Mesh Menu

Important Tools from the Maya Mesh Menu

Union

A collection of mesh elements that are combined to create a single entity, allowing for operations like merging in computer graphics and modeling.

Difference

An operation that removes the volume of one mesh from another, resulting in a new shape that represents the remaining geometry.

Intersection

An operation that produces a new mesh representing the common volume shared by two or more mesh elements, effectively capturing the area where they overlap.

Slice

An operation that planes a mesh, creating new geometry by dividing the original shape into separate sections along a specified cutting plane.

Conform

An operation that modifies a mesh to match the surface of another mesh, ensuring compatibility for further processing or analysis.

Fill Hole

An operation that identifies and closes gaps or missing regions in a mesh, creating a continuous surface and improving mesh quality.

Reduce

An operation that simplifies a mesh by decreasing the number of polygons while retaining overall shape and detail, improving performance without significantly impacting visual fidelity.

Remesh

An operation that redistributes mesh vertices to create a more uniform polygon distribution, enhancing the geometry for better processing and rendering.

Retopologize

An operation that modifies the topology of a mesh to create a cleaner, more optimized edge flow and better polygon distribution, often used for animation and modeling.

Smooth

An operation that refines the surface of a mesh by quadrupling the number of vertices and then averaging their positions, resulting in a more visually pleasing and less jagged appearance, often used for enhancing the quality of 3D models.

Triangulate

An operation that converts a polygon mesh into a mesh made entirely of triangles, which is useful for game engines and real-time rendering.

Quadrangulate

An operation that converts a triangulated mesh into a quads-only mesh, optimizing the surface for better rendering and ease of editing, often used in 3D modeling.

Mirror

An operation that creates a symmetrical duplicate of a mesh across a specified plane, allowing for efficient modeling of symmetrical objects in 3D space.

Copy / Paste Attributes

A technique that allows users to duplicate and apply specific properties or attributes from one mesh to another, streamlining the editing process and preserving design consistency.

Cleanup

An operation that removes unused vertices, edges, and faces from a mesh, enhancing performance and improving overall geometry.