Label Points

Renders a formatted text label next to every point — indices, coordinates, or any per-point attribute — as real vector glyph outlines.

Category: Point Ops Menu path: Point Ops > Label Points

Ports

Port	Type	Direction	Description
points_in	points	input	Points to label
mask_in	scalarField	input	Optional selection mask, sampled at each point's position — values > 0.5 get labels. Overrides maskAttribute
out	shape	output	All labels merged into one shape. Per-path index = source point index, glyphIndex preserved (counters fill correctly), per-path color inherited from the point's color attribute

Parameters

Param	Type	Default	Description
template	string	{index}	Label text per point. Tokens: {index} (point array index), {x} / {y} (position), {attr:NAME} (any per-point column, e.g. {attr:speed}), {@NAME} (intrinsics, e.g. {@id}). Unknown tokens render literally
decimals	scalar	0	Decimal places for {x} / {y} / {attr:} values (clamped 0–4)
fontFamily	string	Courier New	Label typeface
fontWeight	scalar	400	Font weight (100–900 typical)
fontSize	scalar	12	Label size in px
offset	vec2	(8, 0)	Label anchor offset from the point, px
anchor	enum	Left	Left = text extends right of point + offset. Center = centered on it. Right = text extends left
maskAttribute	string	(empty)	Name of a per-point column (attribute or intrinsic); values > 0.5 get labels. Used only when mask_in is unconnected. Empty = label every point

Expose Channels

None.

How It Works

Each selected point's template is expanded, laid out through the real text engine (shaping, kerning), and converted to glyph outlines — identical strings are laid out once and stamped per point. Labels are vertically centered on point + offset; anchor controls the horizontal side. Everything merges into one shape with per-path index carrying the source point's index, so downstream nodes can still tell labels apart. Output is capped at 2,000 labels.

Selection follows the PointDelete convention: a connected mask_in field wins, otherwise maskAttribute, otherwise everything. Values > 0.5 select.

Intrinsic Names

Any attribute-name field here also accepts an intrinsic — a property every element has by virtue of existing, computed on read and never stored. The leading @ is a reserved namespace: no attribute may be named with one, so a name starting with @ never hits the attribute map.

Name	Value
@index	Position in the list, starting at 0
@id	Stable PointId — survives filtering and reordering
@x / @y	Position, in local geometry space
@n	Total number of elements
@indexnorm	@index / (@n - 1), normalized 0–1
@rand01	Deterministic 0–1 per element, keyed on @id (stable as neighbours come and go)

Names are case-insensitive (@Y = @y). A misspelled intrinsic (@bogus) resolves to nothing rather than falling through to an attribute lookup.

Non-scalar attributes reduce to a scalar by one rule everywhere: Vec2/Vec3 → magnitude, Vec4 → Rec.709 luma of RGB.

{index}, {x} and {y} are the legacy spellings of {@index}, {@x} and {@y} — aliases, not separate code paths, and they keep working in saved projects. {@index}, {@id} and {@n} print as whole numbers; everything else honours decimals. A token whose name resolves to nothing renders literally, so a typo is visible in the render.

Usage Examples

Basic: Debug indices

Grid → LabelPoints ({index}) → DrawShape (fill on, stroke off) → Output. Every grid point shows its index — the fastest way to understand point ordering before wiring attribute-driven effects.

Data readout

PointAttributes (Custom target writes speed) → LabelPoints (v = {attr:speed}, decimals 1). Each point displays its own live value; keyframe or field-drive the attribute and the labels update every frame.

Creative: Coordinates HUD

TrackPoints → LabelPoints ({x}, {y}, decimals 0, offset (12, −12), Courier New) → DrawShape. Tracked features get a motion-graphics coordinate tag that follows the footage.

Tips

• mask_in takes a scalar field — Noise or a DistanceField makes labels appear only inside a region; animate the field to reveal them.
• Point color attributes carry through as per-path colors, so DrawShape tints each label to match its point automatically.
• Labels are ordinary shape geometry: TextToShape-style effects (ShapeDeform, per-path ops) work on them, and per-path index distinguishes the labels.
• Missing fonts fall back to Arial/Helvetica (same fallback chain as the Text node).
• Keep templates short at high point counts — every unique string is a fresh text layout (identical strings are cached within the frame).

Related Nodes

• ConnectPoints — draw the network these labels annotate
• PointAttributes — write the per-point attributes that {attr:NAME} reads
• PointDelete — same mask_in / attribute selection convention
• Text — full text layout for standalone copy (rich runs, wrapping, alignment)
• FormatNumber — string formatting for single values instead of per-point labels