To control the cost of automated runs, build the panels you want in the entity's Studio first.
You can also make sheets in the Sheet tab of an entity's Studio. The node does the same on the canvas, so a sheet can be part of a workflow.
Credits
A sheet costs a flat 44-credit assembly fee, plus 21 credits for each panel the node has to generate. The node generates every missing panel with GPT Image 2, whether it runs on the canvas, in a workflow or app, or from the Sheet tab of the entity's Studio. Panels the entity already has cost nothing, whichever model made them. A panel you generate yourself in the Studio is charged there, at the price of the model you choose.
| Example | Calculation | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround that reuses 4 angles the entity already has | 0 + 44 | 44 |
| Turnaround missing 1 angle, the rest reused | 1 × 21 + 44 | 65 |
| 4 new angles generated | 4 × 21 + 44 | 128 |
The Run button shows the assembly fee. The confirmation shows how many panels will be generated and the estimated total, panels plus the assembly fee. On an edition without credits, the button shows no fee and the confirmation shows the panel count only. If no panel can be generated, the run fails and the assembly fee is refunded instead of charging for an empty sheet.
Motion sheets from the API
The settings panel makes still sheets, as PNG images. When you create the node through the API or in workflow JSON, you can set flavour.outputFormat to motion instead. The node then renders the frame, the text and the palette once, places the entity's motion clips into the panel slots, and exports an MP4. The Sheet output then carries a video.
- A motion sheet only uses motion clips the entity already has, matched to each panel by name. A panel with no matching clip keeps its still background. Generate the clips in the entity's Studio first.
- The shortest clip sets the length of the sheet.
- A motion sheet costs a flat 66-credit assembly fee. The clips themselves are paid for when you generate them in the Studio.
Troubleshooting
The run fails because the entity has no main image. The entity needs a saved main image. Approve one in the entity's Studio, then run the node again.
The run fails and nothing is charged. When no panel can be generated, the sheet is not composed and the 44-credit assembly fee is refunded.
Tips
- Feed Panels, not Sheet. Use Panels as the reference for other nodes. The Sheet output is the poster for people.
- Build panels first to save credits. Generate or trim the panels you want in the entity's Studio before you run the sheet. The node reuses them for free and generates only what is missing.
- Match the skin to the audience. Choose Blueprint for technical documentation, Cinematic for pitch decks, Illustrated for storybooks and character bibles, and Studio for a clean grid.
- Need one cohesive board instead? Reference Board draws a complete board in one AI pass. Read Reference boards to choose between boards and grids.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Reference Sheet node need?
A Character, Object or Location node with an approved main image, wired into the Subject input. Without a main image, the run fails.
How many credits does a reference sheet cost?
A flat 44-credit assembly fee, plus 21 credits for every panel the node has to generate. Panels the entity already has are reused for free, so a turnaround from four existing angles costs 44 credits.
What is the difference between the Sheet and Panels outputs?
Sheet is the finished poster with titles and labels, made for people. Panels is the set of clean panel images without text, made to feed image and video nodes as references.
What is the difference between Reference Sheet and Reference Board?
Reference Sheet composes the panels an entity already has, or generates the missing ones first, and gives you each panel as a separate image. Reference Board draws a whole board in one AI pass and returns one image.
Why does the node ask me to confirm before it runs?
The node has to generate the panels the entity is missing, and each one costs credits. It tells you how many it will generate, and what they cost, before it starts. Automated workflow runs and app runs cannot ask, so they generate without a confirmation.
Related
Reference Board
Reference boards and consistency grids
Character Asset
Consistent characters
Character Studio
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