# What makes a 3D model? What are Polygons, Splines, Vertices, Meshes and Materials?

A **3D model** is a digital representation of a real world object. Representing a 3D object requires you to get to know some parts that makes up the 3D object.

 **Polygonal modeling** is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygon meshes.

![Example of triangle mesh.](https://1227696974-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LoMjAI1irMPA8c0ezFQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-3faed2b07685462bf37ecf9bb7121e5df6b7dda8%2F250px-Dolphin_triangle_mesh.png?alt=media)

Objects created with polygon meshes must store different types of elements. These include **vertices**, **edges**, **faces**, **polygons** and **surfaces**.

![](https://1227696974-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-LoMjAI1irMPA8c0ezFQ%2F-M2aNk88mWjWpJbhbOf7%2F-M2aNrmHe11LnZM8SQpY%2F2560px-Mesh_overview.svg.png?alt=media\&token=3e537c14-43bd-4ad0-b4b6-0475f13afcac)

### Why are polygons important?

The more edges and faces a model has, detail if the model improves. On the other hand, having a high polygon count model will reduce the performance of your app. The calculation that needs to be done to render the model is expensive.