WISH: Please organise the Render Element List in the VFB - lightmix layers mix with render elements and it's confusing

[JD3D_CGI]

If I want to look at noise levels or sample rate elements, I have to randomly scroll through various elements that are related to light names.

Why can't the lightmix elements be divided off?

[^Lele^]

You could simply prepend "LM_" to your lightmix layers (i.e. the lights. or any text particle to any other render element.) and have them sorted the way you please.
There isn't a layer hierachy in any output format, so it's hard to justify building one inside the layer list view, imo: it'd confuse users' expectations.
Would it help any if *we* prepended "LM_" to all lightmix layers? Or would it confuse people?
And how should the layer save out in this case, as the original light name, or with the prepended particle?
It looks infinitely easier if one renames the lights or the Render elements to account for the use of the lightmix, to me.

[JD3D_CGI]

Yes I think it would help you prepended, rather than us doing it every time. But even LM_would still separate anything beginning with L.

Perhaps _LM Lights X would be better, as all the special characters would naturally separate out to the top or bottom:

I think you should just internally display in the VFB and this is how I would prefer it.

Element A
Element B
Element C

---

Lights A
Lights B
Lights C

It doesn't have to mess with any hierarchies, it's just how you list it in the VFB.

Personally I don't edit Light Mix elements in the VFB, so, forgive me for being a luddite, but I am not sure why they need to be there.

The other solution, a variation on your idea would be:

Element A
Element B
Element C
_LM Lights A
_LM Lights B
_LM Lights C

This would also work well in multilayer EXRs and such.

[^Lele^]

They show the way they do because it's the same order they are added to the RE list, so if you want your LM stuff to appear at the end, add the lightmix RE as last.
Individual LM layers are shown because they need to be visually checked individually as well, and that is by far the quickest way about it, and it doesn't depend on the LM being the composite source (user request for Post work).
They are also used verbatim internally when you use the Lightmix UI, but the main reason why they expand is user request.

We do not change the order the REs are displayed in the list, not their name nor their order, because that is the naming and order that is going to be saved in multilayer files.
If there was a mismatch, we would make hell for structured pipelines.

All in all, i think we could add a particle to prepend to the lightmix-generated layers as optional and editable.
By the same token, and out of consistency, this option should be added to any other expanding RE, like the Denoiser, and the Lens effects, to name two.
We'll see what the devs will say, thanks for the heads up.

[vlado]

Maybe making the drop-down into an edit box with auto-complete will help; as well as sorting the render elements alphabetically as an option.

Best regards,
Vlado

[JD3D_CGI]

I feel like just a simple line divider between the type of render elements could work.