Cineversity

I have a complex track roller system that has to be mirrored in a scene. The roller tracks render fine in the original configuration, but when I drop it into a Symmetry object, the clones disappear.

Reference model attached.

In this particular design I have a Xpresso rig for controlling the length of the roller set in the cloner. This might be a factor. However, I’ve had this happen before with complex structures that don’t use Xpresso. It’s as if the Symmetry has a limit for how many clones it can duplicate.

Hi fordmar,

Thanks for the file!

In the “Roller Cloner,” you had multi instances enabled; that seems to be the problem here. Switch that to Instance.

However, just create one setup, then use a new Parent Cloner and set that to Multiple Instances, which will speed up your scene.
Perhaps it is a limitation of the demo file, but I do not see a need for a Symmetry object here.
Example
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/yE3sbthJvFidrKgqIYE8VPkkZ82Zw05yoNrwXe72ZQD

Cheers

Cool! That fixed it

But I thought multi-instance was the preferred setting when you had a lot (and I mean a lot) of clones? Just not in conjunction with a Symmetry?

Yes - the demo file is just the portion of the assembly that wasn’t rendering right. Many other assemblies that loop and tuck. So the Symmetry is pretty essential as they all have to be mirrored - i.e. right hand, left hand.

Thanks for the reply, fordmar.

Yes, that is true, that is the most efficient way. But the shortcoming of Multi Instances is, they don’t really exist, hence why they are fast. It is more data in the pipeline than individual information each time. In this way, these “virtual models” are not seen by other “copy-machines”.

Cheers

Ah, makes sense.

BTW: Turning off Generators in layers makes a HUGE difference. The dragginess is reduced in accord with how many Generators are turned off. When all are off, things spin around like a bird - which it wasn’t doing before. So that one little switch is speeding things up enormously.

Thanks for posting the #4 in the other thread as well.