problems with subdivide mesh and remesh

[razblack]

I decided after watching so many awesome things created with Zbrush over the years to finally get my feet wet, so after GDC I purchased 2018.

Through plursight, yesterday… I began the simplest of tutorials, but am having some troubles that I just can not figure out if it is me or the software.

The tutorial is really simple… add a cylinder, remove the bottom geometry, subdivide and remesh to create a nice turn-table for your models to sit on.

but when I subdivide the mess… the edge flows get all kinds of messed up and remeshing it just makes a terrible model. Something like the top off a 1950’s coke bottle with random bulges everywhere… it looks nothing like the tutorial which I belive was made with 4R5.

Any idea what is wrong? Is it a setting, or a bug?

tutorial edge flow after subdividing:

my edgeflow from a cylinder after subdividing:

tutorial remesh on subdivided:

my remesh after subdivided:

could someone help me out?

Attachments

[Cryrid]

Remesh is an old feature that would basically create a second model that completely envelopes the old one (as more of a blobby, rippled shell vs a complete match), allowing you to then use the Tool: Subtool: Project All to project this new topology back into the desired shape. I suspect that projection is all that is needed to restore the more cylindrical shape.

It’s largely outdated workflow however. Remesh has essentially been replaced by both Dynamesh and Zremesher which will both give new topology that matches the original shape (dynamesh caring more about a consistent density across the entire surface, and zremesher caring more about how those polygons flow across the surface), and it’s boolean capabilities have been replaced by Live Booleans. Those are all superior IMO, but even those options would be overkill for a simple cylinder (which has pretty decent topology to start with). If the goal of the tutorial is to delete and fix the topology of the caps, then ZModeler will make quick work out of it while giving you a lot of control over the result.

[razblack]

Hi Cyrid,

thanks for the tips… I gave them a try, but didn’t really seem to correct. Zremesher came close, but not quite the same.

I know I may be new, but I would think that in the initial subdivision, the edge loops would be evenly distributed around the pole of the cap… instead of being zig-zag like and uneven.

Is there any control of the those edge loops that I have on subdividing?

[edit adding another cap subdivision example]

Here I took a simple cone, and subdivided the geometry a couple times. The edge loops on the cone cap are not evenly distributed and begin to form these uneven waves. I don’t think this is a newb mistake is it? lol

Attachments

[zber2]

You can use the “CapSubRatio” slider in the Initialize sub palette before you make it a Polymesh3D. The Initialize subpalette will change to something else after you make it a Polymesh3D. As Cryrid mentioned, you can also use the ZModeler brush to add loops after you make it a Polymesh3D. The ZModeler brush would be the preferred method as you can add loops wherever you want.

[Cryrid]

Here I took a simple cone, and subdivided the geometry a couple times. The edge loops on the cone cap are not evenly distributed and begin to form these uneven waves. I don’t think this is a newb mistake is it? lol

It’s a byproduct of how subdivision works, especially when it comes to having triangles and poles in the topology (even more so when they take up a lot of surface area while being located so close to a dramatic change in surface angle, such as on those caps).

//youtu.be/k_S1INdEmdI

The benefit to having denser topology (whether you start with more edgeloops via Initialization or if you use ZModeler add them in afterwards ) is that these extra edges will keep the pole contained to a smaller surface area that will be more planar in nature, and you will see a less dramatic change when the subdivision smoothing algorithm kicks in.

Compare these two caps for example:

[razblack]

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions and samples… i genuinely appreciate it.