3ds Max® 2012 Bible

CHAPTER 8

Cloning Objects and Creating Object Arrays

IN THIS CHAPTER

Cloning objects

Understanding copies, instances, and references

Using the Mirror and Snapshot tools

Spacing clones along a path with the Spacing tool

Using the Clone and Align tool

Creating object arrays

Using the Ring Array system

The only thing better than one perfect object is two perfect objects. Cloning objects is the process of creating copies of objects. These copies can maintain an internal connection (called an instance or a reference) to the original object that allows them to be modified along with the original object. For example, if you create a school desk and clone it multiple times as an instance to fill a room, then changing the parameter of one of the desks automatically changes it for all the other desks also.

An array is a discrete set of regularly ordered objects. So creating an array of objects involves cloning several copies of an object in a pattern, such as in rows and columns or in a circle.

I'm sure you have the concept for that perfect object in your little bag of tricks, and this chapter lets you copy it over and over after you get it out.

Cloning Objects

You can clone objects in Max in a couple of ways (and cloning luckily has nothing to do with DNA or gene splices). One method is to use the Edit Clone (Ctrl+V) menu command, and another method is to transform an object while holding ...