This looks like it might be interesting, did a search and didn't see it mentioned anywhere...
The following is a cut/paste of the opening paragraph on the CG Talk thread Matt Clark started (link to thread at the bottom of the page).
New Re-topology tool: Wrapit
Hello all, I'd thought I'd take this opportunity to demonstrate a new tool I've been developing for 3dsmax 2008 and above.
Wrapit is essentially a tool for conforming meshes to other meshes. This lends itself to various scenarios such as retopoligising high-res meshes like those created in Zbrush, mudbox etc and creating low poly proxies for situations where those are preferable, like collision detection etc.
Obviously there are other solutions for retopoligising, although I've never really enjoyed that process in Zbrush, and learning new tools can be a chore. I love Polyboost, but my aim in developing Wrapit was to keep it as simple as possible: What if you could use the existing set of 3ds Max's editable polygon tools but over the surface of another object?
Well, Wrapit allows you to do just that, using all the editable poly tools you're familiar with, in any sub object mode, edge loops, edge rings, connect, bridge, chamfer, relax, soft selection, target welds, cut tool etc. When Wrapit's 'Autowrap' mode is active anything you do with your editable poly model is conformed to the surface of your target.
I find myself shift dragging edges mostly which is extremely effective at fleshing out large parts of mesh at once. Using the relax tool to relax a mesh over the surface of another has proved to be a bit of a 'wow' moment for those testing.
It's fast too, wrapping to a mesh in the millions of polygons region doesn't have too big a hit.
Anyway, enough talk, here are some examples of a slightly old beta in action.
http://www.matt-clark.co.uk/spe.php?o=163
I should point out these aren't in any way indications of good retopology, I was just playing really, but hopefully they are an indication of speed and ease of blocking out shapes.
Wrapit is currently in beta, with a release date to be announced. Join the discussion
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=6&t=723711
Replies
http://www.hyperent.com/Hyp-Tutorial-Cloth-002.php
For some reason google has labeled his site (and just about every other site) as an attack site total BS.
http://scriptspot.com/3ds-max/max-retopo
I am trying it out right now
Unlike silo or some other tools I know it does not project from the view but like the first link in this thread wraps around your freezing object so that you can extrude or extend faces even though you don't see them directly in your view without clutter like in silo often.
I found it more faster and WYSIWYG than the retopo of Polyboost or IllusionCatalyst.
some blackpoints,
- I don't find button for close the rollout :poly136:
- There is no "snap&collapse" like in IllusionCatalyst's tools?
- no way to define the strengh of snap?
but i love it:)
Missing an offset toggle (or is that creep? Haven't figured out what that does yet, the help isn't very clear).
Lampoly, hey didn't know the "Display Selected with Edge Faces" good tip there, thanks.
It basically extrudes edges/edgeloops while wrapping around the surface so if you have one loop around the arm you can select the loop and click creep a few times and it will extrude all the way down to the hand or you can just extrude edges along the target surface.
The coolest thing is that it uses the basic modeling tools of max (so shortcuts that we always use). No doubt I'll use this script for the retopo of my DWIV character and place it in my "essential max's tools" folder