What is the best practice to use modeling tools on a mesh in the editor?

[black_cat]

I created this hallway and I would like to use some of the in-editor tools for modeling and increasing the vertex density of this piece of wall.

What are the options to do it correctly in Unreal 5?

What I have learned so far is that editing one mesh instance would affect every other instance. So the only way I found to get around that is to manually clone the asset.

Then I explored the modeling mode and I found various methods.

1. Are there any modeling tools that allow to automatically create a new mesh clone (not instance) to do detail work on a specific mesh or do I have to clone the asset every time?

2. I have tried “duplicate” in “xform”. However I am not sure what this even does differently from just copying an instance.

3. I have then attempted to use cubegrid. This appears to create completely new assets. However how to use it if the model I want to add more detail to does not fit on an existing grid?

Vertex Density

If I wanted to increase the vertex density, is there a way to do it for a mesh in unreal without smoothing the mesh? I found subdivide in “model”, however this creates a very smooth shape.

[ClockworkOcean]

For, me, the tools automatically create a copy. I guess that must be in your settings.

Yes, it will happen to all meshes, but that’s the idea, because you have placed many of the same mesh.

Rather than subdividing, just make a high poly cube from the start

[black_cat]

Thanks that is very useful.

For, me, the tools automatically create a copy. I guess that must be in your settings.

Is that in the project settings or tool settings?

[ClockworkOcean]

Tool settings. But I think it depends on the operation.

Mesh boolean, for instance always makes a new mesh, but I think subdiv doesn’t.

There are also settings here