So reading the documentation, you can use the quad-draw tool as a regular tool, rather than just a re-topologizing an existing mesh. For example, the Set a reference mesh for Quad Draw says:
…If you don’t set a reference mesh, the Quad Draw tool automatically snaps to the grid.
I remember trying to figure this out last year, with Maya 2025, but I did not have any luck, when I activate the quad-draw tool, the tool options window quickly flickers to show the quad-draw options then reverts back to the previously active tools options. I thought this was a bug, so I left it for later.
Well am on Maya 2026 now, and am facing the same issue. With an empty scene, I activate quad-draw tool, I get a flicker, then back to old tool. The tool works as expected if I have a mesh selected, regardless of it being made “live” or not.
So am confused, are the AD docs wrong in this matter or am I doing something wrong here? Has any one used the quad-draw tool to create a new mesh?
I know there are other tools for creating new meshes in a free-form manner, but I particularly like this tools versatility and would like to use it for things other than “retopo”.
Thank you.