2009

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there are fewer of them. Its common to switch back and forth between
levels repeatedly in a work session.
The hand has level 2 vertices at various locations, for instance, at the
webbing between the fingers. You can also work at that level of detail if
desired (select Display Level > 2).
Refining surface components
By default, a subdivision surface displays up to three levels of detail (0, 1, and
possibly 2). The 0 level is the least refined. You can increase the level of detail
for a selected region to at most 13 levels. Though increasing the number of
levels allows more precision, it also slows Maya processing. Youll accomplish
most of your modeling needs at levels 0, 1, and 2.
If you display level 2 vertices on the hand, youll notice that there are no level
2 vertices near the fingertips. To create the indentation of a finger nail, you
need more vertices than levels 0 and 1 provide. In the next steps, youll add
level 2 vertices at a fingertip so you can create a fingernail.
To create more precision in the fingernail region
1 Switch to level 1.
2 Right-click the surface and select Edge from the marking menu.
3 Shift-click to select the edges that surround the region where youll shape
a nail.
4 To increase the amount of detail at the selected edges, select Subdiv
Surfaces > Refine Selected Components. Additional surface curves appear
in the fingernail area, indicating you can edit with more precision.
Refining surface components | 179