a great point to raise Ivkov

Ive seen some stuff at work that would make your toes curl LOL

Models now are becoming more and more dense, especially as engines like arnold are handling extremely hi poly counts at render time. The 5 edge is going by the way side a little. When we were using smooth poly and Subds on characters, the mesh was lower in terms of resolution so when smoothed, the algorythm was trying smooth between the polys of a greater width so therefore the issues of pinching were increased because of the curves pulling in those 5 different directions of edge flow, but now with the higher poly count there is less chance of this issue arising because the polys are more and the distance less. That said, if you can avoid a point to 5 edges situation then all the better for the model anyway. And on characters, avoid at all cost in any area that deforms, eye lids cheeks, nasal labial folds, mouth corners and so on...

its just practice to achieve it, once you have it nailed then you are golden!


Jay