# flattenedClone() Creates an optimized copy of the node and its children. ``` func flattenedClone() -> Self ``` ## Return Value A new single node containing the combined geometries and materials of the node and its child node subtree. ## Discussion Rendering complex node hierarchies can incur a performance cost. Each geometry and material requires a separate draw command to be sent to the GPU, and each draw command comes with a performance overhead. If you plan for a portion of your scene’s node hierarchy to remain static (with respect to itself, if not the rest of the scene), use this method to create a single node containing all elements of that node hierarchy that SceneKit can render using fewer draw commands. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)