Reduce Polygons
Collapse a model's triangle count down to a fraction of the original, so it loads on a web page without stuttering.
What it does
Reduce Polygons rewrites the model into another container. The vertices, faces and normals are carried across unchanged — this is a re-encode of the same geometry, not a re-modelling of it, so the shape you get out is the shape you put in.
When you need it
Almost always because the next piece of software only reads one format: a slicer that wants STL, a browser or AR viewer that wants GLB, an older 3D application that only ever learned OBJ.
Limits and caveats
What each format can carry differs, and that is where things go missing: STL holds geometry only, so colours and materials do not survive it, and OBJ keeps materials in a separate .mtl that a dropped file does not include. Geometry always survives; appearance often does not. Everything happens in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
How to reduce polygons
- Drop the model.
- Choose how much detail to keep.
- Download it, and check the shape still reads.
Frequently asked questions
- How far can I push it?
- Below about 30% the silhouette starts to change — which is fine for a distant prop and wrong for the thing the viewer is looking at. Check the result rather than trusting the percentage.
- Should I reduce a model I'm going to print?
- Usually not. A printer resolves detail a screen never shows, and the triangle count is what carries it. This is a tool for the web.
- Do my files get uploaded?
- No. This tool runs entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.