Golden Rule 2 : Aim to use Four-Sided Surfaces
NURBS surfaces are inherently four-sided, as they are made up of the two directions, U and V.
When planning the patch layout for modelling, first look for the obvious four-sided shapes. They do not need to be exactly square, but the 'corners' should not be too oblique or acute, so the ideal is a 90 degree corner, though this is rarely achievable.
