Maya: Tools

Extrude

Extrude adds geometry to a 3D model by pulling out faces, edges, or vertices to create new shapes.

Select faces or edges you want to extrude then go to Edit Mesh > Extrude or Ctrl + E = Extrude

Adjust Thickness, Offset and/or Divisions. Here I changed Thickness and Offset:
Keep Faces Together Off will extrude each selected face separately, instead of all together:

Bevel

Bevel will round out corners of your geometry by adding additional faces.

Select edges you want to bevel
Edit Mesh > Bevel Or Ctrl + B
Fraction = the size of the bevel
Segments = Number of segments added to the bevelled area (More equals a smoother edge but adds to the poly count)

Multi Cut

Multi-Cut tool cuts geometry with edges and inserts edge loops. This tool is extremely versatile.

You can access it through Mesh Tools > Multi-Cut or through the modelling Toolkit.

Once enabled, Left Click Hold and Drag on an edge to begin the cut. Continue left clicking to place additional vertices that will be connected with an edge. You must end your cut on a vertex or an edge.

Left Mouse Click = Insert Points
Escape = Start Over, Remove All Previously Placed Cut Points
Enter = Complete Cut
Hold CTRL - To create a loop cut
Backspace or Delete = Undo Last Placed Point
Left or Middle Mouse Click Hold and Drag = Edit Last Placed Point

In addition to cutting, you can also insert edge loops.

Hold Ctrl + Left Mouse Click and Drag = Insert Edge Loop
Hold Ctrl + Middle Mouse Button = Insert Centered Edge Loop
Hold Shift and Left Mouse Click = Snap Point Along an Edge Midpoint
Hold Shift + Left Mouse Click and Drag = Snap Point Along an Edge

Connect

Connect Tool inserts additional edges between selected edges.

Select 2 or more edges you want to insert extra edges in
Mesh Tools > Connect or access through Modeling Toolkit
Enter = Complete Connect Tool

There are some options in the Modeling Toolkit for the Connect:

Slide: defines where the edge is inserted. 0.50 (default), edges are inserted in the middle
Segments: defines the number of connected segments that are inserted into the mesh
Pinch: defines the distance between the outer edges and the connected segment

Circularize

Circularize will create a circle shape from selected faces or vertices.

Select 4 or more faces or vertices:

Go to Edit Mesh > Circularize. Add divisions if needed for more rounded circle:

You can circularize a single face but you'll need to add divisions.

Combine/Separate/Extract

Combine: combines selected objects.

Select object to combine > Mesh > Combine

Separate: separates combined objects.

Select Mesh > Mesh > Separate

Extract: creates a separate, individual object from selected faces.

Edit Mesh > Extract

Bridge

Creates geometry between faces or open border edges. Great for pipes, curved roads, arches or anywhere you need to create geometry between faces or open border edges.

Meshes being Bridged must be combined into a single mesh. You can't Bridge between two separate meshes.

Select faces or edges you want to bridge between. Number of selected edges or faces on both sides must be the same.

Edit Mesh > Bridge or access through Modeling Toolkit. Add divisions if you need extra edges within the geometry that was bridged.

Divisions: number of segments to insert
Twist: rotate the bridge

You can use Bridge to create geometry like arches or curved pipes:

Target Weld

Target Weld merges vertices or edges. Great for optimizing, cleaning up and reflowing topology of your mesh.

Switch to vertex component mode and enable Target Weld through Mesh Tools > Target Weld or access through Modeling Toolkit.

Left Click andDrag one vertex to another to Target Weld
MiddleMouse Click Drag = Merge to Center

You may also Target Weld edges by switching to Edge component mode and using the same thing you did on vertices.

Booleans

Booleans combine or subtract objects to create complex shapes by performing a logical union, difference, or intersection on their geometry

There are 3 primary Boolean operations:

Union = merges two objects (different from combine)
Difference = subtracts one object from the other (Difference A-B and B-A subtracts first object from the second or vice versa)
Intersection = keeps the geometry that is intersecting

In Maya 2023, there are more Boolean operations but Union, Difference and Intersections are the core 3.

The major downside of Booleans is they will require cleanup. They tend to leave a lot of n-gons and stray vertices.

To minimize the cleanup and bad geometry, you have to line up your edge geometry ahead of time.

In Maya 2023, Booleans can be edited in real-time. Once you apply a Boolean operation, you can adjust the results by moving the objects around.

Delete History to finalize Boolean operation.

Use Attribute Editor for additional Boolean control such as changing Boolean operation, visibility and changing Boolean layer stack:

Smooth

The Smooth tool increases the polygon count and rounds off shapes. It is used to make models appear less blocky or jagged.

How to do it:

Select the object or faces you want to smooth.
Go to Mesh > Smooth.
In the options, adjust:
- Division Levels – how many times the model is subdivided.
- Continuity – how closely it follows the original shape.
Click Apply.

Keeping Sharper Edges:

Before smoothing, add edge loops close to the edges you want to stay sharp.
Use Mesh Tools > Insert Edge Loop.
The closer the loops are, the sharper the edge will appear after smoothing.

Tip:
Keep a low-poly copy of your model for easy editing.

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