Edit Mesh OR Edit Poly modifiers?

[RevitGary]

If you have objects in your scene, maybe standard primitive, imported or xrefed objects. Then you decide you want to edit them.

 

What modifier do you add and why? I typically use edit mesh. I know edit poly is also very common for this purpose. Which is better and why? Does it matter?

[Nic H]

edit poly is much better, albeit slightly heavier memory wise. get hundereds of tehm in your scene and it will slow down a little.

 

poly has bridge, connect, and a bazillion other better tools than mesh.

[nelpiper]

If you choose either the Edit Poly modifier or convert the object to an editable poly, the poly objects have far more sofisticated tools to edit your model. I only use the edit polys. If I get an editable mesh, I always convert it an editable poly. Also, polys are faster than meshes. Hoe it helps. Good luck.

[Claudio Branch]

I stopped using Edit Mesh about 5 years ago. Edit Poly has many more powerful features. I suggest that you just start modeling with it and don't look back...

[Dave Buchhofer]

Edit poly for working, collapse to edit mesh for viewport display speed and slightly lower ram usage when you're sure you're done with the editing bits. only really matters on really painfully heavy scenes/objects though.

 

I use poly 99% of the time

[Claudio Branch]

 

collapse to edit mesh for viewport display speed and slightly lower ram usage when you're sure you're done...

 

 

I'm not even sure if this matters since you can always just convert it back to Editable Poly with a right click of the mouse...

[RevitGary]

Thanks to all poly it is

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

As a side note... Some imported objects are better as Poly's than Mesh's. Converting to Poly's messes up the tessellation of the faces,and a few other things. So it that happens, leaving them as a mesh may solve the problem.

[Matt McDonald]

Editable polys give the FBX exporter fits - FYI

[Brian Smith]

The Edit Mesh has a few things on the Edit Poly, most notably the 'Select Open Edges', which to me is invaluable.

 

Also, the Edit Mesh is a far better option for collapsing, as an Edit Mesh will consume far less RAM and file size. You can do a simple test to see. Take a 64 segment teapot, collapse to both types and see the result. The Edit Mesh version will be about 11MB and the Edit Poly will be about 18MB. The Edit Mesh will consume about half as much RAM.

 

You can always switch to Edit Poly whenever you want, but if you don't need to work on an object, I recommend saving as an Edit Mesh.

[Dave Buchhofer]

Also dont forget the ability to SHOW NORMALS! with edit mesh.

[BrianKitts]

Like it's being said use the right one depending on the features you need.

 

I'm constantly going back and forth between the two when working on sites with uneven terrain. The select open edges that Brian mentioned is vital for creating curb paths out of cut roads and landscape. But then it's back to edit poly for the paint deformation and sculpting terrain.... and then once it's time for placing trees it's back to an edit mesh since the scripted object dropper I use (soulburn) for placing trees and people on sites doesn't recognize edit poly objects, but works fine for editable meshs.

 

My other big benefit out of edit poly is the make planer by axis, life saver.

[Dave Buchhofer]

Select open edges eh? Isn't that just the Border mode for edit poly? or is there some different workflow involved there that i'm not seeing.

[BrianKitts]

Select open edges eh? Isn't that just the Border mode for edit poly? or is there some different workflow involved there that i'm not seeing.

 

border will only grab the single open edge that you select. With edit mesh when you say select open edges it grabs all your open "borders"

 

edit: hmmm just realized you can go into border mode and ctrl-A grab all the open edges. Okay they're pretty much the same then.