Is Sub D/Poly modeling dead?

5rettski · Sep 2025

I know I made a few posts about poly modeling and subd modeling to try to learn new things, but even if I try to look for timelapses, or videos of people modeling stuff, just to watch them to pass the time. Whether it be characters or even some weaponry modeling, everyone uses sculpt and retopo. I know that's been used for some while now, but still, can't seem to find subd modeling anywhere anymore.

kanga · Sep 2025

subd model a character

Neox · Sep 2025

5rettski said:

I know I made a few posts about poly modeling and subd modeling to try to learn new things, but even if I try to look for timelapses, or videos of people modeling stuff, just to watch them to pass the time. Whether it be characters or even some weaponry modeling, everyone uses sculpt and retopo. I know that's been used for some while now, but still, can't seem to find subd modeling anywhere anymore.

overwatch is mostly subd modelling. far from dead

SubD is the reason overwatch look so damn clean. zBrush is very much an afterthought in that production. and one can certainly see if a skin/character was done using mostly zbrush or modelling.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/4v/q61sz74dshli.jpg

everything the light touches (hehe) has a basemesh and is subdivided twice on this one.

various artists use various approaches. and yeah some of these parts have been sculpted first, and the received a retopo to create the basemesh. but being able to subD model is THE core value of this project.

pior · Sep 2025

[...] "everyone uses sculpt and retopo. I know that's been used for some while now, but still, can't seem to find subd modeling anywhere anymore."

Well, the real world isn't limited to Youtube or to whatever gets posted on the internet. You'll get a better feel for what is actually useful for you to learn by joining some collaborative projects, or by working on some Steam Workshop items.

You'll also learn faster and better by trying things out first-hand. It only takes a few attempts at "Zbrushing everything" on a character similar to what is posted just above to realize that sculpting it all is a dead end for efficient and clean asset production - always been, and always will be.

But regardless : worrying about creating highres models for baking is probably not the best thing for you to do ATM. You have a mediumpoly Kratos fanart bust to get done first !

FrankPolygon · Sep 2025

The short answer is: Yes...

But it also depends on the artist, art style, industry, role, specialty, etc.

So, the short answer is: No...

In reality a lot of things are contextual: the answer isn't absolute or mutually exclusive and isn't dependent on what tutorials are trending. Framing it that way makes the premise of the question seem a bit contrived.

Content creators, who make more tutorials than art, tend to focus on the latest tools and workflows because that's usually what the largest audience is searching for. Since there's already a lot of poly modeling and subdivision modeling content there's not a lot of incentives for anyone to create more of it. Just because content creators aren't creating new tutorials on these subjects doesn't mean older workflows are completely irrelevant or aren't being used.

At this point there's at least a decade's worth of video content available on these topics and the hardest part is sifting through it to find tutorials where working professionals are teaching best practices. Older tutorial content may be a bit dry or boring but the information is still relevant. Mostly because the workflows haven't changed that much in the last half decade or so.

Here's a few examples of professional hard surface artists (working in games, VFX, concepting, etc.) that make content talking about their poly / subdivision modeling workflows:

https://matthiasdeveltere.com/
https://www.artstation.com/devmatt3d
https://www.youtube.com/@matthiasdeveltere4192

https://www.torfrick.com/
https://www.artstation.com/snefer
https://www.youtube.com/@TorFrick/videos

https://andrew-hodgson.com/
https://www.artstation.com/andrewhodgson
https://www.youtube.com/@AndrewHodgson3D/videos

https://makehastecorp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@MakeHasteCorp/videos

https://www.behance.net/colorsponge
https://www.artstation.com/colorsponge

https://www.altcinc.com/
https://www.artstation.com/ashthorp
https://www.youtube.com/@alt-c/videos

Also, here's a link to a previous discussion about the relevance of different modeling workflows for games:

https://polycount.com/discussion/234693/

It's worth mentioning that poly modeling is still a foundational technical skill that has significant overlap with other skills like subdivision modeling, manual retopologizing, etc. and it's certainly possible to make the argument that it's still relevant to contemporary hard surface modeling workflows like boolean re-meshing and mid-low poly bevel baking.

Both workflows still require block outs and base meshes. If the model isn't being exported from CAD then it needs to come from somewhere. I.e. poly modeling, subdivision modeling, boolean modeling, etc.

