Shift-Clone is the primary way to duplicate objects in gmax. You hold down the SHIFT key and drag during any of the standard transform operations: Move, Rotate, or Scale.
To use Shift-Clone with an object:
On the main toolbar, click a Move, Rotate, or Scale button.
Select a transform coordinate system and constraints. Each transform carries its own settings. To avoid surprises, always click the transform button first, and then set your transform coordinate system and constraints.
Select the object or set of objects you want to clone. The selection can be a single object, multiple objects, a group, or a sub-object selection.
Hold down the SHIFT key and drag the selection to apply the transform.
As you drag, a clone is created and selected; it is now the object being transformed. The original object is no longer selected and is unaffected by the transform.
When you release the mouse button, the Clone Options dialog appears. Change settings in this dialog or accept the defaults, and then click OK.
The Clone Options dialog is common to Shift-Clone for any transform you choose. For the details of this dialog, see Clone.
See also
Any Shift-Clone operation can be animated. See Animating Shift-Rotate and Shift-Scale.
Cloning objects with Shift-Clone requires transforming them at the same time, by moving, rotating, or scaling them. In some cases, you might want to clone an object without transforming it in any way. An Edit menu item gives you this option, with which you can create only one clone.
To clone objects without transforming:
Select the object, or set of objects, to clone.
Choose Edit menu > Clone. The Clone Options dialog appears. This is the same dialog used with Shift-Clone except that you canÆt set a multiple number of clones.
Change settings in this dialog or accept the defaults, and click OK.
Note: The cloned object occupies exactly the same space as the original, and is selected when cloning is complete. Use Select By Name to select the original or reselect the clone.