Topology feedback and tips

j_passeva

Hello everyone! I'm currently working on a creature for a university project and it's my first time designing creatures, as well as the third time altogether retopologizing. I wanted to ask for your tips and tricks when it comes to switching from areas where more polygons are needed to areas with sparser topology. Here is an example of how I've done the underbelly of my creature where it has a soft fin protruding, that requires more detail. Thank you in advance for any critique!

Brian "Panda" Choi

Do you NEED to model this the way you are, or are you allowed to sculpt or boolean model?

j_passeva

Hiya, my pipeline usually involves starting with zBrush sculpting then popping the decimated sculpt into Maya for Quad Draw retopology. I then go back into zBrush to add details, which I then enhance in Maya with displacement maps in my final renders. I want to know how to have clean, low poly topology so that my models can be rigged and animated for film/games

JohannesAg

Is this mesh meant to end up as the lowpoly as well? or is it just a base for sculpting?


If it´s supposed to be a low poly mesh in the end the density of polys seems maybe a little strange in some areas.

j_passeva

Yeah, this is the low poly I'm baking the high poly details onto. I'm struggling with those areas in specific because I'm not sure how to uniformely loop the edges around Do you have any suggestions how I can fix it?

Brian "Panda" Choi

I don't think those areas need to be dense, nor compleptely quads.