Shade 9 The Polygon Mesh Toolbox
The Polygon Mesh Toolbox contains the tools used for selecting and editing polygon meshes. To display the Polygon Mesh Toolbox, choose View > Mesh Tools or click the Mesh button in the standard Toolbox. Most options in the Polygon Mesh Toolbox can also be accessed from the Mesh menu.
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Polygon Selection Mode
Polygon meshes are composed of three elements: vertices (also called points), edges, and faces. Switch between the three selection modes to select and modify the desired element. These selection tools are only used when working with polygon meshes.
Vertex Selection Mode
Selecting Vertex Selection Mode allows the vertices, or points, of the polygon mesh lattice structure to be selected by clicking or enclosing them with a selection box.
Switching to Vertex Selection Mode when an edge or face is selected automatically selects the vertices composing that edge or face.
Edge Selection Mode
Selecting Edge Selection Mode allows the edges of the polygon mesh lattice structure to be selected by clicking or enclosing them with a selection box.
Switching to Edge Selection Mode when a face or multiple vertices are selected automatically selects the edges composing that face or connecting those vertices.
Face Selection Mode
Selecting Vertex Selection Mode allows the vertices, or points, of the polygon mesh lattice structure to be selected by clicking or enclosing them with a selection box.
Switching to Vertex Selection Mode when an edge or face is selected automatically selects the vertices composing that edge or face.
Selection Tools
The polygon mesh selection tools are used to quickly select elements of a polygon mesh.
Belt
Click the Belt tool when two adjacent faces are selected to extend the selection in a "belt" around the polygon mesh.
When working with spherical meshes, the Belt tool is most effective in the latitudinal direction.
Loop
Click the Loop tool when one or more faces of a polygon mesh are selected to select the edges forming an outline around those faces.
Surface
Click the Surface tool to select all the faces that share common vertices with the currently selected faces.
If a mirror copy or similar operation has been performed, some faces may look like they share vertices but actually do not. In such cases, the Surface tool will not select those faces.
Detect
The Detect tool is used to select elements of a polygon mesh that may cause artifacts or errors during rendering or modeling. Elements that can be selected using the Detect tool are Overlapping Vertices, Overlapping Faces, Nonplanar Faces, Edges Shared by Multiple Faces, and Internal Faces.
If you suspect one of these elements is causing an artifact during modeling or rendering, use the Detect tool to find it and fix the problem.
Overlapping Vertices
Selects any vertices that occupy the exact same coordinates in 3D space. If you find overlapping vertices, select them and then click the Merge Point button to merge the vertices.
Overlapping Faces
Selects any faces that share the same vertices as another face. If you find two overlapping faces, delete one of the faces.
Nonplanar Faces
Selects any nonplanar faces. A nonplanar face is a polygon with vertices that do not all lie in the same plane. If you find a nonplanar face, move the problem vertices so that they lie in the same plane as the other vertices in the polygon.
Selects any edges that border three or more faces. If you find an edge shared by multiple faces, simply remove it.
Internal Faces
Selects any faces that were created inside the polygon mesh. If you find an internal face, delete it.
Invert Button
Clicking the Invert button will select the currently unselected vertices, edges, or faces (depending on the Mesh selection mode).
Deselect Button
The Deselect button deselects all the selected vertices, edges or faces. It is also possible to deselect all polygon mesh elements by clicking on an empty space in the Figure window.
Editing Tools
The polygon mesh editing tools are used to move and modify the vertices, edges and faces of a polygon mesh. Select the element you wish to modify first before choosing an editing tool.
Offset
The Offset tool is used to enlarge or shrink a polygon face while keeping its position the same. It can also raise or lower the selected face. If you raise or lower a face with the Offset tool, the surrounding contiguous faces will be stretched such that they stay contiguous; no new polygon faces will be created. This can result in polygon faces that do not lie in a single plane.
Extrude
The Extrude tool extrudes the selected face(s) in the positive or negative direction of the normal. Unlike the Offset tool, using the Extrude tool to extrude a polygon face will create new faces to connect the extruded face with the rest of the polygon mesh. If multiple faces are selected, the Extrude tool will extrude them together, as if they were one polygon.
Bevel
The Bevel tool extrudes the selected faces in a manner similar to the Extrude tool, except that when multiple faces are selected, each face is extruded independently along its individual normal. When modifying a single polygon face, the Bevel and Extrude tools function identically.
Duplicate
The Duplicate tool first copies the selected polygon faces and then displays the virtual joystick, allowing you to move, extrude, enlarge or shrink the new faces.
Detach
The Detach tool detaches the selected face(s) from the surrounding, contiguous faces. The detached face still belongs to the same polygon mesh.
Mirror Copy
Mirror Copy creates a mirror copy of a polygon mesh face along any axis. The mirror copy will become part of the original polygon mesh.
Copy
The Copy tool creates a copy of the selected polygon mesh object as a new polygon mesh. The Copy tool can also be used to copy multiple separate polygon meshes and merge them to create one new polygon mesh.
Knife
The Knife tool is used to cut the selected faces.
Divide
The Divide button is used to split the selected face into equal horizontal and vertical segments.
Align
The Align tool aligns the position of the selected vertices along a specified direction (right, left, top, bottom, front, or back). The aligned vertices form a plane that includes the vertex farthest away from the object.
Merge Face
The Merge Face tool merges the faces of two or more adjacent polygons. Vertices and edges shared by the faces are deleted after they are merged.
Merge Point
The Merge Point tool merges two vertices that share the same 3D coordinates.
Flip Face
The Flip Face button inverts the normals of the selected faces.
Face
The Face tool creates a new face between the selected vertices.
Subdivide
Subdivide toggles the Roundness slider in the Object Info window between 0 and 1.
Other
The Other submenu contains the following items:
If there are any edges shared by three or more faces in the selected polygon mesh, this option separates the faces so that they no longer share the exact same edge. If there are no edges shared by three or more faces, this option has no effect.
Select Plane
Select Plane selects all of the polygon faces lying in the same plane as the currently selected face.
Extrude + Move
Extrude + Move extrudes and moves the selected face(s) simultaneously.
Extrude Edge
Extrude Edge extrudes the selected edge to form a new polygon face.
Swap Triangle
Swap Triangle switches the edges of the selected face of a triangular polygon mesh. |
