---
title: Cloning
---

<p>
    Models and paths are simple JavaScript objects, so they are easy to clone in a way that is standard to JavaScript. Maker.js provides a few functions for cloning:
</p>

<ul>
    <li><a href="/docs/api/index.html#cloneobject">makerjs.cloneObject</a> - clones a model, or any other object.</li>
    <li><a href="/docs/api/modules/makerjs.path.html#clone">makerjs.path.clone</a> - clones a path (quicker than cloneObject)</li>
    <li><a href="/docs/api/modules/makerjs.point.html#clone">makerjs.point.clone</a> - clones a point (quicker than cloneObject)</li>
</ul>

<p>
    Cloning is useful in many situations. For example, if you need many copies of a model for rotation:
</p>

{% highlight javascript %}
//clone and rotate

var makerjs = require('makerjs');

function sawtooth(numTeeth, r1, rd, offset) {
    var a = 360 / numTeeth;
    var a1 = 90 - a / 2;
    var r2 = r1 + rd;
    var p1 = makerjs.point.fromPolar(makerjs.angle.toRadians(a1), r1);
    var p2 = makerjs.point.rotate(p1, a, [0, 0]);

    var p3 = [-offset, r2];

    this.paths = {
        outer: new makerjs.paths.Arc(p1, p3, r2 / 4, false, false),
        inner: new makerjs.paths.Arc(p2, p3, r1 / 4, false, false)
    };
}

var wheel = { models: {} };
var numTeeth = 30;
var tooth = new sawtooth(numTeeth, 100, 20, 10);

for (var i = 0; i < numTeeth; i++ ) {
    var clone = makerjs.cloneObject(tooth);
    var a = 360 / numTeeth;
    makerjs.model.rotate(clone, a * i, [0, 0]);
    wheel.models[i] = clone;
}

var svg = makerjs.exporter.toSVG(wheel);

document.write(svg);
{% endhighlight %}

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