Low poly

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Low poly is a

Derived from 3D objects with a low polygon content is low poly art, a minimalistic and non-photorealistic art style in which images or figures are created from a network of just a few connected points.^[2]

Necessity for low poly meshes

Polygon meshes are one of the major methods of modelling a 3D object for display by a computer. Polygons can, in theory, have any number of sides but are commonly broken down into

Computer graphics techniques such as normal and bump mapping have been designed to compensate for the decrease of polygons by making a low poly object appear to contain more detail than it does. This is done by altering the shading of polygons to contain internal detail which is not in the mesh.^[4]

Polygon budget

A combination of the

Models that are said to be low poly often appear blocky and simple while still maintaining the basic shape of what they are meant to represent. With

There is no defined threshold for a mesh to be low poly; low poly is always a relative term and depends on (amongst other factors):^[citation needed]

• The time the meshes were designed and for what hardware
• The detail required in the final mesh
• The shape and properties of the object in question

As computing power inevitably increases, the number of polygons that can be used increases too. For example, Super Mario 64 would be considered low poly today, but was considered a stunning achievement when it was released in 1996. Similarly, in 2018, using hundreds of polygons on a leaf in the background of a scene would be considered high poly, but using that many polygons on the main character would be considered low poly. In this way, there is a relativism between the importance of objects and their graphical quality. More important objects such as Non-player characters usually contain a higher amount of detail than less important objects, which are often small or in the background, like a blade of grass. This relativism is subverted when low-poly is used as an intentional aesthetic style: every object shares the simplicity that a low number of polygons brings, making the distinction between important features and unimportant features less clear.^{[citation needed]}

Emergence as an aesthetic style

Low poly graphics emerged around late 2013 as a specific style when content creators began to redefine the difference between high-poly and low-poly. Instead of using a low number of polygons as a necessity, creators like Timothy J. Reynolds recognized how the usage of fewer polygons sharpens the focus on essential artistic elements like form, lighting, and texture.^[7] The emergence of the style is somewhat similar to earlier artistic movements where artists like Paul Cézanne tried to decompose objects into geometric shapes. The low poly style seeks to highlight the idea that the world can be represented by a composition of shapes, which makes it a self aware style that is intentionally vague.^{[citation needed]}

In video games

Video game graphics from the fifth generation of video game consoles, during which some of the first consoles capable of rendering 3D graphics were released, used low poly modeling due to technological limitations. As graphics and console rendering power improved however, the vast majority of video games moved on to more realistic graphics with higher polygon counts, though low poly models are still frequently used for smaller, less-detailed objects that are not intended to be focused on.

The use of low poly graphics as a unique art direction in video games emerged around the late 2000s or early-to-mid 2010s. The oldest game on the popular game distribution service Steam with the tag "low poly" is Mirror Moon EP, a space-themed exploration game with an emphasis on the low poly style, which was released in September 2013. In 2014, Richard Whitelock published Into this Wylde Abyss, a short, story driven survival game with a similarly low poly style. Since then, the number of low poly games has expanded quickly; from 2014 to 2018, there were 244 titles published on Steam using the low poly tag.

Use in video games

Although it has gained some traction in the art world, low poly is a much more established style in video games, most commonly indie games, since it gives the game fairly unique visuals and less-demanding graphics while also reducing development time. It is also sometimes used in tandem with visual or graphical effects to evoke or directly imitate video game graphics from the fifth generation of video game consoles.

Some of the most notable low poly games released since the late-2010s include Superhot, Necropolis, Grow Up, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, Totally Accurate Battlegrounds, Ravenfield, and BattleBit Remastered.

Low poly meshes in physics engines

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Physics engines have presented a new role for low poly meshes. Simpler meshes allow for less complex collision detection calculations where extra detail would be unnecessary.

See also

• Polygon (computer graphics)
• Anisotropic filtering
• Bump mapping
• Normal mapping
• Nurbs
• Sprites
• Voxel

References