Creating Subdiv Primitives

Subdiv primitives are found in the Create menu within the Subdiv Primitives submenu. You can access subdiv primitives via the Hotbox, as described below. By clicking their icons in the Subdiv Shelf, you can quickly create any of the six subdiv primitives.

When you create a subdiv primitive, Maya places the center point of the object at the origin of the scene (just as it does when you create a NURBS or Polygonal primitive).

You can create subdiv primitives by following the steps outlined below.

To create a subdiv primitive using the main menu:

• From the Create menu, select the Subdiv Primitives submenu and select the primitive you want to create (Figure 3.64).

  Figure 3.64. Select Cube from the Subdiv Primitives menu.

  

  
  

  A subdiv primitive is created at the origin (0, 0, 0) of the Maya scene (Figure 3.65).

  Figure 3.65. A primitive Subdiv Cube appears at center of the Maya scene.

  

  
  

To create a subdiv primitive using the Hotbox:

1.

Press the while the cursor is anywhere in the scene to display the Hotbox.

2.

From the Create menu in the Hotbox, select the Subdiv Primitives submenu and select the name of the primitive you want to create (Figure 3.66). Figure 3.66. Selecting Cylinder from the Subdiv Primitives menu using the Hotbox. A subdiv primitive is created at the "world origin," the virtual space in which you place objects, of the Maya scene (Figure 3.67). Figure 3.67. A primitive subdiv cylinder appears at the world origin.

The default Shelf in Maya holds shortcut icons for the Cube and Cylinder subdiv primitives (Figure 3.68). Selecting these primitives from the Shelf can save the two or three steps you would take to select the primitive from the Create menu.

Figure 3.68. Shortcut icons for the subdiv primitives in the Polygons Shelf.

To create a subdiv primitive using the Shelf:

• From the Subdivs Shelf, select the icon of the subdiv primitive you would like to createfor example, the Cube or Cylinder.

  The primitive is created at the world origin of the Maya scene (Figure 3.69).

  Figure 3.69. A primitive subdiv torus is created at the world origin.