Abstract: We present a method to dynamically apply local refinements to an irregular triangle mesh as it deforms in real time. The method increases surface smoothness in regions of high deformation by splitting triangles in a fashion similar to one or two steps of Loop subdivision. The refinement is computed for an arbitrary triangle mesh, and the subdivided triangles are simply passed to the rendering engine, leaving the mesh itself unchanged. The algorithm can thus be easily plugged into existing systems to enhance the visual appearance of animated meshes. The refinement step has very low computational overhead and is easy to implement. We demonstrate the use of the algorithm in a physics-based facial animation system.