QuadRemesher : new auto-retopo plugin for Maya, 3DSMax, ...

Maxime33

Hi,

I'm currently making an auto-retopo plugin for Maya and 3DSMax.

I'm looking for few beta-testers. Let me know if you are interested !

I will need your email to create a license key for the test - so just send me a private message with your email.

And let me know if you want to test for 3DSMax or Maya.

-------- NB: The plugins for 3dsMax, Maya and modo are publicly released. --------

Beta testing is closed.

You can download a trial here : https://exoside.com/quadremesher/quadremesher-download/

Many thanks to all guys who helped me!

Beta testing is still open for plugins for Blender, Houdini and C4D....

Poly_Nut

Maxime33 said:

Thanks MetinSeven. I will tell you when it will be ready. It seams that some artists are switching to Blender. I'm curious to know how much... Do you have friends or co-workers which are switching to blender as well?

A lot of my ex co workers are gradually switching from max and maya to blender since they really enjoy the dynamic development and the amazing community and of course Eevee play a big part in that equation.

Would really like to see Blender getting a decent auto retopo since currently i am using the 3d coat autopo that work perfectly for me.

bibiboo

This tool shows great promise for all walks of hard surface life and I'd be more than happy to pay for it. 

However I really hope the issue with retaining curvature is fixed and that if possible a feature, to give the user an option to retain or imply specific importance to smaller, tighter areas of a given model so the script does not muddy or flat our crush said spaces altogether, is incorporated at some point.

Something along the lines of additionally being able to select a group of polies, edges/verts and then using a slider to evaluate specifically how the tool remeshes a selection or multiple condensed/ isolated selections based on a subset of options would be a great feature addition too.

And again the ability to retain edge flow/uniformly spaced polygons or flexibly adjust this with a value slider wouldn't go amiss. 

Thank you for your hard efforts!

Maxime33

Thanks bibiboo,

Can you send me your object (before retopo) as a max file?

I can see that normals are creased (boolean cutting reas) and I would like to check why the retopo doesn't maintain a clean edge loop on the edge generated by boolean cutting (where normals are creased)...

bibiboo

Unfortunately I lost the file. Therefore I remade the object and furthered it's design utilising poly modelling and then obviously a few pro bools. Somehow I achieved a better result.. from not deviating at all from the initial unrecoverable attempt, but there are still some blatant hiccups. 

Thought I should also throw in the fact that I used the z_cleanbool script to clean up unwanted additional vertices after each bool operation followed by a global weld of all vertexes. Aside from that no other jiggery pockery, just standard stuff really.

ant1fact

Maxime33 said:

Hey Blender guys!

I have a question for you : I plan to make the plugin work for 2.8 first and then, if needed only, for 2.79. Does that sound good to you ?

As Bumblebee wrote, I must focus on releasing QuadRemesher for Max, modo and Maya first, then continue my work on Blender addon...

Another vote for 2.8, don't bother with 2.79 imho

Maxime33

Thanks a lot Bibiboo.

My goal is to understand why the remeshing is not working well on the edge with creased normals (red arrow area)

It should create an edge loop in the remeshing on these edges. So that the remeshing would not look smoothed on those edges...

For this I would need the input file in a ".max" file (not obj). If you still have this object as .max file, please send it to me.

This way I get exactly the same input mesh as you had when you clicked on "Remesh It". (avoiding to lose datas in obj export/import)

I would like to know if there are SmoothingGroups on your input mesh ?

Or if normals are defined otherwise?

Cathodeus

@Maxime Normals are handled in a really weird way in max this is probably why. Autodesk is currently working on a better support of explicit normals.

Reoxur

Its a bit too quiet here
Any news or more pics of remeshed things to look at? 

bibiboo

I am reluctant to put anymore work into remeshing using the 1.0 Beta 8 version since I am getting consistent faceting and other odd artifacting after retopologizing. Like everyone else I'm very keen to see what the fixes maybe in the latest version of the plugin.   

Maxime33

Hi Bibiboo, your models are at the limit of what QuadRemesher can remesh properly!

Moreover, in the yellow area of your model, I can see some ngon that are not triangulated properly by 3ds (or maybe there is a triangulation settings to activate...). This perturbates QuadRemesher.

I will continue to work on the algorithm next year ....... but you will be able to try with a new version very soon .....

Maxime33

Hi all,

Quad Remesher is released!

Thanks a lot for your tests and feedback.

you can get more informations on exoside.com (doc, tuto...)

Please download the latest version here : https://exoside.com/quadremesher/quadremesher-download/

I have fixed and changed multiple things since beta 8.

Maxime33

Bibiboo,

I load your max file, but with 3ds Max 2020, I don't manage to export it as fbx with "Triangulate" OFF (it triangulates anyway: I get triangles in the fbx).

With 3ds Max 2016: Triangulate OFF works weel : I get polygons in the fbx

Do you have the same issue in Max 2020 ?

With 2016, because I work on polygons instead of triangles, I get much better results on your mesh (but still not perfect...)

