Glossary: Geometry in 3ds Max

Basic Terms

Vertex:
An individual coordinate in 3D space, represented by a dot.

Edge:
The line between two connected vertices forms an edge.

Face:
An individual facet of a model, made from 3 or more connected vertices.

Element:
A collection of connected faces.

Mesh:
All the elements contained within a model.

Model:
Contains the mesh plus additional associated data for things like animation, physics, and deformation. Normal viewport selection will select at the object level unless

Types of Faces:

Triangle:
A face made up of three connected vertices.

Quad:
Short for quadrilateral. A face made up of two combined triangles (4 vertices).

Polygon:
A multi-sided face made up of any number of triangles. Also sometimes called an n-gon.