Editable Poly Surface

Overriding Actions with Press/Release Keyboard Shortcuts

While working with poly objects, you can use a "press/release keyboard shortcut" to temporarily override the current operation and perform a different one. As soon as you release the keyboard shortcut, you return to the previous operation.

For example, you might be working at the Polygon sub-object level, moving polygons, and need to rotate the object to access a different part of it. Instead of having to exit the Polygon sub-object level, rotate the object and then re-enter the sub-object level, you could simply press and hold 6, rotate the object, release the key, and immediately return to moving polygons.

To see a list of press/release keyboard shortcuts, go to Customize Customize User Interface Keyboard panel, open the Group drop-down list, and choose Edit Poly or Editable Poly. The actions in boldface are the ones that you can assign as press/release shortcuts. Not all are assigned; for information about assigning keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Panel.

Editable Poly Workflow

Commands for specific sub-object levels, such as Remove for edges, appear on a rollout for that sub-object level (for example, Edit Edges) in the Editable Poly user interface. This leaves the Edit Geometry rollout with functions that you can apply at most sub-object levels, as well as at the object level.

Also, many commands are accompanied by a Settings button, which gives you a second way to use the command:

• In Direct Manipulation mode, activated by clicking the command button, you apply the command by manipulating sub-objects directly in the viewport. An example of this is Extrude: You click the Extrude button, and then click and drag sub-objects in the viewports to extrude them.
  Note: Some buttons, such as Tessellate, operate on the mesh immediately, with no viewport manipulation required.
• Interactive Manipulation mode is well suited to experimentation. You activate this mode by clicking the command's Settings button. This opens a non-modal settings interface (typically a caddy) and places you in a preview mode, where you can set parameters and see the results immediately in the viewport on the current sub-object selection. You can then accept the results or cancel the operation. Alternatively, you can apply the settings to the current sub-object selection and then make one or more subsequent selections and apply or change the settings. Make the selection, optionally change the settings, click Apply And Continue, and then repeat with a different selection.
  Attention: When you click Apply And Continue, the settings are "baked into" the selection, and then applied again to the selection as a preview. If you then click OK to exit, you will have applied the settings twice. If your intention is to apply them only once, simply click OK the first time, or click Apply And Continue and then Cancel.
  Note: Changes implemented in Interactive Manipulation mode with editable poly objects cannot be animated. However, they can with Edit Poly objects.

Procedures

To produce an editable poly object:

First select an object, and then do one of the following:

• If no modifiers are applied to the object, On the Modify panel, right-click the modifier stack display, then on the pop-up menu, choose Editable Poly from the Convert To list.
• Right-click the object and choose Convert To Editable Poly from the Transform quadrant of the quad menu.
• Apply a modifier to a parametric object that turns the object into a poly object in the stack display, and then collapse the stack. For example, you can apply a Turn To Poly Modifier.

  To collapse the stack, use the Collapse utility and set Output Type to Modifier Stack Result, or right-click the object's modifier stack and then choose Collapse All.

Converting an object to Editable Poly format removes all parametric controls, including the creation parameters. For example, you can no longer increase the number of segments in a box, slice a circular primitive, or change the number of sides on a cylinder. Any modifiers you apply to an object are merged into the mesh as well. After conversion, the only entry left on the stack is "Editable Poly."

To maintain an object's creation parameters:

• As noted in the previous procedure, if you convert an existing object to editable poly format, 3ds Max replaces the creation parameters in the stack with "Editable Poly." The creation parameters are no longer accessible or animatable. If you want to maintain the creation parameters, you can use the Edit Poly Modifier or the Turn To Poly Modifier.

Interface

• Selection Rollout (Polymesh)
  The Selection rollout provides tools for accessing different sub-object levels and display settings and for creating and modifying selections, and displays information about selected entities.
• Editable Poly (Object)
  Editable Poly (Object) functions are available when no sub-object levels are active. These functions are also available at all sub-object levels, and work the same in each mode, except as noted below.
• Editable Poly (Vertex)
  Vertices are points in space: They define the structure of other sub-objects (edges and polygons) that make up the poly object. When you move or edit vertices, the connected geometry is affected as well. Vertices can also exist independently; such isolated vertices can be used to construct other geometry but are otherwise invisible when rendering.
• Editable Poly (Edge)
  An edge is a line connecting two vertices that forms the side of a polygon. An edge can't be shared by more than two polygons. Also, the normals of the two polygons should be adjacent. If they aren't, you wind up with two edges that share vertices.
• Editable Poly (Border)
  A border is a linear section of a mesh that can generally be described as the edge of a hole. This is usually a sequence of edges with polygons on only one side. For example, a box primitive doesn't have a border, but the teapot object has several: on the lid, on the body, on the spout, and two on the handle. If you create a cylinder and then delete an end polygon, the adjacent row of edges forms a border.
• Editable Poly (Polygon/Element)
  A polygon is a closed sequence of three or more edges connected by a surface. Polygons provide the renderable surface of editable poly objects.
• Edit Geometry Rollout (Polymesh and Edit Poly)
  The Edit Geometry rollout provides global controls for changing the geometry of the poly object, at either the top (Object) level or the sub-object levels. The controls are the same at all levels, except as noted in the descriptions below.
• Subdivision Surface Rollout (Polymesh)
  Applies subdivision to the object in the style of MeshSmooth, so you can work on a lower-resolution "cage" mesh and simultaneously see a smoother, subdivided result. This rollout is available at all sub-object levels, as well as at the object level, and always affects the entire object.
• Subdivision Displacement Rollout (Polymesh)
  Specifies surface approximation settings for subdividing an editable poly object. These controls work like the surface approximation settings for NURBS surfaces. They are used when you apply a Displacement map to the editable poly object.
• Paint Deformation Rollout (Polymesh)
  Paint Deformation lets you push, pull, or otherwise affect vertices by dragging the mouse cursor over the object surface. At the object level, Paint Deformation affects all vertices in the selected object. At sub-object levels, it affects only selected vertices (or vertices that belong to selected sub-objects), and recognizes soft selection.
• Editable Poly Settings
  These topics describe settings for tools for editing Editable Polymesh surfaces. The settings are used in Interactive Manipulation mode, in which you can adjust settings parametrically and see the results immediately in the viewports.