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# parent

The parent object that contains this object.

```
weak var parent: MDLObject? { get set }
```

## Discussion

Many asset formats describe a hierarchy of transforms that model the spatial relationships between meshes, lights, and cameras in the asset. In such formats, hierarchic transforms are [`MDLObject`](/documentation/ModelIO/MDLObject) instances whose [`children`](/documentation/ModelIO/MDLObject/children) property references the objects affected by the transform, and those objects can be other [`MDLObject`](/documentation/ModelIO/MDLObject) instances with children of their own.

This property’s value is `nil` for the top-level objects in a [`MDLAsset`](/documentation/ModelIO/MDLAsset) instance.

---

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