Inputs/Edges
The matrices of the clone object and its child objects can be queried via the input side of the node. This makes it possible, for example, to access their number and respective bounding box. On the introductory page to Nodes Distribution, you will also find a video example of how a Nodes Distribution can be configured and used together with a Cloner Object.
This is the global matrix of the clone object in which the link to this Nodes Distribution was created. The global matrix always expresses the position and orientation relative to the world axis system and is therefore independent of the classification of the object in the Object Manager.
This is the local matrix of the clone object in which the link to this Nodes Distribution was created. The local matrix shows the position and alignment relative to the parent object in the Object Manager. If the Cloner object has not been grouped to another object, the local clone matrix corresponds exactly to the global Cloner matrix.
This provides you with a collection of different arrays that can be used to read the properties of the objects grouped directly under the Cloner Object. So these are the objects you want to duplicate. These arrays are contained in the collection and can be read out individually via a Decompose Container Node:
Local Matrixes
This array contains the local matrix of each object grouped below the Cloner object, i.e. the matrix relative to the axis system of the Cloner object. Please note that this only applies to the objects directly below the Cloner object. If other objects have been assigned to the objects to be cloned, no separate entries are output for these in the output arrays.
Global Matrixes
This array contains all global matrixes of the objects directly grouped to the Cloner object. As already described in the explanations of the Local Matrixes array, all objects in lower hierarchy levels are also ignored for the global matrixes.
Merged Meshes
This array contains the individual geometries of the polygon objects under the Cloner object. If the objects to be cloned are composed of several objects in a hierarchy, Merged Meshes contains the summarized geometry of each object group under the Cloner object. Only polygon geometries are taken into account. If you clone spline objects, you will find their geometry in the Merged Splines array below.
Merged Splines
This array contains the individual geometries of the spline objects under the Cloner object. If the objects to be cloned were composed of several objects in a hierarchy, Merged Splines contains the summarized geometry of each object group under the Cloner object. Only spline geometries are taken into account. If you clone polygon objects, you will find their geometry in the previous Merged Meshes array.
Bounding Boxes
Here you receive an array for each object grouped below the Cloner object with the respective bounding box. In this case, this is a vector pair for each child object, which describes the smallest and largest coordinates of the cuboid corner points with which the volume of the object to be cloned can be described. This bounding box is automatically aligned in the local axis system of the clone. The vector pairs can be output as individual vectors via a connected Decompose Container Node, which then reflect the maximum dimensions of the cloned object in each axis direction by simple subtraction, for example.
If object groups are used as entries under the Cloner object, the bounding box includes all elements of these object groups. The bounding box makes no distinction between spline and polygon geometry. The maximum expansions of the shape are measured in each case, as shown symbolically in the following figure.
Symbolic representation of the bounding box of a tube object, on which the smallest and largest coordinate values are marked with colored spheres.
As can be seen in the illustration above, the bounding box of an object lies between the minimum and maximum extreme coordinates (here called MIN and MAX) and is based on the axis system of the object. The distance between MAX.x and MIN.x thus indicates, for example, the maximum extension of the object along its X-axis. Such information can be used to make distances between cloned objects dependent on their actual size. Here is an example.
Names
This array contains the names of the objects directly grouped below the Cloner object.
Two modes are available here for how the objects under the Cloner object are to be used. Please note that the option for Clones from Distribution must be active. Otherwise, comparable options are also available directly on the Cloner object:
- Iterate: The distribution automatically runs through all objects in sequence from top to bottom, as they were grouped under the Cloner object. After placing the last object, this sequence starts again with the topmost object under the Cloner object.
- Random: The object currently to be cloned is selected at random from the objects that have been grouped to the Cloner object.
If activated, the cloned objects align to the direction of the edges they are cloned on. If switched off, the cloned object align to the axis orientation of the Cloner-Object.
These three angles allow the cloned objects to rotate freely around their center.
This setting determines how the number of clones and their spacing should be configured:
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Count: In this case, a fixed number of clones per edge can be specified.
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Step: The primary focus here is on specifying the distance between the clones. The resulting number of clones is determined indirectly by analyzing the edge lengths.
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Object: In this mode, the actual size of the cloned objects is evaluated. Clones can only be created on the edges if the Z-dimension of the object to be cloned is smaller than the edge length. The smaller the Z-dimension of the original object, the more clones are created on the edges.
Only available for Step and Object Distributions. This controls how the spacing between the clones should be maintained:
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Scale Geometry: The size of the clones adapts to compensate the scaling of the gaps between them.
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Even Gaps: The size of the clones is identical everywhere. The remaining length of the edges is distributed evenly among the clones placed on them. As a result, the spacing between the clones may vary depending on the available edge length and the dimensions of the cloned object.
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End Cap Gaps: The specified gaps between the clones are distributed between them starting from the center of the edges. As a result, gaps larger than the specified gap may remain at the ends of the edges.
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Remainder Gaps: This mode works similarly to End Cap Gaps, but the clones are distributed starting from the edge's starting point. Gaps are inserted evenly between the clones from that point onward. If no additional clone can be inserted at the end of the edge, a larger than specified gap remains there.
This feature is available only for Distribution Object and allows you to manually adjust the spacing between the clones.
This is the number of clones per edge for Distribution Count.
Positive values simulate a reduction in edge lengths. This shifts the distribution toward the center of the edges, leaving their ends free. Negative values, on the other hand, can push the distribution beyond the actual ends of the edges.
You can use this to specify the desired spacing between clones for Distribution Count and Distribution Step.
This affects how the clones are scaled along each edge. Values greater than 0% cause the clones to be scaled larger at the ends of the edge and smaller in the middle. Values less than 0% reverse this effect.
This works similarly to Center Bias, except that the scaling increases or decreases linearly toward the beginning or end of each edge.
This allows you to randomly vary the scale and, depending on the distribution mode, the position of the clones along the edges. Like all random effects, this one is also based on the Seed value. Changing the Seed value therefore results in a new random distribution.
The random scaling and positioning of the clones can also be animated using the following Animation Speed parameter.
This setting also allows you to adjust the timing of the clones' random scaling (see Randomness value).
By default, the centers of the clones are placed directly on the edges. However, this setting can also be used to create a vertical distance from the edges:
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Absolute: Use Surface Offset to offset the clones by an absolute distance from the edges.
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Object: The Bounding Boxes of the cloned objects are evaluated in this mode. With a Surface Offset of 100%, the bottoms of the clones are placed on the surface.
Depending on the selected Offset Mode, this determines the vertical distance between the clones and the edges.
Here, you can specify how the clones should be scaled:
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Direction: The clones are scaled only in the direction of the edge on which they were placed.
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Uniform: The clones are scaled uniformly along all three axes.
This allows you to define an angle range for the edges. Only edges with an angle between these minimum and maximum values will be assigned clones.
This reverses the placement of the clones. This means that if, for example, the edges to be occupied by clones have been restricted by Min Angle and Max Angle, only the edges that are actually free will be occupied by clones.
As a result, the outer edges of an open geometry are always assigned clones, even if Min Angle and Max Angle would otherwise filter out those clones.
Here, you can enter the name of an edge selection or assign one by dragging and dropping an Edge Selection Tag from the Object Manager. Clones will then be created only on these edges.
This distribution offers random modes based on this value when selecting the objects to be cloned, a randomized scaling and also when calculating the color values. A change here therefore leads, for example, to the selection of other objects for the distribution if Clones Random has been selected or to new color value distributions in the Random Sample Mode.