Divide up meshes
 
 
 

How to subset a mesh into separate pieces

Mesh subsets allow part of a mesh to be deleted or toggled invisible, increasing processing speed. Subsets can also be used to create independently shaded regions.

Subset a mesh

  1. Pick the mesh object.
  2. Choose Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Subset from the tool palette.
  3. Click down with the to place points that will define the region to subset. At least three points are required to create a region.

    NoteTo modify the position of a point, click and drag it. To add a new point anywhere, click on the line between any two points.
    NoteThe view must be maintained to complete the region. If the view is modified, the polyline region disappears.
  4. After the region is completed, click Select in the lower right corner of the screen.

    The picked triangles are highlighted.

  5. Modify the view to better position the model for additional region selection.
  6. Repeat step 3 for additional regions.
  7. Optionally, do one or more of the following:
  8. After all required regions have been defined, do one of the following:

Once the mesh is subset into logical surfaces, each part can be assigned its own shader and material properties.

NoteOnce the mesh is partitioned, the operation cannot be undone to fuse the separated triangles. The logical surfaces can be combined to create one surface later on (using the Mesh > Mesh Partitioning > Mesh Merge tool), but it will still have several components.

See also Cut meshes