How to create clean topology

Synapz

Hey guys, this is actually my first post here. So if im doing anything wrong, or posted it in the wrong section please tell me.
Anyway. im trying to model the back of a flash light and im teaching myself to create clean topology every single time. In below image you can see clearly a Ngon in the small curves. in the smooth previes there are no shading issues tho, which imo is strange. but i could leave it there but i want to learn how to create clean topology. If i connect the dots then i do get shading issues, so how do i create this correctly?

p.s. im using maya.

pior

And what exactly is wrong here ?

Synapz

There is an Ngon?

Synapz

I mean i wish to learn how to model in quads. I know it might be a bit nit picking and there is clearly no shading issue so just leave it.. But i wish to learn the quad way that when i do need to know how to use quads in a similar situation, i know how to tackle it.

Neox

what for? ngons arent bad, if you know how to use them. use them

quadonly totally doesnt have to apply in this usecase.

Synapz

so this would be considered good topology?

Neox

does it shade well when subdivide? - looks fine, so its good

Will it deform? - likely not, so its good

does it need to be textured? - likely not, so its good

IF so Do the UVs stretch or not? - If yes work on that

if it doesnt cause problems, why waste time fixing something?

Alex_J

You are working on a computer, not sculpting in stone. If you get another two hours into your work and realize you made a mistake that is now causing a problem, it is nothing to go back to your previous state and modify it. 

Leverage the power of the computer - don't stymie yourself by trying to conform to any ideas. If people are saying, "n-gons are bad, quads good," find out if they really know what the hell they are talking about. You have the power.

Synapz

allright thnx for the replies. ill leave it as is and continue the rest of the model

SnowInChina

two things i would change is the fact that your extruded forms are flat, but most likely this was produced on a lathe, so then it should be round on the outside.

more subdivisions would achieve that. and the top part looks more like a radius than a bevel

for the ngon. for highpoly models which only get used for baking it doesnt really matter as long as it looks good

for lowpoly parts you most likely want to triangulate everything anyway

FourtyNights

I'd say n-gons are fine - useful even - specifically on high poly models, If they help with shading (pentagons are the most useful). Especially n-gons don't matter if they're on flat surfaces. Also, if you're exporting your high poly models to an external baker, your HP will be made out of quads anyway (due to a standard subdivision surface algorithm).

...on the other hand, on your optimized final low poly models which are going to be exported to a game engine, it's best to avoid n-gons altogether (for example, UVs show incorrent stretching if you unwrap an UV island with some n-gons). Even though game assets are triangulated anyway, it's a good idea to keep the original low poly made out of only both quads and triangles.

Characters' low poly models are exceptional, that the quad-triangles -ratio should be just mostly made out of quads overall for convenient weighting/skinning, but it can have triangles too, here and there, usually out of the reach of deformation if possible.

RN

Synapz said:

so this would be considered good topology?

That 5-gon is specifically mentioned in the Pixar notes for subdiv. modelling as a good way to get smoothing done entirely by the subdiv algorithm: https://graphics.pixar.com/opensubdiv/docs/mod_notes.html#triangles-and-n-gons