Character Retopo HELP ( Noob question )
polycounter lvl 6
Hey guys I'm working on this character with a bunch of subtools and I'm not sure on the best way to approach the retopolization. For example I have a boot that's divided up into a bunch of sbutools. I want to know how people usually retopo boots. Here's what I got.
Do people usually retop the laces together or seperate? Or the bottom of the shoe, is that separate as well or together?
Here I have the character's body with his accessories. Not sure how I would approach retopo here. You can see on the red markings what I'm confused on
Do people usually retop the laces together or seperate? Or the bottom of the shoe, is that separate as well or together?
Here I have the character's body with his accessories. Not sure how I would approach retopo here. You can see on the red markings what I'm confused on
Replies
I'd do the buckles as apart of the body. The bullets... egh could go ether way. Personally I would do them as apart of the body. Otherwise they may poke thru the chest when animated which is a pet peeve of mine.
I would also do the goggles as a part of the head however I would separate out the glass on them so that you apply a glass type material to them.
A few things I think about when deciding if a mesh should be separate or not are:
- Does this part need a different material?
- Can I save UV space by repeating this element? OR Does this element need extra UV space?
- Does this part have any special animation requirements? Hair, cloaks, weapons that need to giggle?
- Will this part be customizeable or have variations?
Also in most cases, it's best to retopo the inside and not just a shell of it (speaking from experience).
If this is a personal project, it's really up to you. You have the progress saved, so you can freely explore what the best result will be for you.
If your using zBrush4R6, you probably won't need to retopo by hand, zRemesher is the shit.
Characters, especially if it's a main character or interactive npc, are the bulk of assets, they're meant to look good first and be optimal second.
Whoa whoa hold on there. Not to be argumentative but those are some pretty dogmatic statements. Yes Zremesher is great but it may not be the best tool for a beginner to use without understanding the basics of retopo and topology in general.
I'd also have to disagree with the second statement. Characters should look good AND be optimal. It's not really a priority; it's a balance.
Edit: Also note the boots of a character are almost never going to be seen up close. So making them all one piece makes perfect sense. Also you can probably use less geo in that area. Not a ton less, but less.