Edit Mesh > Add Divisions

Splits selected polygon components (edges or faces) into smaller components. Add Divisions is useful when you need to add detail to an existing polygon mesh in either a global or localized manner.

Polygon faces can be divided into three-sided (triangles) or four-sided (quadrangles) faces. Edges can be subdivided so that the number of sides on a face is increased.

Note

The contents of the Add Divisions options window changes depending on what component selection mode you are currently in.

Related topics

Edit Mesh > Add Divisions >

Settings

Add divisions (for faces)

Determines how the selected faces or edges get subdivided into smaller components. The Division of the components can occur in either an exponential or linear manner depending on the component type.

Exponentially: Divides the selected faces recursively based on the Division levels setting. That is, the selected component is divided in half, then each half is further divided in half, and so on. The location for a division on a face is dependent on the number of border edges surrounding the face.
Linearly: Divides the selected faces or edges into an absolute number of segments based on the Division levels setting. For polygon edges, Linear specifies the number of new vertices that get inserted on the selected edges.

Note
The Exponential or Linear Controls that appear in the Add Divisions options window change depending on whether polygonal faces or edges are currently selected in the scene.

Exponential Controls (for faces)

Select one of the following:

Division levels: Specifies the number of divisions that occur for selected faces. The option can have a value ranging between one and four. The default value is one. A Division level of one divides a single face into four smaller faces when Exponentially is the selected Division method. If the Division level is set to two, a single face is subdivided into sixteen smaller faces.
Mode: Turn quads on to subdivide faces into quads or turn triangles on to subdivide faces into triangles. These options are only available for faces.

Linear Controls (for faces)

Select one of the following:

Divisions in U, V: When Linearly is the selected division method for faces, you can specify the number of divisions that occur along U and V for a polygon. For example, when the Divisions in U and Divisions in V are set to three and two, the polygon face would be divided into six smaller faces.

Linear Controls (for edges)

Select one of the following:

Division levels: When polygon edges are subdivided using the Linearly option, a subdivision level of one inserts a single vertex along the edge dividing it into two edges. When the subdivision level is set at two, two vertices are inserted along the edge to subdivide it into three smaller edges.
Minimum length: Sets the minimum length of each sub-edge created. This option is only available for edges.
Worldspace: When turned on, the specified Division value is the distance between vertices in world space. When turned off, the Divisions value is the distance between vertices in local space. This option is available for edges only.

Note
The Add Divisions feature is driven from the pick mask, not the current selection. For instance, if you select a face, but the pick mask is set to Edge, Add Divisions will not work and if you open the option window, the option window for Edges displays. Also, if the pick mask is set to Vertex or UV, the Add Divisions option window will not open, since only faces and edges can be subdivided. To work around this, ensure that the pick mask corresponds to the selection.