Every object in a 3ds Max scene is represented in memory (that is, in the data structure of the scene) as a node, which acts as a container for an object’s geometry, its transform controllers, assigned materials and modifiers, and so on. Nodes also provide the building blocks for hierarchies, in which parent/child relationships are created by linking objects node to node. Two tools that display nodes are Track View and Schematic View.
”Node” is distinct from the term “object,” because the “object” refers more narrowly to geometry: the mesh, NURBS surface, spline, patch, and so on. The same instance of an object’s geometry can be shared by multiple nodes. Each node in the scene is unique and can be identified as such by the commands and tools 3ds Max or plug-ins implement. See Modeling Objects.