Cathodeus

@Maxime33

Hey,

Jusy tried to download and activate the V1 trial but as i was a beta tester it tell me already installed cannot activate.

I would like to test the new improvements. Is there anything you can do for that ?

Thanks

Massimo

EGGO

Congrats on release! Any chances to see this plugin for Cinema4D? 

Maxime33

Cathodeus: try to remove it manually : remove the QuadRemesher folder in C:\Users\[YOUR_NAME]\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\20XX - 64bit\ENU\scripts

EGGO: yes, I will do it in few months...

Cathodeus

@Maxime33 Deleted the folder but still have same error message "Cannot activate trial version it has already been activated on this computer, and your trial period as expired !' that is probably server wise.

Maxime33

This means that you have already used the trial version more than 1 month, you cannot use it again.

Try activating with your license key (you can get it at https://exoside.com/mylicenses/)

MetinSeven

I just read the great news of QuadRemesher's release, and I'm excitedly awaiting the Blender add-on release.

I also read that @Maxime33 didn't only develop ZRemesher, but also Decimation Master and UV Master. Those are three of the most brilliant ZBrush features. I'm in awe! 👏👌

Maxime33

Thanks MetinSeven.

MetinSeven

Thank you for developing ZRemesher, UV Master, Decimation Master and QuadRemesher. 👍

I've started a thread about QuadRemesher at the Blender Artists forum. The first responses are — unsurprisingly — positive. 🙂

rregula1

Maxime33  if the details are small on the object, what to do? I tried the vertex paint, but it did not work out. What do you advise ? but the tool is very cool!

rregula1

Quadremesher makes for one scale and small details break, tell me what to do?

Maxime33

rregular: Can you send me the model or a screenshot.

Maybe increase the Target Quad Count ....

Maxime33

Hi all,

I forgot to add few links:

Overview and examples : https://exoside.com/quadremesher/

Few tutorials : https://exoside.com/quadremesher/quadremesher-tuto/

Documentation and FAQ: https://exoside.com/quadremesher/quadremesher-doc/

Happy remeshing!

MACHIN3

Maxime33 said:

It’s not available for Linux yet (contact me if your are interested in Linux version)

Just wanted to express my interest in a Linux(Blender) build, since you mentioned it on your site.

Looks like a terrific tool. Good luck with it!

rregula1

Maxime33 said:

rregular: Can you send me the model or a screenshot.

Maybe increase the Target Quad Count ....

Is it possible to create locally more polygons in some areas? I would like to increase the number of polygons on small details. That the grid was not so dense in empty places. I want to know how the option  "Use Vertex Colors for Quads Desity" works?  the plugin is installed on maya. overall it works great.

MetinSeven

I really hope the Use Vertex Colors For Quad Density option will also be present in the Blender add-on, as well as some way to assign polygroups. Thanks.

bibiboo

In it's current state for the Max version are there any plans to iterate additional improvements further down the line such as Modifier capability? I ask because I am considering purchasing but I am not sure whether to do that now or perhaps wait a few months and experience better support for the tool/ 

cptSwing

The author:

Maxime33 said:

[...]

- 'make a modifier': Yes I agree! I plan to do that for a V2 as I would like to release the plugin ASAP.

[...]

So here's crossing fingers (been sitting on the fence for a while as well)!

MetinSeven

Blender users who are interested in QuadRemesher are invited to join the QuadRemesher discussion and news thread at the Blender Artists forum.

古色谷香

Hello! Thank you very much for developing this script. I just tried it on 3DS max. This script is very easy to use and can save a lot of time to rebuild the model. Thank you!

musashidan

As shown at Siggraph 2019, Max native Auto-retopo solution has been in development for a while now on beta. When it rains, it pours.....as they say.

ChewyPixels

musashidan said:

As shown at Siggraph 2019, Max native Auto-retopo solution has been in development for a while now on beta. When it rains, it pours.....as they say.

Same with Maya.

Reoxur

Anyone tested it on Characters yet? 

Maxime33

Hey everybody,

The addon for Blender has been released! (for win and macOS)

Cheers!

-Maxime

MetinSeven

Maxime33 said:

Hey everybody,

The addon for Blender has been released! (for win and macOS)

Cheers!

-Maxime

I've installed it and can heartily recommend it!

In general I can recommend the ZBrush ZRemesher workflow for QuadRemesher in Blender:

1. Set desired settings (e.g. symmetry).
2. Run QuadRemesher with a relatively low Quad Count value. The default value of 5000 is okay in many cases. Increase the Quad Count for highly detailed meshes. I usually don’t go beyond 10000.
3. A copy of your source mesh will be made automatically, and made invisible.
4. Add a Shrinkwrap modifier to the QuadRemeshed object, and assign the hidden source mesh to it. Sometimes it works better to change the Shrinkwrap projection method to Project and check both the Negative and Positive checkboxes.
5. Add a Subdivision modifier with one subdivision iteration.
6. If necessary, repeat steps 4 and 5 to increase the level of detail derived from the source mesh.

