The Insert
Edge Loop Tool lets you select and then split the polygon
faces across either a full or partial edge ring on a polygonal mesh.
The Insert
Edge Loop Tool is useful when you want to add detail
across a large area of a polygon mesh or when you want to insert
edges along a user-defined path.
For a description of
an edge ring, please refer to
Select an edge ring.
When you insert an edge
loop, you are splitting the polygon faces associated with the selected
edge ring. The Insert Edge Loop Tool lets
you insert one or more edge loops across a full, partial, or multidirectional
edge ring.
Possible workflow scenarios
are as follows:
To
insert an edge loop across a full edge ring on a polygonal mesh
- In the scene view, select the polygonal
mesh.
- From the Polygons menu
set, select
Edit Mesh > Insert Edge Loop Tool > .
The Insert
Edge Loop Tool settings editor appears.
- Ensure that the default options are set
as follows:
- Maintain position: Relative
distance from edge
- Auto complete:
On
When Maintain
position is set to Relative distance from
edge, the preview locator is positioned based on a percentage
distance along the edge (25%, 50% and so on) When Auto
complete is turned on you can select a full edge ring
and immediately split the corresponding faces.
- Click the edge on the polygonal mesh
where you want a set of new edges to be inserted across the mesh.
Do not immediately release the mouse button.
A green dotted
edge loop preview locator line appears within the edge ring that
is selected perpendicular to the edge you clicked. The edge loop
preview locator indicates where the new edge loop will be inserted
across the mesh once you release the mouse button.
- Depending on the orientation of the selected
edge ring on the mesh, drag your mouse in either a side to side,
or back and forth motion to position the edge loop preview locator.
- Release the mouse button when you have
moved the edge loop locator to the desired location.
The new edge loop is
inserted on the polygon faces associated with the selected edge
ring. The new edge loop remains selected so that you can perform
additional operations on the edges.
- When you have split the desired polygons,
do one of the following to exit the tool:
- Choose the Select Tool in
the (Hotkey: q).
- Choose another tool or feature that performs
the next operation on the selected edge loop.
For example, selecting
the Move Tool to move the selected
edge loop, selecting Edit Mesh > Extrude to extrude
the selected edge loop, or converting the edge loop selection to
faces.
To insert a partial
edge loop across a polygonal mesh
- In the scene view, select the polygonal
mesh.
- From the Polygons menu
set, select
Edit Mesh > Insert Edge Loop Tool > .
The Insert Edge
Loop Tool settings editor appears.
- Set the following options:
- Maintain position: Relative
distance from edge
- Auto Complete:
Off
NoteWhen the Auto
Complete option is turned off you can select a partial edge
ring without the edge loop being automatically inserted after you release
your mouse button.
- Click an edge of the polygonal mesh to
indicate the starting point of the partial edge ring where you want
the new edge loop to be inserted across the mesh.
The edge is selected
and a green vertex appears on the edge you clicked to indicate the
selection.
- Click a second edge that you want to
be the ending point of the partial edge ring. The second edge should
be parallel to the first edge you selected.
All of the edges between
the first and second edges you clicked become selected and a dotted
green edge loop preview locator appears across the selected edge
ring. The preview locator indicates where the new edge loop will
be inserted across the mesh.
- If you want to cancel the selection of
a particular edge, + on that
edge and continue your selection. If you want to cancel the edge
selection entirely, click anywhere in the scene view off of the mesh.
- When you have completed your selection
process, either press or and
select Complete Tool from the marking
menu that appears.
An edge loop is inserted
at the location that was indicated by the edge loop locator on the
polygonal mesh. The new edge loop remains selected so that you can
perform additional operations on it.
- When you have completed the desired polygon
splitting, you can do one of the following to exit the tool:
- Choose the Select Tool in
the Toolbox (Hotkey: q).
- Choose another tool or feature that performs
the next operation on the selected edge ring.
For example, selecting
the Move Tool to move the selected
edge loop, selecting
Edit Mesh > Extrude to
extrude the selected edge loop, or converting the edge loop selection
to faces.
To
insert a multidirectional edge loop
- In the scene view, select the polygonal
mesh.
- From the Polygons menu
set, select
Edit Mesh > Insert Edge Loop Tool > .
The Insert
Edge Loop Tool settings editor appears.
- Set the following options:
- Maintain position: Relative
distance from edge
- Auto Complete:
Off
NoteWhen the Auto Complete option
is off you can select a partial edge ring that is multidirectional
without the edge loop being automatically inserted after you release
your mouse button.
- Click an edge of the polygonal mesh to
indicate the starting point of the partial edge ring where you want
the new edge loop to be inserted on the mesh.
The edge is selected
and a green vertex appears on the edge you clicked to indicate the
selection.
- Click a second edge that you want to
be the ending point of the partial edge ring. The second edge must
be parallel to the first edge you selected.
All of the edges between
the first and second edges you clicked become selected and a dotted green edge
loop preview locator appears across the selected edge. The preview
locator indicates where the new edge loop will be inserted across
the mesh.
- To continue the existing edge ring path
in a different direction, click on an edge that is directly adjacent
to the edge you last selected to indicate the change in direction
for the selection.
- Continue to select edges and/or change
the direction in your edge ring path as described in steps 5 and
6 above.
NoteYou can change the
direction of your edge ring selection path several times, but the
path should not be constructed so that it crosses an existing area
of selection. When the selection path intersects itself the edge
insertion mode of the tool cannot determine where to insert an edge
loop. In these situations, you need to perform multiple edge split
operations.
- If you want to cancel the selection of
a particular edge at any time during the selection process, + on the
desired edge. If you want to cancel the edge selection entirely,
click anywhere in the scene view off of the mesh.
- When you have completed your selection
process, either press or and
select Complete Tool from the marking
menu.
An edge loop is inserted
at the location that was indicated by the preview locator on the
polygonal mesh. The new edge loop remains selected so that you can
perform additional operations on it.
- When you have completed your edge loop
insertion, do one of the following to exit the tool:
- Choose the Select Tool in
the Toolbox (Hotkey: q).
- Choose another tool or feature that performs
the next operation on the selected edge ring.
For example, selecting
the Move Tool to move the selected
edge loop, selecting
Edit Mesh > Extrude to
extrude the selected edge loop, or converting the edge loop selection
to faces.
NoteWhen the
Auto Complete option
is off, you can also insert a partial edge loop on faces that are
not comprised exclusively of four-sided polygons by clicking two
edges for any given face in sequence along the desired path. This
specifies the direction of the selected ring path.
Insert Edge Loop Tool notes
You
can turn many of the Insert Edge Loop Tool options
on or off while the tool is active using a marking menu. This assists
your workflow by letting you continue your work without having to
re-open the tool options window.
To change the tool options when the Insert
Edge Loop Tool is active
- Press + + anywhere
within the scene view away from a surface.
The Insert
Edge Loop Tool options (Auto Complete, Absolute
distance from edge, Relative distance from
edge, and Multiple edge loops) appear on
a marking menu.
- Depending on your desired workflow you
can select any of the options from the marking menu to either turn
them on or off.
You can continue to use
the Insert Edge Loop Tool and the
options you selected will be used.