user: Describe Usage from the Blender manual or Python API, including usage steps and snippets.

assistant: ### Instanced Vertices as an Arranging Tool

All you need is a base object (e.g. the *tree* or the *column*)
and a pattern mesh with its vertices following the pattern you have in mind. In this section,
we will use a simple scene for the following part. We will be using a monkey head located at
the origin of the coordinate system as our base object and a circle at the same location as
our parent mesh.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| <../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_monkey-before.png>   A monkey head and a circle. | <../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_monkey-after.png>   Instanced monkeys on Vertices. |

First, in *Object Mode*, select the base object
and `Shift`-`LMB` to add the circle to the selection (order is very important here),
and `Ctrl`-`P` or Object ‣ Parent ‣ Object
to parent the base object to the circle.
Now, the circle is the parent of the monkey; if you move the circle, the monkey will follow it.

With only the circle selected, enable *Instancing Vertices*;
a monkey head should be placed at every vertex of the circle.

The original monkey head at the center and the parent mesh are still shown in the 3D Viewport but
neither will be rendered. If the placement and rotation of your monkey head are odd,
you might need to clear its rotation `Alt`-`R`, scale `Alt`-`S`,
location `Alt`-`G`, and origin Object ‣ Clear ‣ Origin.

#### Rearranging

If you now select the base object and modify it in either Object or Edit Mode,
all changes will also affect the shape of all instanced objects.
You can also select the parent mesh to modify the arrangement of the instances;
adding vertices will also add more base objects.

Note that the base objects will inherit changes made to the parent mesh in Object Mode,
but not in Edit Mode. So scaling the circle up in Object Mode will enlarge the monkey head,
while scaling the circle up in Edit Mode will only increase the distance between the base objects.

#### Orientation

The orientation of the base objects can be controlled by
enabling *Align to Vertex Normal* in the *Instancing* panel.
This will rotate all base objects according to the vertex normals of the parent mesh.

To change the orientation of the instanced objects,
select the base object and change the [Tracking Axis](../relations.html#bpy-types-object-track-axis).

Output of various orientations.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| <../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_orientation.png>   Orientation enabled, orientation +Y. | <../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_negy.png>   Negative Y. |
| <../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_posx.png>   Positive X. | <../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_posz.png>   Positive Z, up X. |

### Instanced Vertices as a Modeling Tool

Very interesting models can be made using *Instancing Vertices* and a standard primitive.
In this example, a simple tentacle was made by extruding a cube a couple of times.
The tentacle object was then parented to an icosphere.
With *Align to Vertex Normal* enabled for the parent mesh (the icosphere),
the orientation of the base object (the tentacle)
was adapted to the vertex normals of the parent mesh
(in this case the tentacle was rotated -90° about the X axis in Edit Mode).

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_tentacle.png   A simple tentacle set to smooth. | ../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_norot.png   Tentacles instanced onto the parent mesh. | ../../../../_images/scene-layout_object_properties_instancing_verts_rot.png   *Align to Vertex Normal* enabled to align instanced geometry. |

As in the previous example, the shape and proportions of the arrangement can now be tweaked.

To turn all instanced geometry into real objects,
select the icosphere and [Make Instances Real](../../editing/apply.html#bpy-ops-object-duplicates-make-real).
To make the icosphere and the tentacle a single object,
make sure they are all selected and go to Object ‣ Join, `Ctrl`-`J`.