Low poly is a term used to describe a polygon mesh in 3D computer graphics which has a small number of polygons. It is, however, a relative term, usually referring to other meshes in the same computer game or rendered scene. The term low poly is used in both a technical and a descriptive sense; the number of polygons in a mesh is an important to optimise for performance but can give an undesirable appearance to the resulting graphics.

Once a polygonal mesh has been constructed, further steps must be taken before it is useful for games, animation, etc. The model must be texture mapped to add colors and texture to the surface and it must be given a skeleton for animation. Meshes can also be assigned weights and centers of gravity for use in physical simulation.