Mesh (3D)

Parts of a mesh

• Vertices, points in 3D space.
• Edges, lines between vertices.
• Faces or polygons, flat surfaces bounded by edges, usually triangles or four-sided quads.
• Normals, directions that tell the renderer which way a surface faces and how to shade it.

Meshes and jewelry formats

GLB, glTF, STL, OBJ and FBX all store meshes. Rhino 3DM files store NURBS and can also store render meshes. When you upload a model to RenderMyJewels, the studio displays its mesh, so the quality of that mesh shows directly in your renders.

What makes a mesh render well

• Enough density on curves. Round shanks and bezels need enough polygons to look smooth in close-ups.
• Flat facets on stones. Gem facets are flat, so stones need very few polygons.
• Clean normals. Flipped or inconsistent normals create black patches.
• Closed shapes. A watertight mesh avoids see-through gaps.
• Separate parts. Metal and each group of stones as separate meshes or layers, so each can get its own material.

Keeping files light

Very dense meshes slow down the studio and add nothing visible once triangles are smaller than a pixel. Keep the polygon count sensible, especially for pavé, and remove geometry that is hidden inside the piece.