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Retop - Cheat Sheet Hacks

The document provides a cheat sheet on topology best practices. It covers common terminology like edges, vertices, quads and triangles. It discusses fundamentals like visual density, edge flow, and avoiding artifacts during deformation. It also provides techniques for capping cylinders, twisting and stretching topology, and terminating edge loops.

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MelissaBonfim Melbonfim
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240 views23 pages

Retop - Cheat Sheet Hacks

The document provides a cheat sheet on topology best practices. It covers common terminology like edges, vertices, quads and triangles. It discusses fundamentals like visual density, edge flow, and avoiding artifacts during deformation. It also provides techniques for capping cylinders, twisting and stretching topology, and terminating edge loops.

Uploaded by

MelissaBonfim Melbonfim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topology Cheat Sheet

V01
Follow The Road
● Imagine you were making a
road.
● You wouldn’t make each
road segment out of unique
shapes.
● You would make them…
○ Even as possible
○ Square as possible
○ Directed with car flow
● The same principles are true
with topology.
Common
Terminology
Edge Direction
● Here we have two cylinders with
different topology.
● One has aligned edges in the bend
direction.
● If you bend a Quad diagonally (like a
diamond) it will produce ugly artefacts.
● Part of good topology flow is finding
these movement directions.
Quad
● A polygon with 4 vertices and 4 edges
● Preferred in 3D modelling for predictable
deformation and ease in subdivision
modelling
● Quads are commonly used in Game
Resolution Meshes due to their ease of use
● The games engine turns quads into
Triangles so it’s only to help our pinoy
human mind handle topology
Triangle
● A Polygon with 3 vertices and 3 Edges
● The most basic polygonal shape.
● Can sometimes cause issues in
deformation or subdivision
● However! Don’t be scared of them. We
often place them in areas that are
static.
For example, behind an ear
Ngon
● A Polygon with 5 or more vertices and
edges.
● Can create unpredictable results in
shading, rendering or subdivisions.
● These should be avoided at all costs in game
resolution meshes
● Sometimes subdivisions modellers can use
them to render.
Pole
● A vertex where more than 3, 5 edges
converge.
● Can influence topology flow and may cause
shading and deformation issues.
● Usually an inevitable byproduct of edge
flow requirements.
Fundamentals
Every Little Helps
● An example of two
cylinders.
● One has a minor
optimisation.
○ Optimised = 32 tris
○ Unoptimised = 36 tri
● Imagine this was a bolt or
button. The mistake is
amplified.
○ Optimised = 704 tris
○ Unoptimised = 792 Tris
Visual Density
● Topology density is one of the largest contributors to wasted
triangles..
● Fewer polygons are required at greater distances.
● A happy medium has to be met based on how close the viewers
gets to the asset.
● Here is a table to demonstrate.
● Left to Right = Tri Count INcrease.
● Up to Down = Distance.

Focus on the silhouette of the spheres.

Wastage Line

● Top Left: Large Screen Spaces + Few Polygons = Poor


Silhouette.
● Bottom Right: Small Screen Space + Many Polygons =
Unnecessary Wastage.

Perfection Line

● Top Right: Large Screen Space + Many Polygons = Enough


Polygons to Support Silhouettes.
● Bottom Left: Small Screen Space + Few Polygons = Enough
Polygons to Support Silhouettes.
How To Cap A Cylinder
1. Select open Loop Edge.
2. Hold: Shift + Right Click. Fill Hole.
3. Select Face - Shift + Right Click. Poke
Face.
4. Select Target Weld.
5. Click centre vert to a perimeter vert.
Twisting
● A lack of vertical loops
will result in a topology
structure collapse.
● Example A:
○ The mesh is twisted
○ Edges are forced to
cross.
○ Middle structure is
lost.
○ Shrinking occurs.
● Example B:
○ The mesh is twisted
○ Edges gain support
from verts.
○ Middle structure is
maintained.
Stretching
● During animation, topology will be
stretched to its limits.
● We need to predict these stretched by
supplying additional edges.
● Example A
○ 1. Edge support the static state.
○ 2. The mesh is stretched.
○ 3. There aren't enough edges to maintain
the new shape position.
● Example B
○ 1. Edges support the static shape.
○ 2. The mesh is stretched.
○ 3. There are enough edges to support the
new shape position.
Compresing
● Compression is just as likely in
animation.
● Additional edges aren't required, but
correct topology is.
● Example A:
○ Topology adheres to fundamentals.
○ The mesh is compressed
○ No issues occur. Side edges are
aligned.
● Example B:
○ Topology is random and chaotic with
the presence of triangles. (*remember
we don’t want these in areas of
deformation.)
○ The mesh is compressed.
○ Artefacts pop up. Structure is lost.
Side angle isn’t aligned.
Simulation Advice
Maintain even distribution across simulated
meshes!

● Better Deformations: Ensures natural-looking


bends and stretches, especially in animated
characters.
● Avoiding Artifacts: Prevents unwanted visual
glitches like pinching.
● Efficiency: Reduces simulation processing time
with optimized polygons.
● Accurate Simulations: Uniform polygons lead to
predictable outcomes in cloth or fluid simulations.
● Collision Detection: Improves accuracy and
reduces glitches in physics simulations.
● Easier to Work With: Simplifies adjustments and
troubleshooting.
● Interoperability: Ensures consistent behavior
when transferring between different software.
● Texture and Displacement: Guarantees uniform
and undistorted application of textures.
Quad Draw Triangle Hack
● Quad Draw doesn't let you
make triangles.
● Here’s a quick hack.

● Insert a loop with Ctrl and


Click.
● Drag the two verts either side
into the middle (Green
Arrows).
● Triangles Created!
Triangle Fill Hack
● Quad draw doesnt let you fill with triangles.
● Here’s a quick hack.

1. You want to fill the gap.


2. Tab Drag the middle vert up and out the
way.
3. Drag the new vert back into an adjacent
vert.
4. Triangle Created!
Creating Poles
● Pole are useful to redirect
multiple edgeflows.
● Often found with face
topology.
● Here’s how you can make
them.
Making Poles
1. Use Multicut to create new Triangle.
2. Move the verts to the side while keeping a
squared shape.
3. Move the right 2 verts to the side while
keeping a squared shape.
4. Delete the triangle in the middle with
Ctrl+Shift+Click.
5. Redraw a new Quad by tolding Tab and
dragging out a new shape.
Edge Loop Flow Reduction
● In games, it's important
to understand how to
terminate edges .
● To the right are two
examples of good and
bad edge loop flow
management.
● Here’s how you can do it
correctly.
Batman Edge Loops
● Here’s a trick for neatly terminating
edge flow. I call it the Batman
Technique.
1. Drag out desired quad geometry (4
Purple points).
2. Either Side of that, Drag out a quad to
create a “Batman Head” shape (Purple
dots).
3. Drag out new quad geometry to bridge
the 3 edges (Purple dots).
4. As you can see, we need to have equal
number of quads on each side.
Therefore, we need to add a edge loop.
5. Once the edge loop is added, we can
start to connect the sides.
6. Finally we can fill the gaps.
7. You can now smooth this geometry.
Join
3D Mutiny Discord
Click Here

● Progress in Community
● Share Experiences
● Real Time Assistance

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