topic Re: Import options description in Maya Forum

Import options description

PuChiNgBaLLz — Sat, 23 May 2026 01:34:27 GMT

Hi there, I'm trying to figure out what's the difference between these sample types import options in Aruba tessellation

Entire Domain

G1 Segments

Per Span (Default value)

Knot Values

Adaptively

Documentation says nothing about it, Autodesk should describe what a blackbox does

https://help.autodesk.com/view/MAYAUL/2026/ENU/?guid=GUID-37B31221-7BBC-40DA-AB33-47C333EF4E14

Re: Import options description

bhavani_sankuratri — Wed, 27 May 2026 09:53:40 GMT

Hi @PuChiNgBaLLz

I wanted to check in and see if you still needed assistance, or if you found a solution to your question already? Let us know if you need further assistance by providing an update or if you have found a solution, please share it with the community so other members who may have the same question could learn from your experience.

Re: Import options description

PuChiNgBaLLz — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:54:29 GMT

No, how can I find a solution if the documentation is incomplete?

Re: Import options description

Stephen.Blair — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:27:18 GMT

Maybe this AI-generated description can help? I'm not working on the Maya code so I haven't checked what that code actually is doing.

Based on standard NURBS tessellation terminology, these options can be understood as follows:

Sample Type	What it does	Typical Result
Entire Domain	Treats the entire U/V parameter domain as a single region and distributes samples across it.	Most uniform sampling, but may miss local detail in areas with uneven parameterization.
G1 Segments	Splits the surface at G1 (tangent continuity) boundaries and samples each smooth patch independently.	Better preservation of creases, fillets, and tangent breaks.
Per Span (default)	Samples each NURBS span separately (a span is the region between knots).	Good balance of accuracy and performance; generally the safest choice.
Knot Values	Places samples directly at knot locations in the NURBS definition.	More faithfully follows the original NURBS structure, especially where knot density varies.
Adaptively	Adds or removes samples based on curvature/error metrics rather than a fixed distribution.	More polygons in curved areas, fewer in flat areas; often the most efficient for complex shapes.

When to try a different Sample Type

If you're seeing:

Faceting on curved surfaces → try Adaptively or Knot Values
Problems near trims, fillets, or continuity breaks → try G1 Segments
Uneven tessellation density → try Per Span or Adaptively
Unexpected artifacts from CAD imports → try Knot Values, since it follows the NURBS knot structure more closely