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1 year ago

Key 3D Modeling Terminology Beginners Need to Understand

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Being new to the world of 3D modeling (http://www.digitaltutors.com/subject/3d-modeling-tutorials)
will open you up to terminology that may not sound familiar at all. To help you be able to put this
terminology in context, here is a list of some common modeling terminology that a 3D modeler
needs to be familiar with.

(http://go.digitaltutors.com/essential-modeling-terms)

Key 3D Modeling Terminology to Master:

Polygon geometry
Polygons are the most commonly used geometry type in 3D. While polygons are commonly used for
all types of objects, in order to create very smooth surfaces with polygons means that you’d need to
add a lot more geometry than you would with either NURBS or subdivision surfaces.
NURBS surfaces
NURBS stands for non-uniform rational b-spline (NURBS). NURBS are commonly used for very
smooth objects because they don’t require as many points to create the same look as polygon
geometry would. A NURBS surface always has four sides that are defined by control points.

Subdivision surfaces
Subdivision surfaces, which are sometimes referred to as NURMS (non-uniform rational mesh
smooth), are closely related to polygonal geometry. Subdivision surfaces use an algorithm to take
polygon geometry and smooth it automatically. For example, in the image above you can see the
polygon cage (the cube shape) around the smoothed subdivision surface (the spherical shape inside
the cube). You can think of a subdivision surface as a mix of polygonal and NURBS geometry.

Faces
A face is the most basic part of a 3D polygon. When three or more edges are connected together, the
face is what fills in the empty space between the edges and makes up what is visible on a polygon
mesh. Faces are the areas on your model that gets shading material applied to them.
Vertex
A vertex is the smallest component of a polygon model. It is simply a point in 3D space. By connecting
multiple vertices (the plural of a single vertex) together you can create a polygon model. These points
can be manipulated to create the desired shape.

Edges
An edge is another component of a polygon. Edges help define the shape of the models, but they can
also be used to transform them. An edge is defined by two vertices at their end points. Together,
vertices, edges and faces are the components that all help to define the shape of a polygonal object.

Topology
Whatever type of geometry you use it will either be created by NURBS, or points, edges, and faces.
The way these components are connected together and the flow around the 3D object is the
topology. You can think of topology as the type of polygon faces, the type of vertices and the flow of
the edges.
Triangle
A triangle is the simplest polygon that is made up of three sides or edges connected by three vertices,
making a three sided face. When modeling, triangles are typically a polygon type often avoided. When
creating complex meshes, triangles tend to pose a problem when subdividing geometry to increase
resolution, and when a mesh will be deformed or animated.

Quad
A quad is a polygon made up of four sides or edges that are connected by four vertices, making a four
sided face. Quads are the polygon type that you’ll want to strive for when creating 3D models. Quads
will ensure your mesh has clean topology, and that your model will deform properly when animated.
N-Gon
An n-gon is a polygon that is made up of 5 or more sides or edges connected by 5 or more vertices.
It’s important to keep in mind an n-gon is typically related to a five sided polygon, but it’s not limited to
just 5 sides. An n-gon should always be avoided, they often pose problems at render time, when
texturing, and especially when deforming for animation.
Extrude
Extruding is one of the primary ways of creating additional geometry on a mesh. The extrude
command allows you to pull out extra geometry from a face (“polygon” in 3ds Max), edge or vertex.
For instance, you can use the extrude command on the face of a simple cube to pull out the
geometry needed to create fingers. These additional extrusions can be edited and manipulated just
like any other area of the mesh.

Edge Loop
An Edge Loop is a series of edges connected across a surface, with the last edge meeting up with the
first edge, creating a ring or loop. Edge loops are especially important for maintaining hard edges in a
mesh, and also for more organic models. For example, in order for an arm to deform properly there
will need to be edge loops on each side of the elbow joint so there is enough resolution.
Beveling
Beveling is the process of chamfering, or creating rounded edges on a mesh. Beveling expands each
vertex and edge into a new face. In the real world objects rarely have completely hard edges. So
beveling is required to lose some of the computer generated look that comes with 3D modeling.

Pivot point
The pivot point is the point on a 3D object where any rotation, scale, or moves that you do will occur
from. This pivot point can be moved to any position on the model. For example, placing the pivot
point on the hinges of a door will tell the computer where it should rotate from.

Normals
Surface normals are used by your 3D application to determine the direction that light will bounce off
of geometry. This is very helpful to get control over how the light reacts to certain materials on your
3D objects.
Instances
When working with a 3D set you will often need to create duplicates of a single object, whether it’s
hundreds of trees or fence posts. Doing this however can greatly increase render time, because the
computer has to calculate all this new geometry. Instead of creating a duplicate of an object, you can
create an instance.

Instances are copies of objects that derive all their information from the original object; because of
this the computer only has to calculate the geometry for the original object. It’s important to keep in
mind that you can’t edit an instances shape on its own. If you edit the shape of the original object all
of the instances update to reflect that change.

Construction History
While you’re working on your 3D models you will likely use a wide range of tools to get the desired
result. For example, you may need to extrude many different faces or bevel the edges of the model to
create a particular shape. Most 3D applications keep track of all these actions in what is called the
construction history. This displays a list of every different tool you’ve used on your 3D model in the
order that you used them.

If you need to go back and adjust the settings of a tool you used, you can find it in the construction
history. Keep in mind that as your construction history starts to stack up it will slow down your
computer, so you will need to delete your construction history periodically.
Digital Sculpting
When creating 3D models in an application like Maya the process includes manipulating vertices and
edges to get the desired look. While this works, it can be hard to get fine detail that is often required,
especially in organic models. Digital sculpting works around this issue by allowing you to create your
3D meshes in much the same way as a traditional sculptor would.

You can interactively push and pull areas of your model out, and you can create details like wrinkles
and scratches without ever having to select an edge or vertex. Often times a modeler will create the
low resolution base mesh in a program like Maya, and import that into digital sculpting applications like
ZBrush or Mudbox to be able to create those finer details.
(New to 3D modeling? Don’t forget to get your free copy of our Key Modeling Term Reference Guide
and PDF (http://go.digitaltutors.com/essential-modeling-terms) that includes the information from this
post and more.)

To learn some more common terminology used in 3D modeling

(http://www.digitaltutors.com/subject/3d-modeling-tutorials), be sure to check out the free CG101
Modeling course (http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/712-CG101-Modeling). Use this reference guide
to help you start creating your own models and follow along training.

Keep learning with more articles on:

3D Rigging Terms (http://blog.digitaltutors.com/key-rigging-terms-get-moving/)

3D Animation Terms (http://blog.digitaltutors.com/common-terminology-3d-animation/)
3D Texturing Terms (http://blog.digitaltutors.com/cover-bases-common-3d-texturing-
terminology/)

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3 COMMENTS
 Jean Paul Marinho
May 9, 2014 at 12:05 pm (http://blog.digitaltutors.com/basic-3d-modeling-terminology/#comment-1774)

This topic is incredible!! Thanks!!

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Daniel Oliva
July 16, 2014 at 7:42 pm (http://blog.digitaltutors.com/basic-3d-modeling-terminology/#comment-3788)

Great stuff. Thanks a lot!

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Grant Boudon (http://www.digitaltutors.com)

July 25, 2014 at 12:35 pm (http://blog.digitaltutors.com/basic-3d-modeling-terminology/#comment-4016)

Glad to hear you like it! Make sure to download the free PDF Reference Guide that contains the
information from the post too: http://go.digitaltutors.com/essential-modeling-terms
(http://go.digitaltutors.com/essential-modeling-terms)

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