# Objects and props

> Build a reusable product or prop in the Object/Props Studio with an approved main image, angle, material and condition variants, and motion clips.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/objects

An **object** is a reusable product, prop, vehicle or piece of furniture that looks the same in every image and video of a project. You approve its main image once in the Object/Props Studio, then add angles, materials, conditions and motion clips. Connect the [Object/Props Asset](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/assets/object) node wherever the object appears, and every shot shows the same item.

## What an object holds

| Part | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| **Main image** | The approved picture of the object. Every variant and motion clip is made from it. |
| **Canonical description** | A description of 80 to 120 words, written from the main image when you approve it. Connected nodes add it to their prompts. |
| **Angles** | The object from other viewpoints. |
| **Materials** | The same object in other materials and finishes. |
| **Variations** | The same object in another condition or style, such as weathered or polished. |
| **Motion clips** | Short videos made from the main image, such as a 360-degree turn. |
| **Reference photos** | Up to 20 photos of the real object or of the look you want. |
| **Style Lock** | Keeps every variant anchored to the main image. On by default. |

## Create an object

### Add the node and open the studio

Press Tab on the canvas and choose **Assets › Objects › Object/Props Asset**. Click **Open Studio** on the node, or select the node and click **Open Object/Props Studio** in the settings panel.

### Add reference photos

On **References**, add photos of the object. For a real product, a clean front photo and a side photo help the model match it. Choose the kind, paste the photo's URL and click **Add**.

### Name and describe the object

On **Appearance**, enter a **Name** and a **Description**. Name the materials and textures, for example "brushed stainless steel coffee mug with a matte black handle".

### Generate and approve the main image

Choose 1, 2 or 4 **Candidates** and click **Generate**. With one candidate, the result becomes the main image automatically. With two or four, click **Approve** on the one you want, or **Discard** on the others.

### Save

Click **Save** in the header to keep the name, the description and Style Lock. Generated pictures and clips are saved to the object on their own.

Approving costs no credits and writes the **Canonical description**, which appears under the main image.

## Reference photos

| Kind | Use it for |
| --- | --- |
| **front** | A clean, front-facing photo. |
| **side** | A side view. Useful for vehicles, furniture and weapons. |
| **detail** | A close-up of a defining feature, such as an engraving, a hinge or a texture. |
| **context** | The object in use: held, mounted or in a scene, for scale and placement. |
| **mood board** | The mood, palette or aesthetic you want. |
| **other** | Anything else. |

An object holds up to 20 reference photos, and you can add several of the same kind. Every node that uses the object receives them as extra references. The kind tells the model what each photo is for.

## Describe the object with a picker

The node has an **Object type** input on its left edge. Connect an [Animal](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/animal), [Vehicle](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/vehicle), [Furniture](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/furniture), [Weapon](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/weapon), [Material](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/material) or [Held Prop](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/held-prop) picker to it. The picker's choice is added to the object's generation prompts, for example "antique brass" from the Material picker.

A picker is a quick way to start from a catalog choice instead of writing the description yourself.

## Angles, materials and variations

| Page | Presets |
| --- | --- |
| **Angles** | front, side, top, back, three-quarter, detail, in-context, exploded, perspective |
| **Materials** | wood, metal, glass, plastic, fabric, stone, ceramic, leather, paper, gold, silver, copper, marble |
| **Variations** | clean, weathered, damaged, ornate, minimal, broken, antique, futuristic, holographic, dirty, polished |

- Click a preset to generate that variant. **Generate All** generates every preset that is still missing.
- Type in **Custom prompt (free-form)** and click **Generate** for any other variant.
- On **Materials**, click **Browse Material catalog** for richer choices, for example "polished brushed brass" instead of plain "gold". Each pick generates a variant with the catalog's wording.

You do not need to describe the object again for a variant. Nodaro writes each variant's prompt from the object's canonical description and the variant's name. Each variant costs one image on the object's image model.

Generate the angles first. They are the most useful references when the object appears in a scene.

## Style Lock

Style Lock is the main consistency switch of an object. It is on for every new object.

| | Style Lock on (default) | Style Lock off |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Variants** | Generated from the approved main image. The same proportions, silhouette and defining features. | Generated from text only. The model may reinterpret the shape each time. |
| **Other nodes** | Receive the canonical description as fixed context. | Receive the canonical description as a loose guide. |
| **Use it for** | Everything that must show the same item across shots. | Design exploration and A/B comparisons. |

Turn Style Lock on or off in the studio header or in the node's settings panel.

## Motion clips

The **Motion** page turns the approved main image into short showcase clips, such as a slow turn or a hover. Use a clip in a product video, or as B-roll.

