Angled Node Wires draws Houdini-style orthogonal links in the node editor. Bézier spaghetti becomes horizontal and vertical runs with small rounded corners, while the node tree itself is left untouched.

Turn it on from Node Editor → Overlays → Angled Wires. Native noodles are hidden for that view; your files, links, and socket data stay exactly as they were.

What you get

• Orthogonal routing — right-angle paths, U-turns when the target sits to the left, and socket-colored gradients that match the theme.
• Reads like the native editor — field links dash, muted links use the error red, insert-on-link highlights the wire under a dragged node, Frame and zone fills keep wires visible without covering node bodies.
• Gestures hit the visible path — cut, mute, and add-reroute follow the orthogonal stroke you see, not the hidden Bézier underneath.
• One overlay toggle — disable it and stock noodles return immediately.
• Editor coverage — Shader, Geometry Nodes, Compositor, and Texture node trees.

Who it is for

Look-dev and GN artists who already lay nodes out on a grid and want the wires to respect that layout. Theme Noodle Curving only flattens the Bézier; this add-on actually routes on the axis.

Strengths

• Does not rewrite the node tree or the .blend — it is a draw overlay.
• Keeps native wire colors, dash patterns, and insert-on-link picking.
• Cut / mute / reroute stay usable because they test the path you see.
• Works as a Blender extension (drag-and-drop install, overlay checkbox).
• Supports 3.6 LTS through 5.3 on Windows and macOS.

Limitations (read before you buy)

• Overlay, not a native rewrite. Links are drawn from Python on top of the editor. Very large trees still cost extra draw time compared with built-in Bézier noodles.
• Not an auto-layout tool. It does not align, pack, or organize nodes. Pair it with your existing layout workflow.
• Version-sensitive. Socket positions are read from editor runtime. A new daily build can shift that layout; if wires miss a socket, disable/enable the add-on or wait for an update.
• Platforms. Shipped and tested on Windows and macOS. Linux is not a listed extension platform.
• Gestures while enabled. Add Reroute, Cut Links, and Mute Links are remapped so they hit orthogonal strokes. Turn the overlay off to get the stock operators back.

Compatibility

Blender 3.6, 4.2, 4.5, 5.2, and 5.3. Extension format, GPL-3.0-or-later.