A deformer can create deformation effects on any deformable object, which include NURBS curves, NURBS surfaces, polygonal surfaces (meshes), and lattices.
Maya subdivision surfaces are also deformable. For more information, you can download the Subdivision Surfaces guide from the Maya documentation archive.
With Maya’s API development tools, you can define your own custom deformable objects. For more information, see the Maya Developer Help.
A character’s model can consist of one deformable object (for example, a large polygonal surface) or groups of deformable objects (for example, groups of NURBS surfaces).
A deformable object is any object whose structure is defined by control points. Control points include NURBS control vertices (CVs), polygonal vertices, and lattice points. In this guide, control points are often called points, and the control points of deformable objects are often called deformable object points.
Maya automatically converts edges and faces into vertices when you create a deformer that supports polygonal components. For example, select an edge loop, then select Create Deformers > Cluster to add a cluster to the selected edges.
When you create a deformer, Maya puts all the deformable object points that the deformer can affect into a set called a deformer set. This set is editable. For more information on how to edit set memberships, see Deformer sets.