Notch Notch Manual 0.9.23
 Light | Dark
Clone To Mesh

Clone To Mesh

Generates Clones from an input geometry

image

image

Method #

This node creates clones at positions defined by another 3D object. The connected node must be either a 3D Object, a 3D Shape or a Text node, and the node won’t operate until one of these nodes is connected.

The connected mesh must also be active in the scene by being connected through a valid path to the root node.

Nodes that are to be cloned should be connected to the output of this node. Any geometry node including 3D Objects, Shape 3Ds, and Image Planes may be connected, as well as other Cloner systems.

Parameters

These properties control the 3D transforms of the node. Transforms will generally be inherited by child nodes, although they can be ignored through the Inherit Transform Channels attributes.

ParameterDetails
Position XMove along the local x-axis.
Position YMove along the local y-axis.
Position ZMove along the local z-axis.
Rotation HeadingRotate around the local y-axis.
Rotation PitchRotate around the local x-axis.
Rotation BankRotate around the local z-axis.
Scale XScale along the local x-axis.
Scale YScale along the local y-axis.
Scale ZScale along the local z-axis.

Toggle which transform channels should be inherited from the parent node. By default, all transforms will be inherited.

ParameterDetails
Position XToggle inheritance of the X Position from the parent.
Position YToggle inheritance of the Y Position from the parent.
Position ZToggle inheritance of the Z Position from the parent.
Rotation HeadingToggle inheritance of the Rotation Heading from the parent.
Rotation PitchToggle inheritance of the Rotation Pitch from the parent.
Rotation BankToggle inheritance of the Rotation Bank from the parent.
Scale XToggle inheritance of the X Scale from the parent.
Scale YToggle inheritance of the Y Scale from the parent.
Scale ZToggle inheritance of the Z Scale from the parent.
World Position OnlyInherit the world position from the parent only, rotation and scale will be ignored. Overrides above properties.
Inherit TimeToggle inheritance of time from the parent.

These properties control the core behaviours of the node.

ParameterDetails
ModeSelect how the cloner clones from the source object.
  • Vertex : Clone the object to the source objects vertexes.
  • Polygon Centre : Clone the object to the centre of the polygons in the source object.
  • Edge Centre : Clone objects to the centre of the edges in the source object.
  • Spread Over Surface : Clones are spawned randomly on the surface of the object.
  • Spread Over UV Map : Spreads the clones across the UV map of the object.
Node Spawn ModeChange the order in which the cloned objects are assigned to clone instances.
  • All : All of the connected objects are generate at every clone position.
  • Iterate : The objects are generated sequentially per clone position, based on their heriarchy. For example, the first clone renders the first object, the second clone renders the second object and so on.
  • Random : The objects are randomly selected to generate at clone positions.
Num ClonesNumber of copies of the input object created by the node.
Randomise Mesh OrderUse a random seed to dictate the order in which clones are spawned.
Randomise Order SeedSelect a random seed to drive the effect,
Num UV Clones X/YSet the number of clones to spawn on the UV map and how many should spawn along the x and y axis.
First CloneChooses which clone is the first clone generated.
Rotation ModeHow the clones should be oriented once spawned.
  • None : Spawned objects ignore the rotation of the source object.
  • Object : Spawned objects use the rotation of the source object.
  • Align To Normals : Spawned objects align their rotations with the normals of the object.
Rotation - Use Heading/Pitch/BankEnable or disable rotation for clones by their heading, rotation or bank.
Scale Clones By Poly/Edge SizeToggle whether to scale the clones by the size of their poly/edge size (depending on which mode is selected in the “Mode” attribute).
Clone ScaleScale the size of all the clones uniformally.
Clone Offset From SurfaceHow far the clones are spawned from the surface of the source object.
Use Undeformed PositionsGenerates the clones before the shape is deformed, so the clones will animate correctly but may not be spread out as nicely after deformation.
Colour ClonesAllow the clones to be coloured at generation.
Use Vertex ColoursUse the colours of the nearest vertex to dictate colour of the clone.
Use Texture ColoursUse the colours of the texture at the clones generated location to dictate colour.
Colour Cutoff ModeChange how the mesh texture cuts off certain clones.
  • Luminance : The luminance values of the mesh texture are used.
  • Alpha : The alpha values of the mesh texture are used.
  • Luminance * Alpha : Luminance values multiplied by the alpha values are used.
Colour CutoffLimit how bright regions of the image must be for the clones to be spawned.
Surface Spread ModeHow the clones are spread to the surface of the source object. Only functions when “Spread Over Surface” is selected in the “Mode” attribute.
  • Normalised : Clones are spread out to fill the source object.
  • Fixed : Clones are spawned at the density set by the “Surface Spread Density Attribute”.
Surface Spread DensityHow dense the clones are once spawned. Only functions with “Normalised” chosen in the “Surface Spread Mode” attribute.

These properties apply iterative offsets to the UV Offset, UV Scale, and Crop parameters of the materials for each rendered clone. Typically used with a tile sheet so that each clone picks up a different texture.

ParameterDetails
UV Scale X DeltaRelative change to the uv scale along the x of the clone’s material, per clone.
UV Scale Y DeltaRelative change to the uv scale along the y of the clone’s material, per clone.
UV Offset X DeltaRelative change to the uv offset along the x axis of the clone’s material, per clone.
UV Offset Y DeltaRelative change to the uv offset along the y axis of the clone’s material, per clone.
Crop LeftRelative change to the crop on the left of the clone’s uvs, per clone.
Crop Right DeltaRelative change to the crop on the right of the clone’s uvs, per clone.
Crop Top DeltaRelative change to the crop on the top of the clone’s uvs, per clone.
Crop Bottom DeltaRelative change to the crop on the bottom of the clone’s uvs, per clone.

Inputs

NameDescriptionTypical Input
Source ObjectsSource mesh to generate clones from. A mesh must be connected for the cloner to generate clones.3D Object
EffectorsControl how the clones behave once spawned. See Effectors.Plain Effector
Transform ModifiersApply the transforms of another node to this node.Null
Target NodeModifiy the rotations of the node to always direct the z axis towards the input.Null
Local Transform OverrideApply the transforms of another node to this node, relative to its parent.Null

Related Videos