Ok so I have a build with around 1200 tris, would it be a low-poly build? I’m so confused, since I’ve been using the forums since July and I haven’t found the exact requirements to a low-poly. Can you tell me what they are to stop further confusion to me and other beginners reading this?
Thanks.
-NeoGaming_RBLX
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I don’t think the tris ammount matters, but tge polygons do. That is why it’s called low-poly (low-polygons).
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The reason you’re confused is because many beginner devs don’t actually know what low poly is used for in a workflow.
Low poly IS NOT “this asset has few tris.”
Low poly IS “I modelled a high poly asset, baked it’s texture, and applied it to a low poly version of that same asset.”
It’s a method of performance optimization to make high fidelity assets using textures that appear detailed and complex, when in fact they have simple geometry and a detailed texture.
There’s also annoying misinformation that’s always shared that low poly is just making a mesh use Flat Shading, which is absolutely wrong as well.
Edit: I didn’t talk about hard numbers because that’s not the point of low poly. It’s not “this asset has fewer than 1500 tris” because that’s just not how this workflow works. It’s more like “this character rig’s high poly model is 250 000 tris, and I baked the PBR textures and applied it to this same rig that’s now 50 000 tris.” The tri count doesn’t matter here. The process of simplifying the geometry of assets while still maintaining fidelity (with a texture or otherwise) is what counts 
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Reminds me of old 2010 style games which is what I think when I think of low poly
I mean, video games in 2010 absolutely used the workflow I referenced earlier, unless you mean 2010 Roblox, in which case that’s also not low poly. That’s just… low detail.
Here’s a better example of what low poly is, applied to an asset by Vincent Lei (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/X4kyL)
Both assets look nearly identical, but the one on the right is significantly better for performance.
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Yeah this is true. I guess you could say low poly has two different meanings now with low poly for optimization and now the “art style”. I was talking about older games in general btw.
This is actually why I’m such an outspoken person for what low poly actually means and represents. Technical words mean technical things. Communicating with someone with technical lingo but meaning something else entirely makes both parties confused.
Many, MANY, times when I used to do art commissions:
the client will say: “can this stuff be low poly?”
Me: “all my assets are low poly due to how I handle performance optimization”
Client: “no like can it looks geometric”
Me: “that’s just… flat shading and textureless, or otherwise cartoony”
Low poly is not a style. Communicate technical terms accurately. Do not confuse the two.
I’ve talked a lot about low poly and what it actually represents for about three years now.
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Wait, so low-poly is just making a high-poly have fewer polys to help performance while still maintaining most of it’s qualities?
Yup, it has nothing to do with flat shading, not using a texture, having under 1000 tris, a style, or anything like that.
It’s a performance optimization tool, a really amazing one too 