Editing Autodesk 3ds Max (section)

=== Surface tool/editable patch object ===
''Surface tool'' was originally a 3rd party plugin, but Kinetix acquired and included this feature since version 3.0.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} The surface tool is for creating common 3ds Max splines, and then applying a modifier called "surface." This modifier makes a surface from every three or four vertices in a grid. It is often seen as an alternative to "mesh" or "nurbs" modeling, as it enables a user to interpolate curved sections with straight geometry (for example a hole through a box shape). Although the surface tool is a useful way to generate parametrically accurate geometry, it lacks the "surface properties" found in the similar Edit Patch modifier, which enables a user to maintain the original parametric geometry whilst being able to adjust "smoothing groups" between faces.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}}