HMorton posted at 6:44PM Mon, 14 June 2021 - #4421340

I just don't think geometry is a big problem when rendering in Blender. There are very few mesh errors that will affect the render in modern versions of Blender. More important are knowing the shader and lighting systems of the software. That's where 99% of render problems begin and end. Not with the models. Yeah, if the models are extremely outdated like Lux mentioned in archive 3d, then I can see where you might have some problems. But most of those problems will also come from the way the thing is textured and uv mapped.

I disagree with this part. I think Shading and UV mapping errors can be traced back to bad geometry at least half the time. It's very difficult to properly unwrap a model when the geometry and edge flow are poorly constructed. Have you ever tried to make UV seams on a model that has many star points, poles, and triangles? Extremely frustrating. In the end, you may be forced to retopologize the model just to get a good UV unwrap. It really doesn't matter if the model is mostly quads either. If the topology is too dense, it could be a real hassle to unwrap or texture. This could be solved in one of two ways. Either use procedural, tileable materials with overlapping UVs or retopologize the model with more sensible edge flow. Sometimes retopology is the only answer, especially if you plan to rig, animate, or even just use it as a static prop in a real-time render scenario.

Blender isn't the only software that handles ngons flawlessly now. I think just about all software do it. 3dmax, Maya, C4d all seem to handle them great. The only time ngons are a issue these days is when you subdivide for sculpting or whatever. Zbrush doesn't like them, but that's for good reason. Otherwise, there isn't a software today that doesn't handle ngons with great results. There's no reason to avoid them anymore, unless you intend to subdivide the models for sculpting or whatever reason.

I tend to agree with this, but not in the case of asset exchange between software packages. In other words, if the models are intended for use ONLY in the native software, then feel free to save time and use Ngons to speed up workflow by all means. However, if you plan to ever redistribute the models or use them in other software, then I highly recommend avoiding Ngons whenever possible. Triangles are OK in some areas, but they could also cause pinching and render artifacts when used improperly. Since Ngons require triangulation of the surface at render time in every single render engine on earth, there is no guarantee how it could affect the model outside of the native software.

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