Crease polygonal edges and vertices

Applying creases to components modifies your polygonal meshes so you can create shapes that transition between hard and smooth, without increasing the resolution of the base mesh.

Creases are measured by a crease value, which indicates the amount that each level of a subdivision is creased. The higher the crease value, the sharper the crease. For example, a crease value of 2 means that the base level and first level edges are fully creased, but finer level edges are not creased at all.

Maya offers two methods to crease edges and vertices on a polygon mesh: the Crease Tool (Edit Mesh > Crease Tool) and the Crease Set Editor (Edit Mesh > Crease Set Editor).

The Crease Tool modifies the crease values directly on the mesh and can be used in conjunction with the Create Crease Selection Set command.

The Crease Set Editor lets you work with all the crease sets in your scene from a single window, making it easy to select, manage, and edit crease values and crease sets across multiple meshes.

You must select one method to use throughout your workflow, as the methods cannot be used interchangeably on the same components.

Crease Tool

To crease edges or vertices on a polygon mesh

Select Edit Mesh > Crease Tool.
You can also + -click in the scene view when you are in edge or vertex selection mode and select Crease Tool from the marking menu.
Select the edges or vertices on the mesh you want to crease.
Note
You can select more than one edge or vertex at a time on a mesh to crease. You can also select items on more than one polygon object and crease all of the items simultaneously. However, you may experience crease popping.
-drag in the scene view to adjust the creasing value.
A heads-up display appears in the viewport to indicate the Crease Mode, the current crease value, and the maximum crease value visible for the current subdivision level.

Edges that have creasing applied appear with heavier lines on the original mesh. Vertices with creasing applied are indicated by a small circle encompassing the vertex.

Note The maximum crease value is the same as the number of levels of subdivision of the mesh.

Crease selection sets let you quickly group and select components that are creased using the Crease Tool. These sets are useful for selecting frequently modified and/or similar creased components. You can create a crease selection set by selecting Create Crease Selection Set (Edit Mesh > Crease Selection Sets > Create Crease Selection Set > . Once created, you can select your sets from the following locations:

Edit Mesh > Crease Selection Sets
the Crease Tool's marking menu ( + + )

NoteCreased components and crease sets that are created using the Create Crease Selection Set command are not displayed in the Crease Set Editor.

To create a crease selection set

Select the creased components (polygonal edges or vertices) that you want included in the Crease Selection Set.
Select Edit Mesh > Crease Selection Sets > Create Crease Selection Set > .
Alternately, you can create a crease selection set by pressing + + in the scene and selecting the Create Crease Selection Set item from the marking menu that appears.

The Create Crease Set Options window appears.
Type the name for your new crease selection set, and then click Create.
A list of the current crease selection sets in the scene appears below the Edit Mesh > Crease Selection Sets menu item or in the Crease Tool marking menu.

Tip
When the Crease Tool is active you can select your existing crease selection sets from a marking menu by pressing + + in the scene. You can use the Outliner or the Relationship Editor to manage your crease selection sets.

NoteCrease selection sets that are created using the Create Crease Selection Set option are not exclusive. Components can be in multiple crease sets at one time.

Crease Set Editor

To create a crease set using the Crease Set Editor

Select the components (polygonal edges or vertices) that you want to include in your crease set.
Select Edit Mesh > Crease Set Editor.
The Crease Set Editor appears.
Do one of the following:
- Click New in the Crease Set Editor action buttons.
- -click anywhere in the editor and select Create Set from the context-sensitive menu.
  A new crease set appears in the Crease Set list.
  TipTo change the default name, select Settings > Default Crease Set Name and enter a new name prior to creating a crease set.
(Optional) Adjust the crease hardness. See Adjust crease hardness.

Crease polygonal edges and vertices

Crease Tool

Crease Set Editor

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