To achieve highly detailed modeling effects, you can directly transform, modify, and align the geometry of objects at a sub-object level, using the Modify panel. The following table shows the different object types and their respective sub-objects.

With the exception of NURBS objects, to gain access to an object's sub-objects, in most cases you must first either convert the object into an editable object, or apply any of various modifiers to the object, such as Edit Mesh/Poly/Spline/Patch or Mesh/Poly/Spline Select. The Select modifiers simply let you specify sub-objects for modification by subsequently applied modifiers. The distinctions between transforming an object into an editable object and applying an Edit modifier to it are as follows:

To convert a parametric object to an editable object, see any of the following topics:

Editable Mesh Surface

Editable Poly Surface

Editable Spline

Editable Patch Surface

To apply an Edit modifier, see any of the following topics:

Edit Mesh Modifier

Edit Poly Modifier

Edit Spline Modifier

Edit Patch Modifier

To apply a Select modifier, see the following topics:

Mesh Select Modifier

Poly Select Modifier

Spline Select Modifier

Volume Select Modifier

Patch Select Modifier