# 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.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/reference-sheet

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.

- Found in: Image › References
- Output: image
- API type: `reference-sheet`

## 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](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image) or [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/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](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/assets/character), [Object/Props Asset](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/assets/object) or [Location Asset](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/assets/location) 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.

Workflow: The Panels output feeds Generate Image as references, and the Sheet output is saved as the deliverable.

- Character Asset → Reference Sheet (subject)
- Reference Sheet → Generate Image (references)
- Reference Sheet → Save to Storage

## 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](#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:

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.

| Example | Calculation | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Turnaround that reuses 4 angles the entity already has | 0 + 40 | 40 |
| 4 new angles generated with Nano Banana, 10 credits each | 4 × 10 + 40 | 80 |
| Full Reference with 4 new angles generated with [Flux 2 Pro (Safety Tolerance)](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/image/flux-2-pro-safety-tolerance), 23 credits each | 4 × 23 + 40 | 132 |

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](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/reference-board) draws a complete board in one AI pass. Read [Reference boards](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/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 40-credit assembly fee, plus the price of every panel the node has to generate. Panels the entity already has are reused for free, so a turnaround from four existing angles costs 40 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 before it starts. Automated workflow runs and app runs cannot ask, so they generate without a confirmation.