2010

Table Of Contents
Subdivision Surfaces
Introduction
Subdivision surfaces are a hybrid surface type that possess characteristics of both
NURBS and polygonal surfaces as well as other features not offered by the other
surface types. Like NURBS, subdivision surfaces are capable of producing smooth
organic forms and can be shaped using relatively few control vertices. Like
polygonal surfaces, subdivision surfaces let you extrude specific areas and create
additional detail in your surfaces. You do this by working at different levels of
detail on the subdivision surface and switching between the levels when
necessary. With a subdivision surface you can build a smooth organic object
from a single primitive and not be concerned about attaching or stitching the
various surfaces together as you would for a NURBS surface.
Preparing for the lesson
To ensure the lesson works as described, do these steps before beginning:
1 Review the Polygon Modeling lesson in this guide. Knowledge of polygonal
modeling tools is essential to becoming proficient in subdivision surface
modeling.
2 If you have not already done so, copy the GettingStarted folder from its
installation location to your projects directory. Then, set the
GettingStarted directory as your Maya project. For more information, see
Copying and setting the Maya project on page 25.
3 Create a new scene.
4 Select the Surfaces menu set.
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