- **Approve a main image first.** Until then, **Generate** is disabled.
- **Presets**: rotate-360, hover, spin-slow, parallax, pulse, drift, dolly-around, push-in, drone-orbit.
- **Models**: [Kling 2.5 Turbo Pro](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/kling-2-5-turbo-pro) (the default and the fastest), [Kling 2.6](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/kling-2-6), [Kling 3.0](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/kling-3-0), [Hailuo 02 I2V Pro](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/hailuo-02-i2v-pro), [Hailuo 2.3 Standard](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/hailuo-2-3-standard), [Wan 2.6 I2V](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/wan-2-6-i2v), Seedance and [Bytedance Lite I2V](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/bytedance-lite-i2v).
- **Frame**: `1:1` by default, for product framing. `3:4`, `16:9` and `9:16` are also available.
- **Cost**: a clip costs the same as an image-to-video run on the chosen model.

## Use an object in your scenes

Connect the node's **Object/Props** output to the **Assets** input of a [Generate Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image) or [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video) node. The node receives the main image, the reference photos and the canonical description.

Workflow: A Material picker shapes the object, the object feeds an image, and the image becomes the first frame of a video.

- Material → Object/Props Asset (object type)
- Object/Props Asset → Generate Image (assets)
- Text → Generate Image (prompt)
- Generate Image → Generate Video (start frame)

To place the object exactly where you want it in the sentence, mention it in the prompt. The mention name comes from the object's name: "Antique Lantern" becomes `@antique-lantern:1`.

| Mention | What the node writes into the prompt |
| --- | --- |
| `@antique-lantern:1` | "the object from reference image A", in place of the mention. |
| `@antique-lantern:1:material` | "the material from reference image A". |
| `@antique-lantern:1:engraving` | Any custom word works: "the engraving from reference image A". |
| `@antique-lantern:1~lock` | Turns the identity lock on for this mention: a short line asks the model to keep this object exactly. |
| `@antique-lantern:1~nolock` | Turns the identity lock off for this mention only. |

The roles for an object are **object** (the default), **shape**, **material**, **color**, **texture** and **style**, or any word of your own.

Type object mentions by hand. The `@` menu and the mention pills cover characters, locations and named images, not objects. A mention changes where the object's phrase goes. Without one, the phrase is added at the end of the prompt. The model may then miss the link to the object's name in your sentence. With a mention, the phrase appears once, where you typed it. Read [Reference roles](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/reference-roles) for the full grammar.

The **Image** output of the node is the main image as a plain picture, without the description. In the settings panel of an image or video node, the **Injected references** list shows every picture the node will send. Remove the object's pictures from one node there, without disconnecting it.

## Use an object you already have

Click **Choose existing** on the node, or **Choose from Library / Gallery** in the settings panel.

- **My Library** lists your own objects.
- **Public Gallery** lists objects shared by the community. Choosing one copies it into your library first. The tab appears on multi-user installs, such as Nodaro Cloud.

Choosing or replacing an object brings its main image and every variant, so connected nodes use it at once.

## Delete and restore an object

In the asset picker's **My Library** tab, point at an object and click **Delete from library**. The object is archived, and nodes that use it keep working.

Restore an archived object, or delete it permanently, with the API, the SDK or the CLI. Permanent deletion works only on an object that is already archived. If a restored object's name is already taken, "(restored)" is added to it.

## Tips

- **Be specific about materials.** "Matte black handle" beats "handle"; the model copies what you name.
- **Add reference photos for real products.** A front photo and a side photo give the model the real item to match.
- **Generate angles before scenes.** Angles are the most useful references for compositions.
- **Keep Style Lock on for a product.** Turn it off only to explore new designs.
- **Keep product clips square.** The `1:1` default is the usual framing for a product showcase.

## From code and agents

The REST API, the SDK and the CLI create objects, generate and approve main images, and add variants and motion clips. They also archive, restore and permanently delete objects, and set the category and the style. The categories are furniture, vehicle, weapon, food, clothing, electronics, nature, tool, animal and other. See [Objects](https://nodaro.ai/docs/developers/api/objects).

The MCP tools include `generate_object`, `approve_object_main_image`, `recaption_object`, `generate_object_motion`, `list_objects` and `get_object`. An assistant creates an object by generating it, and cannot delete or restore one. See the [MCP tools](https://nodaro.ai/docs/mcp/tools).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an object asset for?

An object asset keeps one product, prop, vehicle or piece of furniture looking the same across images and videos. You approve its main image once, and every connected node receives that picture and its description.

### How do I show the same product in another material?

Open the Materials page in the studio and click a preset such as metal or leather, or pick one from the Material catalog. With Style Lock on, each variant is generated from the approved main image, so the shape stays the same.

### How do I mention an object in a prompt?

Type @ with the object's name and a number, for example @antique-lantern:1. Add a role to say what to take from it, such as @antique-lantern:1:material. Type object mentions by hand, because the @ menu does not list objects.

### How much does an object motion clip cost?

The same as an image-to-video run on the chosen model. Kling 2.5 Turbo Pro, the default, is the fast choice for short product clips.