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Reference 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 asks you to confirm. It then generates them, reuses the panels that exist, and composes the sheet.

subjectreferencesCharacter AssetMayaReference SheetFull Reference, StudioGenerate ImageMaya in a new sceneSave to Storage
The Panels output feeds Generate Image as references, and the Sheet output is saved as the deliverable.

Inputs

InputAcceptsWhat it does
SubjectCharacter Asset, Object/Props Asset and Location Asset nodesThe entity to build the sheet from. The node reads its saved panels and its main image. Required.

Reference Sheet has two outputs:

OutputWhat it carries
SheetThe 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.
PanelsThe 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

SettingWhat it does
Sheet typeWhich sections the sheet has. See Sheet types. The default is Turnaround.
SkinThe visual treatment: Studio (the default), Cinematic, Blueprint or Illustrated. The skin changes the frame, the colors and the font, never the content.
AspectLandscape (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 textOn by default. When off, the entity name, the metadata and the notes are hidden. The section headings stay.
Panel labelsOn by default. When off, the caption on each panel is hidden.

Sheet types

Sheet typeWhat it shows
TurnaroundThe subject from several angles, such as front, side and back
Variation BoardA grid of expressions, poses, materials or variations
DetailClose-up detail panels
Full ReferenceEverything: a header, the turnaround, the board, the details, the palette and the notes

Skins

SkinLookGood for
StudioClean and neutralA plain, clean grid
CinematicDark, with an accent line under each headingPitch decks
BlueprintA faint drafting grid, corner marks and a monospace fontTechnical and asset documentation
IllustratedA warm storybook plate with a header band and a serif fontStorybooks and character bibles

How the panels are made

When the node runs, it works in this order:

  1. It lists the panels that the chosen sheet type needs.
  2. It reuses every panel the entity already has, for free.
  3. It generates the missing panels from the entity's main image, each at the price of the entity's image model.
  4. It takes a color palette from the main image.
  5. 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 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 40-credit assembly fee, plus the panels the node has to generate, at the price of the entity's image model. Panels the entity already has cost nothing.

ExampleCalculationCredits
Turnaround that reuses 4 angles the entity already has0 + 4040
4 new angles generated with Nano Banana, 10 credits each4 × 10 + 4080
Full Reference with 4 new angles generated with Flux 2 Pro (Safety Tolerance), 23 credits each4 × 23 + 40132

The Run button shows the assembly fee. The confirmation shows how many panels will be generated. 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 60-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 40-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

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