8

Cloning with SHIFT+Scale 465
5.
Choose the number of copies you want to make
on the Clone Options dialog, and whether you
want them to be copies, instances, or references.
Effects of Transform Settings
Whereyoulocatethetransformcenterdetermines
how 3ds Max positions clones when using
SHIFT+Rotate.
• For all settings, the direction of rotation is
constrained by the act ive axis or axes of the
viewport’s coordinate system.
• Each clone is rotated from the previous one
bythesameamountasthefirstclonefromthe
original.
Local Pivot at Center
Anobject’sdefaultpivotpointisoftenlocatedat
its center or its base. When you use SHIFT+Rotate
around an object’s default pivot point, the clones
overlap evenly as each one is rotated the same
amount. Thisistrueformultipleobjectswitha
local-pivot setting, since each object uses its own
local center.
Clones of a circular object, like a sphere or
cylinder, can b e overlaid exactly on the ori ginal.
You might need to move them away from the
original to see them.
With
angle snap (page 2–12) set to div ide a circle
evenly, you can produce complex symmetrical
objects from simple ones. For example, you can
clone a tetrahedron around one axis, then clone
the new set about another axis to produce a faceted
star.
Local Pivot at a Distance
When you separate the local pivot from the
original, clones create a wheel-like arr a ngement.
Long shapes like petals or blades, cloned with
the center near one end, can create flowers or
propellers. See
Adjust Pivot Rollout (page 2–470) .
You can move the local pivot any distance from
the object, creating large circular arrays. Since
direct animation is limited to the local pivot, this
is a key technique in animating circular ar r ays.
See
Animating SHIFT+Rotate and SHIFT+Scale
(page 1–467)
.
Selection Center
Foreithersingleormultipleobjects,theselection
center is the geometric center of the
bounding
box (p age 3–1013)
enclosing the entire selection.
Clones are arrayed around this center, forming
wheel-like arrays.
For a single object, this center is usually different
from its loca l center, but the effects are similar to
those based on a local pivot.
Coordinate Center
Using the coordinate cent er, SHIFT+Rotate can
produce circular arrays of any size.
The rotation takes place around the center of the
home grid, the screen, or whichever coordinate
system you choose. While clones can be created
this way, the process cannot be directly animate d.
See
Animating SHIFT+Rotate and SHIFT+Scale
(page 1–467)
for details on overcoming this
limitation.
Cloning with S HIFT+S cale
Cloning objects while scaling them can produce a
variety of nested objects and arrays, depending on
the center you choo se.