Subdivide a mesh
Split the selected surface into smaller faces. This edit adds topology without the smoothing of a Subdivision Surface modifier.
Before you start
Select the mesh components that need more control points. Use the context-menu Subdivide operation for a topology split; Subdivision Surface is a separate smoothing workflow.
Use the operation
Add editable geometry only where the next shape change needs it.
- Select a simple edge chain or face region in mesh edit mode.
- Choose Subdivide from the component context menu. The current menu performs the default subdivision and clears the resulting selection.
- Reselect the new components you need to move and inspect the density along the boundary.
- Move the added control points to develop the shape, or undo if the split created more topology than needed.
Controls and choices
| Controls | What changes |
|---|---|
| Selected area | Limits where geometry is split. A small local selection can be easier to maintain than subdividing the entire mesh. |
| Additional cuts | Codex can request a cut count through the subdivision action. The context-menu command does not expose a cut-count dialog. |
| Surface smoothing | The default split preserves the current shape. Use Subdivision Surface when the aim is a rounded evaluated surface. |
See what changes
Before
One quad
After
A denser quad grid
Check the result
Inspect smaller faces and the transition to unselected areas. More topology alone does not add useful detail, and it can increase selection and sculpting cost. If the selection disappears after the command, reselect the new components; that is the current menu behavior.
Practice in Show3D
Open the editor and follow the steps with your own scene.