Clone
Overview
Clone is a modifier for 3ds Max that creates copies of an object by incrementally translating, rotating and scaling the input geometry. In some ways it is similar 3ds Max's built-in Array tool with one major benefit - Clone is fully parametric, so you can change the number of duplicates and their distribution at any time. Other features include the ability to randomise transforms and material IDs; plus you can add multiple Clone's to the modifier stack to create 1D, 2D and even 3D arrays, each with their own settings.
Features
- Procedurally clone any geometry object.
- Increment translation, rotation and scale.
- Fully non-destructive. Edit settings at any time.
- Randomly rotate, translate and scale cloned geometry.
- Randomise material IDs on cloned geometry.
- Multiple Clone modifiers can be added to the stack to create 2D and 3D arrays.
- Compatible with Max 9 and above.
Procedures
To incrementally transform clones
- Add a Clone Modifier
- Use the Number of Clone's value to determine how many times the base geometry is reproduced.
- Use the Displacement values to incrementally Translate each clone. There are separate values for X, Y and Z axes.
- Use the Rotate values to incrementally Rotate each clone. There are separate values for X, Y and Z axes.
- Use the Scale values to incrementally Scale each clone. There are separate values for X, Y and Z axes.
To randomly transform clones
- Add a Clone Modifier
- Clone and incrementally Translate geometry as described above.
- Use the Random > Displacement values to randomly Translate each clone. There are separate values for X, Y and Z axes.
- Use the Random > Rotate values to randomly Rotate each clone. There are separate values for X, Y and Z axes.
- Use the Random > Scale values to randomly Scale each clone. There are separate values for X, Y and Z axes.
To randomise material IDs
- Add a Clone Modifier
- Clone and incrementally Translate geometry as described above.
- Randomise transforms if necessary using the procedure described above.
- Set the range from which a random Material ID is selected using the From and To properties.
Interface
Incremental Transform
No of Clones
Sets the number of times the input geometry is duplicated. Each clone is incremented using the following Transform settings
Displacement
Incrementally translates the input geometry using the values set for the X, Y, and Z axes.
Rotate
Incrementally rotates the input geometry using the values set for the X, Y, and Z axes.
Scale
Incrementally scales the input geometry using the values set for the X, Y, and Z axes.
Random Transform
Random Displacement
Randomly rotates the input geometry using the values set for the X, Y, and Z axes. The range over which a random translation can be selected is set by deducting this value from the current position to create the minimum extent, and adding this value to the current position to create the maximum extent.
Random Rotation
Randomly rotates the input geometry on the Z axis using a value between a range defined by the From and To parameters.
Random Scale
Randomly scales the input geometry. Width scales proportionately on the X and Y axes, while Height scales on the Z axis separately.
Random Material ID
Randomly applies a material ID to each clone, chosen from a range defined using the From and To parameters.
Random Seed
Sets the Random Seed value for the random Transform values. Using a different value for this parameter will yield different randomised results.
Installation
Clone officially supports 3ds Max 2020 and above (with unofficial support from version 9 to 2019). There is no automatic installer application, so you will need to install Clone manually by following these steps:
- Download alone from either the iToo Software Website or Autodesk App Store .
- Extract the downloaded ZIP.
- Once extracted you will find a folder for each supported version of 3ds Max. Open the appropriate plugin folder and select Clone.dlm.
- Copy Clone.dlm to 3ds Max's plugin directory, usually located at C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max#####\Plugins