can't edit polygon cylinder vertices!
 

I have Maya 2009. I created a polygon cylinder and am trying to squeeze the center vertices in. I turn on component mode and i can see all the vertices, but it won't let me select the ones i want. It highlights the whole cylinder and won't let me manipulate individual vertices.

i've tried everything. i've tried making a new cylinder. i've selected, deselected, right clicked. Every i do it selects the whole thing and won't let me select individual vertices.

Is there a setting i need to turn on or off? My friend also has Maya 2009 and he can edit polygon vertices no problem, right in front of me. I can't! What's going on?

have you tried that selecting the vertices trick?

not sure what that is. but nothing has worked.

sorry i was just being silly because you had 5 or 6 threads with the same thing.

ummm... why not post a screenshot.

are you in vertex selection mode with soft selection off? (hit b to toggle soft selection)

i'm pressing b but nothing is happening. where is the soft selection tool?

in the tool's attributes, its a feature of the selection, translate, rotate and scale tool

do what hammer said and post a screen shot

i'm new to maya and cant find the tool attributes. can you post a link directory? also, here's a screenshot. again, when i click and drag over the vertices nothing happens. i cant manipulate anything.

You can get the tool attributes by double-clicking the tool in the left toolbar. Alternatively you can click the box in the upper right corner in between the attributes button and the channel box button.
(I think that's correct, someone jump in if I'm on the wrong track)
You might see some setting that's off, but that's as much as I can help you with.

what stwert said

btw, are you actually in vertex selection mode? (i dont' have maya in front of me so i can't see what happens to the icons at the top)

hold down right click without holding any keys and then select vertex

also... on an offtopic note
see on the left there there is that little black arrow?
click that and there should be an option to show the shelf's tabs so then you get a whole lot of tabs above your shelf and it makes it easier to change between shelves.
i would screen shot you but as i said, i dont have maya in front of me, the option might also be in the display menu of the program

thanks everyone. the problem is i've done the right click onto vertex already. and to no avail. i havent tried changing the tool attributes yet, but everything else has failed. i just can select the freakin vertices, its so frustrating.

Have you tried making a different object like a cube or something? Or opened a new file?

believe me i've tried that. i've opened a new file, restarted maya, remade a cylinder, then a cube. But for some reason when i make a polygonal shape i just cant adjust the vertices. i'm wondering if there is a preference i have turned on or something that is locking something. sheesh.

what you should do is...
get yourself a screen capture program that will record what you do on screen

then post it on youtube

http://www.google.com/search?q=free+screen+recording

Did you put the object in a layer? When it is then check that the layer is not in reference mode.
If the object was selected when you turned the layer to reference mode you still were able to rightclick the object and select vertex but after that you can't select any vertices.

i'm not sure if it was in a layer. how do i do that? and how do you check to make sure a layer is not in reference mode?

Open the layerpanel using the topright button.
Look at the layers at the bottom if there's an R.

If you opened a new file and tried making various objects, then I don't think having a reference layer would be the problem.

But to check, the layers are on the bottom part of the channel box on the right side of the screen. You can access it by clicking the rightmost of the three buttons on the top right of the screen. Mouse-over, it should say channel box.

Anyway, if there are any layers, they will show up in the bottom section and they can be a template, reference, or none, in which case one of the boxes to the left of the name will be an R, a T or showing nothing. There is also a visible, non-visible option there (V or nothing, I think) fyi.

So I don't think that would be the problem, but that's how you can check.

Oops, Brain posted while I was...

thanks for your help. unfortunately the layer feature didnt help at all. i just wonder if my software is jank. i can edit nurbs, but i cant edit polygons. seriously, it sounds stupid for me to say that, but i just cant select polygon vertices. ugh. does anyone know of a support line to call?

from your screen shot it looks like you have no verts in the middle.