What is Polygon count?

GPUs render triangles. Quads and n-gons are split into triangles before rendering, so "tris" is the honest number to compare. More triangles allow smoother curves and finer detail, but cost memory, download size and frame time.

Real examples from our library

Model	Triangles
Electrical boxes	~2,400
Upright piano	~3,600
Tactical helmet	~8,400
Cyberpunk car	~48,000
Horse skeleton (scan)	~135,000

Rough budgets

There's no fixed rule, because it depends on how many objects are on screen, the device and everything else in the scene. As a starting point: background props on mobile under ~5k, typical desktop props 5k–50k, hero objects and characters higher. Most of a model's visual quality comes from its textures, not its triangle count.

Reducing it

Decimation removes triangles automatically and is quick but messy. Retopology rebuilds the mesh cleanly. LODs swap in lighter versions with distance. Our guide to reducing polygon count walks through each option.