2Y2TM1 3D Modeling Lesson 3

Vertex

a point in space and is
connected by edges to
form polygons

Vertices

plural form of vertex

Edge

a line connecting two
vertices in a 3D model; define the shape and topology of a 3d model

Polygon

a flat surface
made up of three or more
connected edges; the building blocks of 3D models

Face

the flat surface
defined by edges in a 3D model

Mesh

a collection of
polygons, edges, and
vertices that make up a 3D
model

Poly Count

refers to the
number of polygons in a 3D
model

High Poly

hyper-detailed and ultra-realistic 3D
replicas of real-world objects; has a high polygon count and complex geometry, which makes a 3D model so realistic

Low Poly

the usage of
fewer polygons less than
100,000 to create a polygonal
mesh; easy to edit, load,
and view for being lightweight

Topology

the layout of vertices, edges, and faces
that make up a 3D model; determines how the model will appear when it is rendered, and how it will behave when animated

UV Mapping

the process of
transferring a 3D mesh from a
3D model to a 2D space to
further texture the model

Polygonal Modeling

the most common
technique where the model is
constructed using polygons
(usually triangles or
quadrilaterals)

NURBS Modeling

used for
creating smooth curves and
surfaces. This method is often
used in automotive and
industrial design due to its
precision

Sculpting

mimics
traditional sculpting
techniques, allowing
artists to push and pull on
a digital mesh to create
organic shapes

Procedural Modeling

uses algorithms
to generate models based on
rules or parameters, often
used in creating landscapes or
complex structures

Scan-based Modeling

used to collect data about the
form and structure of existing
objects to create a complete 3D model; Most of the time, the object being scanned is small, so each detail can be
captured without a loss of detail
or fidelity

CAD Modeling

characterized by a major
reliance on traditional
geometric figures

Computer Aided Design

CAD meaning

Texture Map

an image file that is
usually painted in a texturing
software like Mari or
Substance 3D Painter, used to
change material properties
on your 3D model, like color,
roughness, height data, and
more

Texture Painting

the process of creating
texture maps, normally done
in Mari or Substance 3D
Painter. You can texture
using photo projection, hand
painting, or procedural
methods

Material

defines what the
3D model is made of, like
glass, skin, metal, stone, etc.
You connect texture maps
directly to the material. All
3D software has materials

Rigging

the process of
creating a skeleton for a 3D
model which allows it to move; the
stage before animation

Inverse Kinematics (IK)

method in rigging that
allows animators to move the
end point of a rig, like a hand
where the rest of the joints
follow

Forward Kinematics (FK)

rigging method where
each joint determines the
position of the next one, like a
shoulder affecting the elbow
and hand

Joints

the individual
parts of a skeleton used to
control a 3D model's
movement

Skinning

process of
attaching the joints of the
skeleton to the 3D model; Once the model has been done, the joints will now
deform the 3D model

Weight Painting

how you're
assigning weight values from
the joint to the 3d model
when rigging to control how
the 3d model deforms

Deformers

used to modify
a 3D model's shape, such as
bending or twisting

Constraints

a way of
controlling the position,
scale, or orientation of an
object. They are used in
rigging to control joints
without the need of
hierarchies

Area Light

a type of 3D light
similar to lamps with diffusers in front.
They produce soft shadows, which are
great for portrait lighting

Point Light

similar to light bulbs in
the real world and emit lighting from
all directions equally. They are great
for situations where you need to light
using light bulbs

Directional Light

emulate sunlight and are
great for scenes where you need to light
using the sun, like outdoor shots; only rotation matters, and placing it in a
different spot doesn't change the lighting

Spotlight

emulate real-world spotlights
and are ideal when you need to light a 3D
scene using these kinds of lamps, like a
flashlight, or stage lighting

HDRI

a lighting technique
used to capture and reproduce lighting
from real-world environments

High Dynamic Range Imaging

HDRI meaning

Ambient Occlusion

a shader
technique used to add details to your
textures or materials; Geometry that's
close together gets darker

Frame

a single image
within a sequence of images that
make up an animation

Keyframe

a point in the
timeline where a change is made
to the animation

Frame rate

The number of frames per
second

Timeline

A visual representation of the
keyframes and frames

Graph Editor

a tool used to
visualize and edit animation
curves

Dope Sheet

a timeline used to
control the timing and duration of
keyframes. It's different from the
graph editor as it focuses on the
timing instead of the animation
curves

Rendering

the process of
creating a final image from a
3D scene using a render engine

Render Engine

software that
is used to create high-quality
images and animations from 3D
models; do
advanced calculations to
simulate lighting, shading, and
other effects like motion blur
and camera effects

Real Time

rendering
that occurs in real-time,
allowing for quick visualization
and editing of scenes

Compositing

the last stage of
creating a shot, where all
elements are combined, from 3D
renders to video shot in the real
world

AOV

rendered outputs that allow for
more flexibility and control over the
final output of a 3D scene; used to extract specific elements
of a 3D scene, such as lighting,
reflections, and ambient occlusion,
for editing in Compositing

Playblast

a quick preview
that lets you make a "sketch"
of your animation, providing
a realistic idea of your final
render result without
requiring the time needed for
a formal render

Arnold Render

advanced Monte
Carlo ray tracing renderer
used to render realistic 3D
characters, photorealistic
designs and complex scenes for
film and TV, games and design
visualisation projects

Arbitrary Output
Variables

AOV meaning

Hypershade

the central
working area of Maya rendering,
where you can build shading networks
by creating, editing, and connecting
rendering nodes, such as textures,
materials, lights, rendering utilities,
and special effects

Non-Uniform Rational B-
Splines

NURBS meaning