9.5.2

OBJECTS MENU • SPECIAL MODELING TOOLS • 291
Special Modeling Tools
Null Object
The null object might well mutter to itself “I cannot do anything, I’m a nothing!” And it would be
right ... almost. If you call this function, CINEMA 4D creates an empty axis system in the 3D space. The
object contains neither points nor surfaces and cannot be edited in the normal way.
So what’s the point of the null object?
Well, the null object can have other objects placed within it. So it is useful for grouping elements of a
scene together. Null objects are also created by an automatic grouping in the Object manager using
the Group Objects command. A further possible application is as a handle in inverse kinematics chains,
where a null object acts as the last part of an IK chain.
The advantage? Normally if you move, say, the hand at the end of an arm of a gure by IK, the hand
itself remains rigid. This is avoided by the use of such a dummy object at the end of the chain.
Let’s not forget one of the most frequently used applications of the null object — its use as a dummy
object for accurate rotation of previously rotated objects. As long as the axes of an object lie parallel
to those of its parent system (with newly created objects the parent is the world coordinates system),
an object rotates around its Y-axis (a heading rotation). However, if the object, or its local object
coordinate system, is already rotated (so that its axes are not parallel to those of its parent), the result
often astonishes even the most experienced 3D designers.
Left: rotation with parallel axes systems, Right: with an already rotated object system (in each case, the
nal rotation is through 90°).