Editable Poly (Object)

Repeat Last—Repeats the most recently used command.

Note: Repeat Last does not repeat all operations. For instance, it does not repeat transforms. To determine which command will be repeated when you click the button, check the button's tooltip. If no tooltip appears, nothing will happen when it is clicked.

Constraints—Lets you use existing geometry to constrain sub-object transformation. Use the drop-down list to choose the constraint type:

Note: You can set this at the Object level, but its usage pertains primarily to sub-object levels. The Constraints setting persists at all sub-object levels.

Create—Lets you create polygons from isolated vertices and border vertices. All vertices in the object are highlighted. Click three or more existing vertices in succession to define the shape of the new polygon. (The cursor changes to a cross when it is over a vertex that can legally be part of the polygon.) To finish polygon creation, double-click the last vertex. You can also finish creating the polygon by clicking any vertex of the new polygon a second time. You can also create new polygons at the Polygon and Element sub-object levels.

You can add vertices in this mode by SHIFT+clicking in an empty space; these vertices are incorporated into the polygon you're creating.

You can start creating polygons in any viewport, but all subsequent clicks must take place in the same viewport.

Tip: For best results, click vertices in counter-clockwise (preferred) or clockwise order. If you use clockwise order, the new polygon will be facing away from you, and you won’t be able to see it unless you’ve turned on Force 2-Sided or are using a two-sided material.

Attach—Lets you attach another object in the scene to the selected editable poly. You can attach any type of object, including splines, patch objects, and NURBS surfaces. Attaching a non-mesh object converts it to editable-poly format. Click the object you want to attach to the currently selected poly object.

When you attach an object, the materials of the two objects are combined in the following way:

Attach List—Lets you attach other objects in the scene to the selected mesh. Click to display a Select By Name dialog where you choose multiple objects to attach.

Shaded view of model (upper left); wireframe view of model (upper right); model with objects attached (lower left); and subsequent multi/sub-object material (lower right)

Split—When on, the QuickSlice and Cut operations create double sets of vertices at the points where the edges are divided. This lets you easily delete the new polygons to create holes, or animate the new polygons as separate elements.

QuickSlice—Lets you quickly slice the object without having to manipulate a gizmo. Make a selection, click QuickSlice, and then click once at the slice start point and again at its endpoint. You can continue slicing the selection while the command is active.

To stop slicing, right-click in the viewport, or click QuickSlice again to turn it off.

Cut—Lets you create edges from one polygon to another or within polygons. Click at the start point, move the mouse and click again, and continue moving and clicking to create new connected edges. Right-click once to exit the current cut, whereupon you can start a new one, or right-click again to exit Cut mode.

View Align—Aligns all vertices in selected objects to the plane of the active viewport. If a sub-object mode is active, this function affects only selected vertices or those belonging to selected sub-objects. In the case of orthographic viewports, using View Align has the same effect as aligning to the construction grid when the home grid is active. When aligning to a perspective viewport (including camera and light views), the vertices are reoriented to be aligned to a plane that is parallel to the camera's viewing plane. This plane is perpendicular to the view direction that is closest to the vertices' average position.

Grid Align—Aligns all vertices in selected objects to the plane of the current view. If a sub-object mode is active, function aligns only selected sub-objects. This function aligns the selected vertices to the current construction plane. The current plane is specified by the active viewport in the case of the home grid. When using a grid object, the current plane is the active grid object.

Full Interactivity—Toggles the level of feedback for the QuickSlice and Cut tools, as well as all settings dialogs.

When turned on (the default), the final result is always visible as you use the mouse to manipulate the tool or change a numeric setting. With Cut and QuickSlice, when Full Interactivity is turned off, only the rubber-band line is visible until you click. Similarly, with numeric settings in dialogs, the final result is visible only when you release the mouse button after changing the setting.

The state of Full Interactivity doesn't affect changing a numeric setting from the keyboard. Whether it's on or off, the setting takes effect only when you exit the field by pressing TAB or ENTER, or by clicking a different control in the dialog.

See Subdivision Surface rollout for information on the Subdivision Surface rollout settings.

See Subdivision Displacement rollout for information on the Subdivision Displacement rollout settings.