---
title: "Pen"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TOOLSCATTERPLACEMENT-PEN_GROUP.html"
section_path: "Tools Menu > Scatter Placement (Tool) > Pen"
element_id: "TOOLSCATTERPLACEMENT"
group_id: "PEN_GROUP"
description: "Depending if you want to paint on objects or delete painted objects, you can select between the following:"
---

## Pen

### Mode

Parameter ID: `TOOL_MODE_INTERACTION`

Depending if you want to paint on objects or delete painted objects, you can select between the following:

- **Add**: Here you can paint objects onto object surfaces
- **Remove**: Using a reduced toolset (**Radius** only) you can clean up among the instances that were painted on. To do so, select the corresponding Scatter object.

Alternatively you can press the Shift or Ctrl key while painting.

### Radius

Parameter ID: `TOOL_PLACEMENT_OUTER_RADIUS` · Range: [0..+∞m]

![Image: scatter 2b.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/scatter%202b.jpg)\
The effect of various **Radius** and **Object Spacing** values with a larger **Density** (**Use Splats** is disabled).

Independent of all other settings, this setting defines how far away a placed instance can be from the brush stroke (exception: depending on the **Position Min/Max** setting, larger deviations can take place in the vertical arrangement over the surface).

So if you want to place instances lined up in a row you should enter a value of 0 here. For placement across large regions, enter correspondingly larger values.

The **Radius** will be displayed as a white circle when painting.

### Object Spacing

Parameter ID: `TOOL_EXCLUSION_RADIUS` · Range: [-∞..+∞m]

The **Object Spacing** setting is the most important setting because it defines the minimum spacing between instances. The **Object Spacing** setting is displayed by a red circle when painting. This minimum spacing will always be maintained - unless you define negative values, which can be desired when scattering bushels of grass, for example, in order to create a homogenous lawn surface and ensure that no overlapping occurs. On the contrary, the placement density will reduce with increasing values. A dense forest can be generated using smaller values and a sparse forest with larger correspondingly values..

Object spacing is created with the help of the Bounding Box. The red circle will be placed into the Bounding Box and the **Object Spacing** value will be added to the circle.

### Use Splats

Parameter ID: `TOOL_USE_SPLATS`

![Image: scatter 3.jpg](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/scatter%203.jpg)\
Scattering of instances with splats and corresponding settings

If this option is enabled, a different algorithm will be used to scatter instances.

- **Option disabled**: Instances will be placed continuously during painting, which reflects the behavior of a paintbrush continuously applying color
- **Option enabled**: No continuous placement of instances will take place but rather after the tool has covered a certain distance onward - Radius + Splat Spacing - will placement take place. This reflects the behavior of a splattering bruch that only applies color now and then.

### Splat Spacing

Parameter ID: `TOOL_INTER_SPLAT_SEP_DISTANCE` · Range: [-∞..+∞m]

If **Use Splats** is enabled, this is the distance that the brush radii have from one another (see image). If set ti 0, the splats will be placed directly next to each other.

### Count

Parameter ID: `TOOL_PLACEMENT_ATTEMPTS_PER_SPLAT` · Range: [0..2147483647]

If **Use Splats** is enabled, this setting defines the maximum number of instances that can be placed with in the **Radius**.Depending on the above setting, this can be very few or none at all. Imagine the **Object Spacing** value is too large and when instances are scattered randomly within a **Radius**, the red circles would get in each other's way: fewer instances would be placed.

### Density

Parameter ID: `TOOL_PLACEMENT_DENSITY` · Range: [0..+∞%]

If you don't use **Splats**, this value can be used to define how often instances should be placed: This can be seen by the white circles that appear in the Viewport. The higher the **Density** value, the more often attempts will be made to place instances in the gaps, which will increase the instance density. This all happens in consideration of the **Object Spacing** value.

### End Stroke

Parameter ID: `TOOL_BUTTON_END_SESSION`

After you finish painting you can still modify the last stroke settings interactively. If you want to continue with a new brush stroke with different settings, click on **End Stroke** and define new settings.