jorritvandommelen said:
Hi,
This is probably a very stupid question, but I don't really know the differences between an editable mesh, editable patch and an editable poly. Can someone explain briefly what the differences are and when to use which one.
Thank you
Jorrit
An editable mesh is a type of deformable object in gmax. An editable mesh is a trimesh; that is, it uses triangular polygons. Editable meshes are useful for creating simple, low-polygonal objects or control meshes for MeshSmooth modeling. You can convert a patch surface to an editable mesh. Editable meshes require little memory, and are a natural method of modeling with polygonal objects.
An editable poly is a type of deformable object in gmax. An editable poly is a polygonal mesh; that is, unlike an editable mesh, it uses polygons of more than three sides. Editable polys are useful in that they avoid invisible edges. For example, if you use a cut-and-slice operation with editable polys, the program doesn't insert extra vertices along any invisible edge. You can convert editable meshes, splines, primitives, and patch surfaces to editable polys.
A patch is a type of deformable object. A patch object is useful for creating gently curved surfaces, and provides very detailed control for manipulating complex geometry.
When you apply an Edit Patch modifier to an object or convert it to an editable patch object, the software converts the object's geometry into a collection of separate Bezier patches. Each patch is made up of three or four vertices connected by edges, defining a surface. Patches also have interior vertices that you can control, or let the software control for you.
You control a patch surface's shape by manipulating the vertices and edges. The surface is the renderable geometry of the object.