PolyPen Help

Shortcut: 5, Ctrl+Alt+V

The PolyPen tool provides absolute control for creating complex topology on a vertex-by-vertex basis (e.g., low-poly game models). This tool lets you insert vertices, extrude edges, fill faces, and transform the subsequent geometry all within one tool and in just a few clicks.

Creating

Ctrl+LMB, Ctrl+LMB+Double

:

insert geometry connected to selected geometry

Selecting

LMB+Click, Shift+LMB+Click	:	select geometry
LMB+Drag, Shift+LMB+Drag	:	paint geometry selection
Ctrl+Shift+LMB+Click	:	select along shortest path
A	:	select / deselect all
Alt+A	:	deselect all

Transforming

G	:	grab and move selected geometry
LMB+Drag	:	grab and move selected geometry under mouse
Shift+S	:	smooths edge flow of selected geometry
R	:	rotate selected geometry
S	:	scale selected geometry

Other

Backspace, Delete, X	:	delete/dissolve/collapse selected
V	:	rip selected edge
Alt+V	:	rip and fill selected edge

Insertion Modes

Creating vertices/edges/faces is dependent on the selected mode and the selected geometry. Switch between modes using the PolyPen Options, or hold Shift+Q, ~ to bring up a the PolyPen pie menu.

Triangle/Quad Insert Mode

The Tri/Quad mode is the normal mode for PolyPen.

• When nothing is selected, a new vertex is added.
• When a single vertex is selected, an edge is added between mouse and selected vertex.
• When an edge is selected, a triangle is added between mouse and selected edge.
• When a triangle is selected, a vertex is added to the triangle, turning the triangle into a quad

Selecting an edge and clicking onto another edge will create a quad in one step.

Quad-Only Insert Mode

The Quad-Only mode reduces the number of clicks for creating a strip of quads.

• When nothing is selected, a new vertex is added.
• When a single vertex is selected, an edge is added between mouse and selected vertex.
• When an edge is selected, an edge is added centered on the mouse, and a quad is added between the selected and newly added edges.

Selecting an edge and clicking onto another edge will create a quad in one step.

Triangle-Only Insert Mode

The Tri-Only mode is similar to the Tri/Quad mode, except without the step that turns the selected triangle into a quad.

• When nothing is selected, a new vertex is added.
• When a single vertex is selected, an edge is added between mouse and selected vertex.
• When an edge is selected, a triangle is added between mouse and selected edge.

Edge-Only Insert Mode

The Edge-Only mode inserts only edges.

• When nothing is selected, a new vertex is added.
• When a single vertex is selected, an edge is added between mouse and selected vertex.

Additional Tips

The PolyPen tool can be used like a knife, cutting vertices into existing edges for creating new topology routes.