People who are not familiar with ZBrush ZRemesher usually increase the polygon count a lot, thinking there should be enough polygons to capture all the details in one go, but the best workflow is the above-mentioned workflow, where QuadRemesher can capture the global mesh flow / curvature, and details can be added by Shrinkwrapping (similar to Project All in ZBrush) and Subdividing. This approach keeps the base QuadRemeshed mesh editable, UV mappable, riggable, etcetera.

The progressive subdivision workflow is also ideal for a Multiresolution modifier (although some work needs to be done on the Multiresolution modifier in Blender 2.81 at the time of writing).

Enjoy!

MetinSeven

Reoxur said:

Anyone tested it on Characters yet? 

 Absolutely. To my experience QuadRemesher works great on both organic and hard-surface (mech, robot, etc.) characters.

See my post above for a workflow suggestion.

OccultMonk

How do you install this in 3dsmax. I ran the .mzp file in administrator mode. Can't find how to use it. And does not seem to have installed anything. 

Maxime33

have you checked this video : https://youtu.be/1ugojBbv6O0 ?

FourtyNights

What's with the EULA pop-up in a Blender addon for activation? Never seen ANY Blender addon, paid or free to have this kind of system. Isn't it also a little bit against the Blender's GNU GPL license too? I've bought few addons and tools for Blender before, but they've always worked out of the box without restrictions. Correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm not an expert with licences. But this is weird to me.

As it says on Blender's "Licence" page:

"Blender’s Python API is an integral part of Blender, used to define the UI or develop tools for example. The GNU GPL license therefore requires that such scripts (if published) are being shared under a GPL GPL compatible license. You are free to sell such scripts, but the sales then is restricted to the download service itself. Your customers will receive the script under the same license, with the same free conditions as everyone has for Blender."

MetinSeven

Quad Remesher is not violating Blender's license. The add-on is written in Python and open. The Quad Remesher algorithm is called externally via input/output. There are more Blender add-ons that work this way, such as the Blender bridge to the V-Ray renderer.

Psychotic_Mike

So I bought an indie licence the other day and decided to see how it works with some meshes I had when playing around with Maya's round corners shader. 
Was very impressed with the results. 
I found out that with smaller dense details it required a lot more geo to cover everything. 
Would have to play around with vertex paint and see how that works.
If your polycount in general is low, you will have some minor cleaning to do but its nothing compared to cleaning up assets from scratch - but you do have the alternative of going a bit higher with polygon density. 
I'll be working on some workflow guides for work but overall I am impressed. 
Almost all meshes have been booleaned together - results were super fast for the not so dense meshes. The longest I had to wait was 4 mins for a 5 mil poly asset. 

Psychotic_Mike

MetinSeven said:

In general I can recommend the ZBrush ZRemesher workflow for QuadRemesher in Blender:

Will def try this next!

Psychotic_Mike

A cool feature to add would be decimate mesh. 
My scenes get too complex too fast. 
A work around I use is to export to Zbrush decimate and bring back into maya.

houmpaloumpa

Please consider a proper integration into Maya. 
What i mean is having it integrated as a node into maya, it will allow to have a procedural approach and combine it with other nodes

thanks   

OccultMonk

houmpaloumpa said:

Please consider a proper integration into Maya. 
What i mean is having it integrated as a node into maya, it will allow to have a procedural approach and combine it with other nodes

thanks   

Even more so for 3dsmax modifier ;-) really needs this for procedural!

BonaB

OccultMonk said:

houmpaloumpa said:

Please consider a proper integration into Maya. 
What i mean is having it integrated as a node into maya, it will allow to have a procedural approach and combine it with other nodes

thanks   

Even more so for 3dsmax modifier ;-) really needs this for procedural!

Second that, it would be essential to non destructive workflow.

pior

Truly an excellent tool, and very reliable too. The demo was great, bought the Blender version it as soon as it ended. Although a little day counter would have been appreciated as the end of the trial period caught me by surprise
Features-wise it would be really good to have the option to *not* hide the original mesh after the quadremesh operation, as the current behavior of hiding the original can get extremely frustrating, especially when it ends up in an unwanted collection. Personally I'd much prefer having the original always stay there, maybe with the option to automatically switch it into wireframe, or bounding box, or shaded+wireframe display mode similarly to the way booleans act. Or, having the option to nudge the original up by a set distance on the Z axis so that one can immediately compare the two.

Maxime33

Houmpaloumpa, OccultMonk, BonaB:

The procedural approach is definitly on my list for the V2 !

pior:

Thanks.

You can check the remaining number of days for trial by clicking on "License Manager" button.

The "Hide Input" option is on my list for v1.1.

Maxime33

FYI, The Cinema4D and Houdini plugins have been released few days ago.

The Houdini plugin is directly integrated in the gamedev/"SideFX Labs" as explained here : https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/sidefx-labs-exoside-quadremesher/