---
title: "Inputs"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OENODES-NET_MAXON_NODE_BASE_GROUP_INPUTS.html"
section_path: "MoGraph > Effectors > Scene Nodes Effector > Inputs"
element_id: "OENODES"
group_id: "NET_MAXON_NODE_BASE_GROUP_INPUTS"
description: "Here, you can access the properties of the clones through various ports. The ports return the values for the clones one after another. When using Array …"
---

## Inputs

MoData In

Here, you can access the properties of the clones through various ports. The ports return the values for the clones one after another. When using **Array Mode**, this option is not available, and you must extract the desired data yourself from the **MoData Array In** arrays.

- Local Matrix\
  Here, for example, you can connect a [Decompose Matrix](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NODE_DECOMPOSEMATRIX.html.md) node to read the position, rotation, and scale of each clone. In many cases, these are likely to be the most relevant properties of the clones for calculations.
- Color\
  The current color (including alpha) of the clones.
- UVW\
  The UVW vector of the clones.
- Size\
  Do not confuse this with the scale of the clones. The scale is available via the **Local Matrix**. **Size** is a special data channel that is preset to the vector 1, 1, 1 and is primarily used with the MoGraph [Matrix Object](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OMOGRAPH_MATRIX.html.md). You can also use this value to temporarily store and read your own vector data.
- Weight\
  This is similar to the float values in a vertex map and is managed by a [MoGraph Weightmap](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TMGWEIGHT.html.md) tag on the *Cloner* object. The weight values themselves can be painted onto the clones there using the [MoGraph Weight Paintbrush](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TOOL_MGWEIGHT.html.md).
- Clone\
  This value is used by the Generator to determine which object to clone. It comes into play whenever, for example, more than one object has been placed beneath a *Cloner* object.\
  For example, if there are two objects beneath the *Cloner*, for **Clone** values between 0 and 0.5, the first object is used at the currently calculated position, while for values greater than 0.5 and less than 1, the second object is used. If there are three objects under the *Cloner*, the distribution changes accordingly to values between 0 and 0.333 for the first object, values greater than 0.333 and less than 0.66 for the second object, and values greater than 0.666 and less than or equal to 1 for the third object. To calculate reliable **Clone** values yourself, you must therefore know the number of objects available to a *Cloner*, for example (see **Count** port).
- Time\
  If the cloned objects are animated objects, their current animation time can be read here. This is determined by the “Time” value and the “Animation Mode” on the Cloner, as well as the actual animation tracks on the cloned objects. The time value is displayed in fractions of a second.
- Visibility\
  A Boolean value (true or false, or 1 or 0) that indicates whether the clone is visible or invisible.
- Index\
  The indices of the processed clones are displayed here one after another. This way, you always know exactly which clone’s values are currently being output through the remaining ports. You can query the total number of clones using \`Count\`. This allows you to determine the typical ratio value between 0 and 1 on your own. This is often helpful because it enables you to design calculations independently of the set number of clones. With a ratio value of Index/(Count-1), you can always be sure that, for example, a value above 0.5 means you have already exceeded half of the generated clones.
- Count\
  The total number of clones generated. Please note that this count includes clones that are hidden (see **Visibility** port). As a result, there may be fewer clones visible than the number shown here.

Field In

This port is only available when **Custom Strength Handling** and **Enable Default Field** are enabled. The field values are evaluated such that the axis system of the *Nodes Effector* becomes the reference system for the field. The field is therefore sampled relative to the Nodes Effector and not relative to the clones. As a result, the effect on the clones no longer depends on the position of, for example, the *Cloner* object.\
To visualize this, imagine that the field is always read relative to the axis system of the Node Effector. It is therefore completely unaware of the clones’ positions. The field values determined relative to the *Nodes Effector* are then transferred to the reference frame of, for example, the *Cloner* object. As a result, the actual position of the *Nodes Effector* and the *Cloner* in space no longer matters.

If the field object coincides exactly with the *Nodes Effector*’s system, the clones are also affected starting from the center of the *Cloner* object, even if the *Nodes Effector* and the field are located elsewhere in space.\
This can be helpful, for example, if you want to animate and rotate the *Cloner* object in space but want the effects of a *Nodes Effector* and *Field* to remain static or if you just like to evaluate the field values and calculate your own remapping from them before you transfer them to the clones. Otherwise, you can achieve the more common evaluation of the field via the separate **Default Field** input by reading it through a [Sample Field](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NBO_NODE_SAMPLEFIELD.html.md) node. This node offers the option to include a **Global Matrix** in the field’s evaluation, thereby determining field values exactly at the positions of the clones. You can find an example of this on the [Nodes Effector overview page](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OENODES.html.md).

- Value\
  A float value that specifies the intensity of the field at the specified position. It can be interpreted as the strength of the field and used within the network.
- Color\
  The color values generated within the field
- Local Direction\
  The direction vectors calculated in the field
- Deactivated\
  Simple Boolean values for the field (*true* (1) or *false* (0)) that can be used to enable or disable clones. This can be used, for example, to control the visibility of individual clones.

Strength

This port is only available when **Custom Strength Handling** is enabled.\
This input then passes on the **Strength** value set directly on the *Nodes Effector*, allowing you to incorporate this value into your calculations as needed. Without **Custom Strength Handling**, the effector's influence is controlled exclusively from the outside via the **Strength** value in the *Attribute Manager*.

MoData Array In

You must unpack this array data package yourself—for example, using an [Iterate Collection](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NODE_CONTAINERITERATION.html.md) or [Decompose Container](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NODE_DECOMPOSECONTAINER.html.md) node—to access the clone data. If **Array Mode** is turned off, **MoData In** already provides all the clones’ properties as individual ports, and you do not need to unpack the data here yourself.

Field Array In

This port is only available when **Custom Strength Handling** and **Enable Default Field** are enabled.\
The data here is identical to that in **Field In**, except that here you can retrieve an array package containing all the data at once, whereas in **Field In** the data is output one by one, clone by clone.

Similar to the **MoData Array In** input, you can use a [Decompose Container](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NODE_DECOMPOSECONTAINER.html.md) node or an [Iterate Collection](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NODE_CONTAINERITERATION.html.md) node here to unpack the field arrays.

Otherwise, refer to the description of Field In to learn how to interpret these field values.

Default Field

This port is only available when **Custom Strength Handling** and **Enable Default Field** are enabled; when enabled, it provides the values of the field objects linked to the *Nodes Effector*. To ensure these values are spatially correctly mapped, this information must then be referenced to the correct coordinate system using a [Sample Field](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/NET_MAXON_NBO_NODE_SAMPLEFIELD.html.md) node. The [main page of the Nodes Effector](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OENODES.html.md) documentation demonstrates this with an example.

Effector Data To Capsule Matrix

Conversion from the coordinate system of the MoGraph data — for example, the *Cloner* — to the coordinate system of the Effector node.\
This is helpful, for example, when converting clone matrices so that a read-out field is assigned the correct positions and can calculate the corresponding intensities and colors. The [Nodes Effector main page](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OENODES.html.md) shows an example of this.

Local Capsule Matrix

This is the local matrix of the *Nodes Effector*—that is, its position, rotation, and scale relative to its parent object. If the *Nodes Effector* is at the top level of the hierarchy in the *Object Manager*, the **Local Capsule Matrix** is the same as the **Global Capsule Matrix**.

Global Capsule Matrix

This is the global matrix of the **Nodes Effector**. Regardless of the node effector's position in the hierarchy, this represents its position, rotation, and scale relative to the fixed world coordinate system.