Chapter 8. Polygons

Polygons provide a fun, easy way to model a surface. A polygon is a surface made up of smaller, flat surfaces with three or more sides. These smaller surfaces are called faces. Working with polygons has more of a rigid construction feel, and working with NURBS has a more pliable, sculptural feel.

Games make extensive use of polygons because the complexity of a game must be limited if it is to offer fast interaction with real-time rendering. If your character has a low poly (short for polygon) countthat is, a low number of facesit will render and interact quickly. A character in a game is usually limited to a certain number of polygons so that the game can run in real time (Figure 8.1).

Figure 8.1. This polygon model was designed to have the least number of faces possible. The textures make up for the lack of detail. Modeled and textured by Toby Marvin.

You can, however, use polygons to make smooth, highly detailed, even organic surfaces (Figure 8.2). Some surfaces may be easier to build in polygons than in NURBS surfaces. For example, you can create a character's body from a single seamless polygon surfacesomething you can't achieve without using many NURBS surfaces.

Figure 8.2. Polygons can be used to make both smooth shapes, such as a banana, and hard edges like the ones on this shoe. Shoe and trouser leg modeled by Adrian Niu.