Polygon, Vertex, Edge, Border, and Element in 3ds Max: What are they?

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Before you begin creating a complex 3D car model, it is important to have a clear understanding of the basic principles of polygonal modeling, as well as familiarize yourself with the purpose and functionality of the tools used.

A polygon is a two-dimensional shape formed by several points that are connected in space by edges.

Polygonal modeling is a method of 3D modeling that makes it possible to create models of virtually any object. This process involves combining polygons to form groups, which allows you to achieve the desired shape of the model. For example, this can be done as follows:

Let's start by creating a primitive box shape, then convert it to Editable Poly. In this example, we will examine in detail what a polygon is and what elements make it up. In this tutorial you will learn how to create primitive geometry.

To convert an object into editable polygons, right-click in the current viewport. Then, in the context menu that appears, select the Convert To option — Convert to Editable Poly.

So, you started by creating a simple box-shaped primitive and converted it to Editable Poly. Now let's look at what subcategories are included in Editable Poly.

To go to the sub-object level, click on the arrow located in the command bar in the Modify section, next to the name Editable Poly. This is the level we will be considering further.

To interact with this level of subcategories, press the 1 key on your keyboard. A vertex is a one-dimensional element, that is, a point in space. If you connect, for example, two vertices, you get an edge.

To work with this level of subcategories, press 2 on your keyboard. An edge is a two-dimensional element defined by two vertices and visualized as a line. When three or more edges are combined, they form a polygon.

To work with this level of subcategories, press the 3 key on your keyboard.

In the current state of our object, it is impossible to select the border. A border implies a defined end line, but our object has a closed structure.

Select the subobject, then select any visible polygon and press the Del key on your keyboard to delete it. Thus, the edges of the removed polygon will become the borders.

Polygon is activated by pressing the 4 key on the keyboard. It consists of at least three edges.

The element is activated by pressing key 5 on the keyboard. This sub-element becomes important when you need to select the entire object.

The Selection panel displays all Editable Poly subcategories as icons. When you select one of these subcategories, the corresponding icon becomes active. In turn, if you click on one of the icons, the corresponding subcategory will be highlighted in the list.

When forming a polygonal mesh of a 3D object, all these sub-objects are required. To perform various operations with them, you should use the basic tools available in the command panel on the Modify tab, located below the window with the Editable Poly object.