Instance Object
Instance Object
An instance object is a special duplicate of an object that does not have its own geometry. As a result, instances require far less memory than conventional duplicates, but the advantages do not end there. Imagine that you have created a street scene with over 40 street lamps (all instances of the same original object). By adjusting the brightness of the original lamp’s light, you can change the brightness of all lamps in one go. You may even edit the original with the modeling tools and the instances will follow suit. Material properties are adopted as well. Only the position, scale and rotation are independent of the original.
An instance object will not significantly increase the size of the saved Cinema 4D file. However, the Cinema 4D editor will still need to allocate additional memory as if the instance object were a non-instance duplicate. The Project Information dialog shows instance objects to consume as much memory as duplicates.
You can also create instances using existing instances. To maintain a better overview, instances should only directly target other objects (not instances).
Deformers and Generators cannot be instanced and used to affect other objects. However, the results (e.g., a cube modified by a Bend deformer) that are generated by these objects can be instanced.
MoGraph’s Cloner Object offers a "duplication" function that is much more powerful than the Instance Object described on this page.