Getting started in 3D modeling can be daunting. There are a lot
of concepts, techniques, and vocabulary which present a
significant barrier of entry to those new to the field.
Computer-generated 3D imagery is comprised of triangles
(sometimes referred to as tris) grouped into solid objects. Each
triangle is made up of three vertices, three edges, and one
face. So, to render a rectangle, two triangles are joined by
sharing the hypotenuse of both triangles. This results in a
total of four vertices, five edges, and two faces. The resulting
shapes created are referred to as meshes. These totals are
important when creating 3D models for games. Overall game
performance is limited by how many polygons are drawn on the
screen at one time. Animation performance is limited by how many
vertices are in motion at once. So, the more complicated the
scene, the slower a game is going to run. For this reason, it is
optimal to make meshes with as few faces and vertices as
possible, while maintaining the detail necessary for yo