Connect Objects

Using this command you can create a single object from multiple objects. For example, you might connect a fence consisting of hundreds of individual planks to form just a single fence object.

When connecting polygonal objects to which various materials and Polygon Selection tags are applied, this command ensures that the Polygon Selection tags will be connected correctly. Texture tags are no longer simply added as in previous versions but Polygon Selection tags will be created with which existing Material tags will be reduced to a reasonable size.

Texture projections will also be assumed correctly.

Not only does the connected object take up less display space in the Object Manager, it is also renders more quickly even though it has the same number of polygons. You can connect Polygon objects or Spline objects (parametric primitives such as Generators in both cases).

To connect objects, select the objects that you want to connect and choose Connect Objects. The original objects will be preserved; delete these if they are no longer required. Use the command only if you are certain that the object will not need separating later — although you can separate the object into its original parts manually, it is a time-consuming process.

The following keyboard shortcuts are now available:

• shift: The new common object axis lies at the center of the bounding box created by the object points (without shift: object axes). The orientation reflects that of the world coordinate system.
• alt: The new common object axis is identical with that of the object selected last.

If the splines being connected are of the same type, the resulting spline will also be of this type. If splines of different types are connected, the resulting spline will be a Bézier spline.

With the introduction of Cinema 4D R21, this command can also combine Volume objects, Groups or Volume generators in a static Volume Set.