3D Modeling and Unity. Which is better for Unity iOS tries or quads and why?

Question

I'm tring to figure out what 3d modeling technique is better for Unity to make iOS game. Should I use tris or quads, why and what are pros and cons.

Answer 1

before you read this answer i haven't developed for IOS, however, my answer is true to modelling in general.

when modelling with polygons, all objects when rendered are eventually rendered as triangles. applications such as Maya and 3DS max will allow you to model with quads (and higher edge counted polygons), but somewhere between it leaving your modelling software and making it to the GPU, it will become triangulated at some point. it could be when:

• you export from your modelling software (say to collada or fbx format)
• You convert it into a game specific format
• you load the content in your game engine

at some point your model will become a list of vertices and a list of indices. at this stage there is no such thing as quads, just triangles, regardless of how the model started.

as for pros and cons, modelling in quads can be quicker (IMO) and easier to maintain, you may need to flip a triangle edge to get a certain look you want, but using quads to model will not effect performance as your model will always be broken down to triangles before reaching the GPU