Polygons are our Friends

A polygon is the atom of the game world. Literally every object, character, creature, building, landscape, and item is made up of polygons. A polygon is like pixels to a graphic designer, cells to a scientist, and strokes to a golfer. Without the friendly polygon, practically all games would cease to exist. So, what exactly is a polygon? What does it look like? How is it used? Why do you need one? All these questions and more will be answered in the following text - Everything you have ever wanted to know about our friend, the polygon.

A polygon is a 2 dimensional shape that can have any number of sides. Each corner or “vertices” always have two lines that connect to them. These lines, or “line segments,” are actually called “edges.” The most common kind of polygon is the regular polygon which can be either a “self-intersecting” polygon or a “convex” polygon. A self-intersecting polygon is also one of the only shapes that can actually have its edges intersect and overlap, for example: a star shape. The other type of regular polygon, the convex, is a shape where none of the edges intersect and all the intersecting angles are less than 180 degrees, for example: a hexagon. Regular self-intersecting polygons are noted by the fraction n/m. “N” is the number of edges or vertices. The “n’s” connect to the “m” which is the vertex or corner. (georgehart.com)

A polygon is only one small shape among hundreds of others that make up any object or character in a game. Polygons are used in what we in the gaming world call 3D games. They help give depth and form to objects or characters. These shapes have a wide variety of uses in the creation process, and what exactly are those many uses?

A polygon’s main use is that they are basic building blocks for creating your objects or characters. A polygon is used in conjunction with many other polygons. The polygon shapes are all attached to each other to form bigger and more complex shapes - These bigger and more complex shapes being the final objects and characters of a game. Polygons can be placed, angled, and formed to add texture and depth to something, or a designer can actually overlay a graphic on top of the polygons to give the appearance of texture and depth. An average final character is usually around 750 polygons, though, that is not an easy feat to come by. Something else that should be known about polygons is that even though they are our friends they do have their limitations. (3dlinks.com)

When game designers are designing a game they actually have to keep in mind that there is a cost and budget that is based around the number of polygons used in a game. An average game budget can consist of 2/3000 polygons for one scene in a game (3dlinks.com). A typical game character can be anywhere from 500 to 2000 polygons. The ability to make a really cool character under 1000 polygons is a definite skill. Even with these limitations, effective and intriguing objects and characters can still be created. A good example of this is “Lara Croft,” from the Tomb Raider series. Lara started out in her first game as what designers call a “low polygon” character. One other limitation is what designers call a “Target Machine.” This Target Machine is either: PC, console, handheld, cell phone, or any other electronic device that can use 3D interactivity and animation. The problem with Target Machines is that each different device has a limit on the number of polygons that can be used in the final project. This really isn’t a problem with the high-end machines that you see in this day and age like the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and newer PC’s. Hand-helds, and cell phones definitely have a small polygon limit because their memory, color ratio, display power, and processor speed are a lot lower. Though, as long as you learn to work with these limitations you will have no qualms with your polygon friends.

As was stated before, a polygon is the atom of the game world. Without them you can’t have a 3D world, but you do have to keep track of how many of them you are using and be aware of their limitations. It takes real skill to manipulate the polygons into a full fledged complex shape, and even greater skill to animate those polygons in a leaving, breathing complex shape. Polygons can be tricky to use at first, but like every great friendship, time is the essence of understanding and growth. So, just remember, if you’re a friend to polygons they will be a friend to you.

MLA Citations

Max Tutorials. “Creating Low Polygon Characters.” 3DLinks. 1997 - 2003. <http://www.3dlinks.com/tutorials/max/max_tutorials.cfm?tutorial=lpindex>.

George Hart. Virtual Polyhedra. 1996 - 2000. 1996. <http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/polygons.html>.

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