Question about modifier stacks

[Command: Manick]

I am working on an editable mesh from an imported X file, and I am trying to figure out how to work with modifiers on meshes. Someone who is teaching me how to use 3ds says that I should be able to see the effects of all the modifiers in the stack, cumulatively, except I can't. For example, I am trying to use the relax modifier to eliminate some wavy areas of the mesh and make it just a smooth surface, by selecting only a certain group of vertices, then picking the relax modifier on the dropdown menu. But after I am done setting all the variables, I apparently don't know what to do next. When I go back to the editable mesh to edit a different group of vertices, I can no longer see the changes that have been made by the previous modifier. I thought that I was supposed to use 'collapse to' to apply and see the changes of the modifier that it made to the editable mesh, but he says I don't have to and shouldn't. Any help is appreciated.

[Cad64]

There is a little toggle button called "Show End Result" below the Modifer Stack window. Clicking this button will allow you to work in sub-object mode and still see the end result of all modifiers.

[Command: Manick]

is that when it shows those green lines around the object? That was my first guess as to what the solution would be but my mesh still reverts back to the original state with none of the effects of the modifiers as I am making changes in editable mesh. In other words, it doesn't seem to make any difference at all. Is that not supposed to happen?

[minks]

You need to apply Edit mesh modifier first, select vertices and than apply relax. if you want to continue editing different vertices you need to apply another Edit Mesh above select vertices and well do what ever you want to with them ;). just don't collapse the stack. Id suggest to convert every mesh into poly, its much easier to edit.

[Command: Manick]

Thanks very much for the clarification. I don't think my mentor knew I was literally talking about applying changes through the base mesh as opposed to using edit mesh. About converting the mesh into a poly though; I think that it does it on its own whenever I use certain modifiers, and it always does it whenever the vertice amount changes, which has been explained to me. What I have also been told is that the skin modifier data is no longer valid though after it is converted into an editable poly, and that I need to immediately apply a skin wrap after the fact and make it a mesh again.