Examples of bevel baking workflows:

https://marmoset.co/posts/toolbags-bevel-shader-in-action-3-artists-weigh-in/

https://polycount.com/discussion/217834/

Example of workflows evolving from subdivision to re-meshing:

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2418170/#Comment_2418170

https://polycount.com/discussion/203187/

https://polycount.com/discussion/168610/3ds-max-zbrush-proboolean-dynamesh-hardsurface-workflow-tutorial/p1

Examples of non-destructive block outs and streamlined, modifier based subdivision modeling:

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2769252/#Comment_2769252
https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2777123/#Comment_2777123

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2779298/#Comment_2779298

There's also single application modeling and re-meshing workflows in Blender that enable using poly, subdivision, and boolean modeling together (along with a lot of other non-destructive modeling operations) in a way that makes creating complex hard surface shapes incredibly easy. Native non-destructive re-meshing and polishing modifiers streamline the high poly process into a very flexible workflow.
https://www.artstation.com/learning/courses/JQG/basemesh-and-high-poly/chapters/1Qg6/procedural-basemesh

https://www.artstation.com/learning/courses/JQG/basemesh-and-high-poly/chapters/GM5A/creating-the-highpoly

These different workflows require the same basic modeling skill set and that overlapping skill set is largely transferable. A game artist's hard surface pipeline doesn't have to be limited to a single modeling workflow for every part of a model.

If it makes more sense to use subdivision modeling for curved parts and boolean re-meshing for everything else then that's fine. Both of those workflows can be used to create the high poly for the same asset. Same goes for CAD and other parametric modeling workflows.

Most of the time it all gets baked down to a low poly with a normal map anyway. Deciding which modeling workflow to use really just comes down to what the technical and logistical constraints are... Along with tool set, personal preference, and art style.

Digging into the question: is poly modeling still used to create game art assets? Yes. Is subdivision modeling still used to create high poly game art assets? Yes. Is the subdivision modeling workflow (in game art) as prevalent or relevant as it used to be? No. Does that really matter though?

Even if subdivision modeling was completely irrelevant to creating games or any other media, there's still nothing wrong with learning how to do it. Provided that's what you want to learn how to do. Sometimes over intellectualizing things is just an advanced form of procrastination. If the goal is to learn subdivision modeling then avoid finding or making excuses for not practicing and getting feedback.

Set a goal, pick a project, jump into the modeling process, and solve the problems as they occur.

gnoop · Sep 2025

i only can say about my own experience . Learned sub-D modelling once and it's started to evaporate from my skill set for quite a while already because of no use in game art production. Now it's rather something procedural / boolean , then auto remesher like zbrush one or 3dmax and a few manual fixes . But I don't do characters. Have Moi as a free extra to Octane subscription. it does a nice mesher too with a little to fix after .

ZacD · Sep 2025

I really thought we'd see some stylized games built around simply clean sub-division modeling with nanite/mesh shaders by now, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. I always liked the look of of simple shading on clean smooth meshes and thought it could translate.

Joao Sapiro · Sep 2025

@FrankPolygon will u marry me

poopipe · Sep 2025

hey - get to the back of the line..

Neox · Sep 2025

Joao Sapiro said:

@FrankPolygon will u marry me

Lemme call your wife...

5rettski · Sep 2025

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/ny/ocfqwv203dx3.png

Relating to this, would you guys suppose this was sculpted or modeled? I've tried sculpting this before and it was very messy. I don't understand how to get perfect clean sculpts without it looking a little off. (Leviathan Axe Pommel from GoW) Does anyone have timelapses or videos for something similar?

stray · Sep 2025

5rettski said:
suppose this was sculpted or modeled?

Why not both? Sketch rough organic shapes with sculpt tools > retopo with quads to get the clean subD mesh > continue working on subD or get back to sculpting on nice topology...

zetheros · Sep 2025

the pattern is likely an alpha map applied in substance, not sculpted

Ruz · Sep 2025

I find for me making boots and shoes, subd with panel techiques is the way to go, then do a zbrush pass. So no, I don't think it will die any time soon

Eric Chadwick · Sep 2025

An example of a similar idea, with clean subdiv topo, from the Pinterest link at the bottom of the Primers section of our wiki.

images courtesy of http://3dwaxcarving.com/works/

5rettski · Sep 2025

zetheros said:

the pattern is likely an alpha map applied in substance, not sculpted

I doubt that, as the actual in-game model has depth.

5rettski · Sep 2025

stray said:

5rettski said:
suppose this was sculpted or modeled?

Why not both? Sketch rough organic shapes with sculpt tools > retopo with quads to get the clean subD mesh > continue working on subD or get back to sculpting on nice topology...

