OpenSubdiv overview

OpenSubdiv is an open-source subdivision method developed by Pixar that lets you work with a high-fidelity representation of your model with great accuracy and speed. As a professional standard in the animation industry, OpenSubdiv is implemented in a variety of software packages, improving interoperability by producing the same results when models are transferred between applications. In Maya, OpenSubdiv is the default subdivision method when you preview a smoothed mesh, or smooth a mesh using Mesh > Smooth.

OpenSubdiv is an improved alternative to the legacy Maya Catmull-Clark subdivision method. For example, OpenSubidv takes advantage of parallel GPU and CPU structures, improving viewport performance for meshes with high subdivision levels. Additionally, in the OpenSubdiv Catmull-Clark controls for Smooth Mesh attributes, you can turn on Show Displacements to visualize displacement maps interactively without the need to render.

You can select one of the OpenSubdiv subdivision methods:

• OpenSubdiv Catmull-Clark Uniform: Applies a uniform refinement scheme to the faces of a mesh. The entire mesh receives the same level of subdivision.
• OpenSubdiv Catmull-Clark Adaptive: Applies a progressive refinement scheme to irregular parts of your mesh. Adaptive subdivision only refines the mesh topology where additional detail is needed. The level of refinement is determined by the mesh topology and the camera view. For example, mesh topology that is close to the camera is more refined than topology on the same mesh that is far away. In its current implementation, Adaptive subdivision lets you increase the smoothness of your mesh without increasing its subdivision level. Set the Adaptive Tessellation Level in the OpenSubdiv Controls to a high value to see results without affecting your scene's performance.
  Note: OpenSubdiv Catmull-Clark Adaptive is only supported by OpenGL 4 and DirectX11 compatible graphics cards.