Let's get familiar with some 3D modeling concepts and terms.

Vertex

A vertex is a point in 3D space

Edge

An edge is the connection of two vertices

Face | Poly | Surface

A face / poly is a surface that connects 3 or more edges. A tri is a face with 3 edges. A quad is a face with 4 edges. An n-gon is a face with more than 4 edges. A surface is a collection of connected faces.

Mesh | Primitives

Mesh primitives are meshes geometries that can be auto-generated by default. Common primitives are the plane, cube, cylinder and torus.

Topology | Wireframe

Topology refers to the model's surface arrangement. You can see the model's topology best by viewing its edges in wireframe mode. Topological edge flow (a topic that will be covered in later lessons) is important for creating a model that properly deforms during animation.

Polycount | High Poly | Low Poly

Polycount refers to the number of polys a model has. A high poly model has a high amount of faces (high polycount) and a low poly model has a low number of faces (a low polycount). Low poly models are made to optimize digital render performance in animation and game engines. High poly models are commonly used for 3D printing, still image render, and detail projection.

A high poly model's wireframe will appear more dense, and a low poly model will appear sparse.

Image Map | Texture

An image map ( texture ) is an image. Image maps and textures can be applied to models to create the illusion of detail.

Notice how much detail comes from the image map!