I don't understand. It's supposed to be more fine-tuned, like hard surface, sharp edges. I don't understand how people do that via sculpting.

sacboi · Sep 2025

"...would you guys suppose this was sculpted or modeled? I've tried sculpting this before and it was very messy. I don't understand how to get perfect clean sculpts without it looking a little off"

Blender - primarily using a mask brush + texture (for the sculpting bit scrub forward to 5:37mins)

GoW Axe

Blender - a Grant Abbitt 22 part realtime asset pipeline tutorial (again mask brush + texture)

GoW Axe

Edit:

lol you're a busy little bee with all these exploratory ruminations...

FrankPolygon · Sep 2025

It's a bit pedantic but 'How was it done?' and 'How can it be done?' are two different questions.

How was it done? Likely sculpted in Zbrush. Probably using a combination of custom alphas and brushes for the smaller details. (Possibly incorporating some remeshing or retopology steps to refine the larger shapes.)

Sculpting workflows typically focus on creating all of the larger shapes first then adding smaller and smaller details in subsequent passes. Generic sculpting brushes are fine for pushing and pulling the larger forms into shape but custom alphas make generating complex patterns and micro details a lot easier than trying to sculpt everything individually.

A quick search on ArtStation, using keywords like "God Of War Sculpts" and "The Art of God of War", shows a bunch of posts by artists that worked on the series. The basic matcap renders, descriptions, and software lists highlight different aspects of the general workflow. Some of the artists also talk about their sculpting process either on their blogs or in video interviews on the Zbrush channel.

Concept sheets:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ygYzO
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/o2nb2w

Beauty renders:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/wJLDz9

Weapon Sculpts:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NG9a3N
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/1N42wq
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qQ8emz
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nEoZbX

Environment Sculpts:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/JeyEVz

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qQ8dDz

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xYg312

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/e21Jb

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/DZ3we
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Yk3k6
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Q9LoL

Artist's sculpting process breakdowns:
https://www.artstation.com/blogs/corshmell/B71v/fantasy-dagger-project
https://www.artstation.com/blogs/alexanderalza/v2a3/lgrima-a-work-in-progress-entry-02

Artist interviews:

https://youtu.be/k8Z--dYcKRs

https://youtu.be/Vy_gX-2K5kU

https://youtu.be/hvTg61ExNf8

As for how it could be done: there's also a lot of fan art and a few of those artist have full process breakdown videos. Each approach is slightly different but dovetails with a lot of what's already been suggested by other artists in this thread.

Fan art:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NqrPnz
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lo6VG
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/g2P4YK

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/OoNrXe

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/GXvkgQ

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9N5rkq

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/6bkD66

Fan art breakdowns:

https://youtu.be/RGWXjYAzXRQ

https://youtu.be/83NFcYPvz5Q

There's lots of sculpting videos on YouTube but if you want to see working professionals talk about their process then check out the official Zbrush channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MaxonZBrush/videos

Other examples of using alphas to sculpt complex hard surface details:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/53mGE

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2466837/#Comment_2466837

https://polycount.com/discussion/229904/
https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2467887/#Comment_2467887

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2478478/#Comment_2478478

To keep things sharp: sculpt all of the larger shapes first then increase the mesh resolution as necessary and continue adding smaller details in passes. If there's a lot of complex or fine details in a small area then it often makes more sense to create a custom alpha so those details can be added all at once, rather than trying to sculpt each detail freehand. Especially if the details are text or repetitive patterns.

At the end of the day though, academic discussion only goes so far, there's really no substitute for practicing, posting work, and getting feedback on how to improve.

aumramaram · Sep 2025

Is sub-d modeling dead? Depends on what we want to do with it. In AAA production, it has getting less relevant. But so has AAA-production.

The growth of the Indie market along with the current state of of web technologies means that human sub-d skills will become more valuable again. Think about this; Virtually all games produced in the 90s can today run on a low-end smartphone with cycles to spare. It's only a matter of how much you scale the graphics. AI won't make those meshes. Human optimization becomes relevant again.

In the AAA domain: Baking will be phased out. Models will be "medium poly" and produced more quickly (no in-between steps, and the ability to alter a model's modifier stack in-game/editor) which will also cause a major sub-d resurgence.

Nurms is an extremely quick way to model out complex general shapes at artistic levels of precision. The toolset will evolve, but sub-d skills will remain relevant for as long as Bezier curves are, they're that fundamental.

BootScoot · Sep 2025

Well having made games for a while, I'd say it isn't dead as I still use it!

On a more serious note SUB D is just one tool and approach to highpoly modelling that is available - techniques will differ depending on studios and artists. I'd say that it is a pretty useful skill to have - not all studios will have licenses for CAD software or Zbrush.

Is Sub D/Poly modeling dead?

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