3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [110]
When a clone is created with the Clone menu, it is positioned directly on top of the original, which makes distinguishing it from the original difficult. To verify that a clone has been created, open the Select by Name dialog box by pressing H and look for the cloned object (it has the same name, but an incremented number has been added). To see both objects, click the Select and Move button on the main toolbar and move one of the objects away from the other.
Using the Shift-clone method
An easier way to create clones is with the Shift key. You can use the Shift key when objects are transformed using the Select and Move, Select and Rotate, and Select and Scale commands. Holding down the Shift key while you use any of these commands on an object clones the object and opens the Clone Options dialog box. This Clone Options dialog box is identical to the dialog box previously shown, except it includes a spinner to specify the number of copies.
Performing a transformation with the Shift key held down defines an offset that is applied repeatedly to each copy. For example, holding down the Shift key while moving an object 5 units to the left (with the Number of Copies set to 5) places the first cloned object 5 units away from the original, the second cloned object 10 units away from the original object, and so on.
Tutorial: Cloning dinosaurs
The story behind Jurassic Park is pretty exciting, but in Max you can clone dinosaurs without their DNA.
To investigate cloning objects, follow these steps:
1. Open the Cloning dinosaurs.max file found in the Chap 08 directory of the CD.
2. Select the dinosaur object by clicking it in one of the viewports.
3. With the dinosaur model selected, choose Edit⇒Clone (or press Ctrl+V).
The Clone Options dialog box appears.
4. Name the clone First clone, select the Copy option, and click OK.
5. Click the Select and Move button (or press the W key) on the main toolbar. Then in the Top viewport, click and drag the dinosaur model to the right.
As you move the model, the original model beneath it is revealed.
6. Select each model in turn, and notice the name change in the Create panel's Name field. Notice that the clone is even the same object color as the original.
7. With the Select and Move button still active, hold down the Shift key, click the cloned dinosaur in the Top viewport, and move it to the right again. In the Clone Options dialog box that appears, select the Copy option, set the Number of Copies to 3, and click OK.
8. Click the Zoom Extents All button (or press Shift+Ctrl+Z) in the lower-right corner to view all the new dinosaurs.
Three additional dinosaurs have appeared, equally spaced from each other. The spacing was determined by the distance that you moved the second clone before releasing the mouse. Figure 8.2 shows the results of our dinosaur cloning experiment. (Now you'll need to build a really strong fence.)
FIGURE 8.2
Cloning multiple objects is easy with the Shift-clone feature.
Using Quick Clone
Within the Transform Toolbox is a QClone button. This Quick Clone button creates a clone of the selected object and places it to the side of the selected object. The placement is exactly half the width of the selected object so the cloned object just touches the original. Holding down the Shift key creates an Instanced copy, and holding down the Alt key creates two copies. This provides a quick and easy way to clone and move the object at the same time.
Understanding Cloning Options
When cloning in Max, you're offered the option to create the clone as a copy, an instance, or a reference. This is true not only for objects but for materials, modifiers, and controllers as well.
Working with copies, instances, and references
When an object is cloned, the Clone Options dialog box appears. This dialog box enables you to select to make a copy, an instance, or a reference of the original object. Each of these clone types