on this page: cloning vs. copying | creating and pasting | selecting | pep modeling | grouping
Cloning, or instancing, is an optimizing technique. If you use the same object multiple times in your scene, clone the object instead of copying it because cloning references the original object's geometry instead of creating a whole new object. Clones share the same appearance but can be resized and placed independently. PEP modeling one clone affects all clones sharing the same reference.
Cloned table legs. Note that the legs share the same material but are located in different coordinates.
Cloning produces an identical copy of the object that shares
that object's geometry and appearance information. Copying produces an
identical copy of the object that has its own geometry and appearance
information. See the cloning vs.
copying diagram.
Edit > Clone creates a clone reference of the selected object and places it in the clipboard. Edit > Paste Clone pastes that clone into the scene. You can consecutively paste multiple clones into the scene.
Shortcuts:
To select clones and perform translations and rotations on the correct Transform, you should be familiar with the grouping hierarchy that cloning creates. The diagram below represents the group hierarchy formed for the table top and its cloned legs (shown above).
Grouping hierarchy created by cloning. Note that the dotted "USE Leg" are clone references. They refer to "DEF Leg". (These terms are used in the VRML file.) The solid red Transform above them contains translation and rotation information for each clone.
Key points about selecting clones:
PEP modeling one clone affects all the
clones sharing the same reference. Before you can enter the PEP editor,
choose Select > Select Lowest. All the clones sharing the
same reference appear with manipulator handles. You can now enter the
PEP editor by clicking its button on the PEP palette:
Only the last clone you selected appears in the PEP editor, but all clones change with each edit.
PEP modeling cloned houses. Note that pushing up points occurs on all the clones, not just the clone in the PEP editor. You must choose Select Lowest before PEP editing clones.
You can group a clone to a non-clone object. However, any changes in appearance that you make to a group that includes a clone affects all the clones. If you select a clone not in the group, the appearance changes affect the grouped clone, but not the other objects in its group.