Polygons are in reality surfaces that are made up of geometrical faces and edges. The faces and edges are enclosed whether there are three edges or four edges or many more. You can add as many faces as the computer program can handle. It is suggested to work with as many faces as the project demands to speed up the whole modeling process. Usually, the edges run in a straight line, and the point where they meet is termed as a ‘vertex’. A polygonal edge moves smoothly in a straight line thus it becomes quite easier to deal with complex and multifaceted surfaces. Of course, every computer program can handle a limited polygon count threshold until the process becomes slower. Professional rendering software comes with a feature to allow users to compress the polygon count for a smoother modeling workflow. In this way, the artistic process becomes hassle-free with enabled real-time interaction. All the poly objects can be either merged, combined, sculpted, cut, extracted, extruded, UV mapped, etc. as per your command.

 

NURBS Geometry is made up of different patches that are generated from the rounded surface. The well-rounded surfaces and points join together to form sharp corners to make the object appear more realistic. Such surfaces can be stitched, sculpted, or trimmed together for a clear finish. NURBS or Non-Uniform Rational Basis Spline is a commonly used mathematical model by various studios. It proves a helping hand in creating complicated surfaces most simply. NURBS Mesh relies heavily on 3D artists to model edges and curves to create a smooth object surface. Object surface is created by lofting between a selected degree of the curve and control points. The method is quite fast to effectively draw a 3D radial object. The artist only needs to be precise with contour placements while the software pulls the rest of the job.

 

Difference Between Polygonal Modeling And NURBS Modeling

 

The major difference between NURBS and polygonal modeling is how the mesh is composed and calculated by the computer program. A computer program for polygonal modeling mathematically calculates and aligns the polygons which are simple flat planes that join to make up a 3D shape. For example, a cube is made up of 6 squares. On the contrary, for NURBS, a computer program operates to calculate the NURBS mesh as ‘Splines’. Splines are the in-between points that make up a curve of a single section of the object geometry.

 

All these facts suggest that NURBS modeling is suited for high degree complex models. This is why NURBS modeling is immensely popular in the engineering sector. When an engineer works on the aerodynamics of a car or a plane, they run frequent tests in a digital wind tunnel. The downside of this modeling technique is that with heavy mathematical calculations on a model size it becomes extremely hard for a computer to perform at a constant speed. Therefore, NURBS modeling is unsuitable for applications where you need faster and more efficient rendering.

 

 

You will seldom encounter NURBS surfaces in video games. As far as polygonal modeling is concerned it is impossible to make a smooth and perfect curve using polygonal mesh due to the reason that the polygonal meshes are calculated as a straight line between points and joined together to form a curve. However, with an increased number of polygons and smoothing groups, you can easily section the object’s surface as a smooth curve. NURBS modeling showcases another benefit of having a smaller-sized file of mathematical points. The data is easy to understand and can be moved between different programs do not result in corrupted meshes which usually happen in polygonal modeling.

 

Which Modeling Technique Is The Best?

 

I’m sure until this section you must have selected your favorite modeling technique! However, it is important to learn about limitations before getting started with your modeling projects. NURBS objects are usually four-sided. This is a big limitation because a polygon is commonly an N-gon i.e. Number of sides reaching up from 3. This fact makes polygonal modeling a relatively simple process. Thus working on the polygonal modeling is a lot easy all thanks to efficient manipulation and integration. Hence, polygonal modeling is a safer option to construct well-formed meshes.

 

Surfaces created using the NURBS modeling technique find their applications in different fields. Animation, visualization, games and industry modeling, etc. can be carried out using NURBS modeling. 3D NURBS data type can be transferred to any CAD software application without much effort. NURBS objects are also separate from one another which further makes it challenging to combine them to form one model. Accuracy in mathematical calculations makes possible perfect point positioning for a smoother object surface. To animate a NURBS object precisely, at first you should convert it into a polygonal mesh such that you can efficiently join the edges together. UV-unwrapping a NURBS object is impossible. Therefore, it is best to use a polygonal mesh to add texture details to your object’s surface. That way you have better control to adjust how the texture is projected onto the mesh. It is important to identify your concepts requirements and then finalize what type of modeling technique suites your project the most. For a more complicated artistic endeavor, the NURBS modeling technique is a more trustworthy choice but if you are a beginner or wish to keep things easier then nothing can beat the polygonal modeling experience.

 

 

Conclusion 

 

All major differences between Polygonal and NURBS modeling are highlighted in the blog. All the aforementioned differences can be compared roughly to the vector and rasterized 2D images. Just like NURBS, Vector images also utilize mathematical data points to create enticing marketing images. While raster images make use of pixels that are easier to manipulate and edit. Due to the numerous large-scale advantages that NURBS brings to the table, most 3D artists rely on NURBS for creating complex 3D models. NURBS are effective at making the initial base mesh which can later be converted to polygon in the production process. Or you can give both modeling techniques a try for efficient results.

 

How ITS Can Help You With 3D Modeling Service?

 

Information Transformation Service (ITS) offers an array of remarkable 3D modeling and animation services to fulfill your artistic projects. Our modeling team invests tireless hours and resources to create realistic models. We promise excellent services with 100% data security measures because your trust is what matters to us the most. Our leading professionals utilize state-of-the-art technology and tools to ensure a high level of creativity and perfection. ITS modeling and animation packages are light on the budget and promising for your business growth. No matter the volume of your modeling projects there is nothing our skilled modelers can’t handle. If you are interested in ITS 3D Modeling Services, you can ask for a free quote!