Hi Erik,
There is no direct option to stop the converting (C) process, at least to my knowledge.
In the specify case of eight shelfs in a row, you might use the Tools>(Arrange)>Duplicate functions. This allows to create eight XRef copies with no extra steps.
To keep things in MoGraph, the less attractive workflow would be, to place the XRef into an Instance object. This Instance object is then part of your Cloner object set up with the convert option. Any change to the resulting eight Instances can be done by changing the reference of a single or more Instance object references.
My preferred way of working is to avoid the “Make Editable” as far as possible, or as late as possible. To achieve a set up with the flexibility you like to have, place the new XRef under the Cloner and use a Plain effector to “Modify Clones”. IF you have all variations of your shelf under the cloner, you can easily pick the one for a certain place. Perhaps with a Spline object as Fall off (external) to adjust the clone selection. (Sounds complicated for eight shelfs, but if you like I can set up a scene file.) The problem with such set up is, that any new child of the Cloner, might change the distribution. To get a stable selection here, placeholder (Nulls) are typically placed under the cloner.
You might suggest this (http://www.maxon.net/support/suggestions.html) as an option for the protection tag, to prevent any “Making Editable” for the object that has that tag with the suggested function)
In the question above, I would go with the Duplicate options.
All the best
Sassi
