3dCMS Knowledge Base
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Modeling

Edit mode: vertices, edges & faces

Drop into component mode to grab the individual vertices, edges, and faces of a primitive — the gateway to all polygon modeling.

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To sculpt a primitive instead of just moving it, you enter component mode — where you can select and edit its individual vertices (points), edges, and faces.

Only the five primitives are editable Poly tools work on Box, Sphere, Cylinder, Plane, and Torus. Imported meshes (GLB/OBJ) can't be poly-edited — model the shape from a primitive instead, or decimate the import if it's just too heavy.

Entering and leaving

Select a primitive, then:

  • Press Tab to toggle component mode on and off (Esc also exits).
  • Or use Poly ▸ Component ▸ Vertex / Edge / Face, or right-click ▸ Type.

Entering component mode flips the viewport to Wireframe so you can see through the mesh; it restores your previous render mode when you leave.

The three (and a half) modes

Vertex — points Edge — lines between points Face — polygons Mixed

Switch between them as you work — select a few faces, extrude them, then drop to edge mode to bevel a seam.

Selecting components

ActionKey
Select all / noneA
Grow / shrink the selection] / [
Select linked (the whole connected island)L

In edge mode you also get Select Boundary Edges (open edges) and Select Sharp Edges (by angle) in the right-click menu.

Poly editing is one-way The first time you run a poly operation, the object becomes a free-form editable mesh and its primitive parameters (Radius, Width, Segments) stop applying — Properties will say so. So set the primitive's size and segment counts before you start carving.
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