vArraySortByDistance
Re-order vArray elements by their spatial proximity — essential for nearest-neighbour connections, path optimisation, and proximity-based effects.
vArraySortByDistance reorders the elements in a vArray from nearest to farthest based on inter-point distances. Use it before vArrayShapeRender to draw connections in spatially optimised order, or before vArrayBuffer to record proximity-sorted trails.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallest Distance | Integer | 0.01 | Minimum distance threshold. Point pairs closer than this value are treated as coincident and their relative order is preserved. Increase to loosen large-scale sorting. |
| Show Input | Checkbox | 0 | Reveals the Array input port on the node in the Fusion node graph. |
| Array | Float | — | The vArray of XYZ point positions to sort by spatial proximity. |
Read the full description
vArraySortByDistance performs a spatial sort on a vArray, reordering elements so that each consecutive point is the nearest unvisited neighbour of the previous one. This greedy nearest-neighbour traversal produces a path through the point cloud that minimises jump distances — useful for line-drawing effects where you want continuous connected strokes rather than random teleports across the frame.
Smallest Distance sets a proximity threshold. Points closer together than this value are treated as coincident and their relative order is left unchanged. Increasing this threshold loosens the sort, allowing short-range clusters to remain in their original order while only sorting at larger scales.
A common application is connecting scattered OBJ vertices with vArrayShapeRender's edge mode after sorting — the result looks like a hand-drawn path tracing through a point cloud rather than randomly ordered segments. Pair with vArrayBuffer to record the sorted path over time for trail effects that trace the proximity order across frames.
Example Connections
- Proximity-sorted edge drawing
- Sorted trail recording
vArrayFromOBJ.Points -> vArraySortByDistance.Array
vArraySortByDistance.Output -> vArrayCameraProjection.ArrayA
vArrayCameraProjection.Output -> vArrayShapeRender.ArrayPoint
vArrayPointsOnGrid.Output -> vArraySortByDistance.Array
vArraySortByDistance.Output -> vArrayBuffer.Input
vArrayBuffer.Output -> vArrayShapeRender.ArrayPoint