How can I hide edges?

[Steve Bentley]

Does Max do that in the viewport in wirecage? Really?

You can do it in the render in C4d with a higher phong shader angle (phong tag). In the viewport you could choose another view type (Quick shade no lines) but you will still see hard edges beyond a certain angle – set by the phong tag.

[Eelko Meester]

If you make a box in Max it’s edges are visible but the diagonal edges are hidden. Just the same as in C4D.

In Max you can select every edge, hidden or not, and turn each edge on or off (hidden). You can also select all edges and apply an Auto Edge. Every edge is evaluated on it’s angle and turned on or off based on that angle. Very handy for complex shapes.

In C4D you can select edges but you can’t hide them as far as I know.
If I make wall with a window and door by using a boole it shows the diagonal lines. There is an option to turn these of but sometimes it makes the geometry falty (faces disappear). And I make lots of other things.
I want to see the lines on the corners, not in the polygons.

I’ve added an example:

I want to hide them in the viewport, it’s easier for editing.
I have found the phong-tab but thats more about smoothing.

[Brian Jones]

you could select the edges and use Hide Selected to hide them but the selection process isn’t automated…. there was a plugin called (I think) Flush Select which had some angle settings but I don’t remember if it worked with edges (and if it would work with R19 etc)

[Steve Bentley]

You could also select the edges you want to hide and make them part of a selection set so you could turn the hide selected function on and off for specific sets of edges all at once. It does mean you have to select them in the first place but it sounds like you have to in Max anyway.

[Eelko Meester]

I found it. Just select an edge and choose Select in the menubar and Choose Hide Selected.
Still looking how to select an hidden edge and a way tot automate it.