Sure thing.
[
]
Most of the detail is in the upper body so far, but that is the area where the geometry has changed the most. Aside from an edgeloop that I put in running from head to toe, as well as a few extrudes for an ear on the head.
Well I’ve been using the topology tool for my last few models, largely pain-free thanks to you guys on here, so thanks for that.
I’ve got a couple of niggly issues with it though, and if anyone knows any solutions I’d love to here them. These may have already come up - it’s a massive thread and I got left behind in it months ago… apologies if they have.
Ok one thing thats currently driving me wild was the way that if you click in the centreline of your model, it draws a single point instead of two. Which is very useful of course, but I came to a problem at the top of a pair of legs. Because they are so close together, the tool automatically draws a single point, but I need two points so that the legs aren’t stuck together.
So I guess the question is, is there a way of turning that off or any smart way around it? Currently I’m drawing the point somewhere off-centre, and moving it back in.
A similiar issue is the problem of working in a very small area of the mesh that has a reasonable level of detail. Basically I’m finding that the cursor will jump to existing points, or adding a point to an existing edge, and that snapping prevents you from adding the point exactly where you want. The only way around it I’ve found is to draw the object larger on the canvas, which has the effect of shortening the snapping distance. Still, it’s annoying and any option to turn it off would be great.
The last thing is that sometimes drawing a repeating topology can be tedious, especially if you want the topology exactly the same. The most common example I can think of is fingers, although I appreciate that these, like most of these cases, the topology would be the same (or similiar) for each finger, but the shape wouldn’t. So I’m not sure what kind of solution I’m looking for on this one, perhaps if you could take out your work-in-progress topology to an app such as maya to do the repetetive bits and then take it back that would do the trick. And would also be awesome.
Thanks for any help
Fantastic and very useful Thread… !!! 
Yes, but now it’s getting a little bit quiet.
Most things are discovered so far, now it’s time to do some work with the features. :lol:
Regarding my last post, I’ve figured out that it is possible to take out a wip topology to another app (eg maya) to work on it there. Basically the process is similiar as rasta describes in his “Easy topology” tut -
Make sure the “move, rotate, scale” bone is not visible by going to move mode and left clicking once (wierd potential fix for rescaling bug)
Convert your topology into an adaptive skin
Select your new adaptive skin and hit “make polymesh3d” (again seems to fix zbrush rescaling stuff, which is very important)
Export that as an obj
Import into other app and do your stuff.
Take that changed mesh into zbrush
Set up your model for retopologising as normal, but in the topology sub-menu go select and select your new changed mesh
Sometimes it looks like it’s deleted a whole load of verts and edges - it hasn’t, but for some reason you just can’t see them. I’ve found that sometimes they pop back on their own accord, haven’t yet worked out if there is a trigger for this
Make sure the “move, rotate, scale” bone is not visible by going to move mode and left clicking once (wierd potential fix for rescaling bug)
Convert your topology into an adaptive skin
Select your new adaptive skin and hit “make polymesh3d” (again seems to fix zbrush rescaling stuff, which is very important)
Export that as an obj
Import into other app and do your stuff.
Take that changed mesh into zbrush
Lord McGoat
I tried that method several times. No joy.
This works with 3.1… http://www.zbrush.info/docs/index.php/Importing_Topology
Thanks for that link Jim. On the model I’ve tested that method on, it’s worked fine, can I ask out of interest what the problem was when you tried?
On all occasions the new topologyOBJ came in at a much larger scale.
Once it came in facing the opposite Z.
If I append the topologyOBJ as a subtool, then the scale is fine. Its only if I simply select topology from a different tool (The same OBJ but not as a subtool).
Basically wehat I am saying is the same model aquires different scaling according to where the topolgyOBJ sits. If the topolgyOBJ is its own tool, the scale is wrong. If the topolgyOBJ is a subtool of the main Sculpt, all is fine and dandy.
The only thing about this method is you have to go back and forth changing subtool visibility, which might be confusing for some, but once you get it, it is solid.
…
Same problems with using existing topology
jviikel
i am just trying ok lemme say did ya by anymeans used 3ds max modifier physique to skin it
if yes try an remove it and use skin modifier
i think this should work if you have used 3ds max to model your character
So, I had this thought… using the topo stuff and the explanations on how to merge things like that Monkapotamus and such…
It should be possible to do the following:
Arrange a basic skeleton, doesn’t have to be all realistic.
Add sphere3ds etc to it and squoosh them around into the shapes of muscles with an anatomy book handy to reference.
Make the whole lot of it one solid mesh
Retopo that at a lower resolution over the entire outer surface, effectively making skin aroudn actual muscle groups (rather than the more common ‘Hmm, this comic book says his abs are here…’ approach).
Does this sound right? Or am I imagining this possibility from all this stuff?
Having trouble getting very fine details. It always wants to connect the rig to another part rather than draw a new line. Is there away to do like in Max, ‘ignore backfacing’ maybe? a way to make the threshold smaller? Any suggestions?
Hey so… to make it clear:
Using this I could start with a base mesh made in 3dsmax, make a high poly model for a normal map, then retopology it to make a new low poly model from my high poly one that the normal map would go on that’s usable for a game/mod?
Yup, I asked that too, no one responded, and so I started playing around a lot.
The answer is a firm ‘Yup!’
Moreover, you don’t even need to make it all a solid mesh in Max.
…Or even to use max, though I prefer modelling in Max over ZSpheres or the weird modelling approaches in most of ZBrush, mnyself.
I’ve found that it actually works pretty well to smoosh shapes together to get the mesh you want in Max, tellelate them a few times and perhaps a meshsmooth or three to make a really highpoly simple mesh, and then stick THAT in Zbrush. But you can ‘blob’ muscles on and stuff like that. They don’t all have to be connected, because the topology editor in Z just follows the outermost surface, and you can ‘jump’ across the seperations and stuff.
Best advice: try it.
Ive been looking for a while here through many of the threads and articles mentioned, and maybe im just over worked and too tired to see the answer right in front of me –
but I NEED HELP, redoing toplogy on a low subD level for a HIGH subD level character that has already been modeled and fully detailed…
everything Im seeing is for either rigging or exporting out low level retopologized meshes. I need to plug the re-topologized mesh into my High Polygon character desperately. Im not too familiar with the 'Reconstruct Subdivision" option either, which I was thinking maybe something I need to do for this task.
Ive already redone the topology and am ready to use this new mesh to fix my older high rez mesh.
Someone please throw me a bone.
thanks…
Yannis, i have a question about your tut way back in post #468, i understand your method but how do you make sure you add the correct number of polys to the toes/fingers so when your mesh is done you can reconstruct down to the lower level?
hm, not sure but it seems like it’s something to do with the symmetry of your model. This had happened to me before, but I don’t remember what I did. I’d like to know the answer to this myself.
doh, i should’nt look at this stuff when i’m overtired.
you just draw out a four sided polygon finger/toe from the poles and just divide it all yourself once, so one poly becomes 4.
Hi, i’m busy understanding Zbrush’s topology tools for the last couple days and i have two questions.
1st: How do you delete the toplogy? Let’s say i changed my mind and i want to go back sculpting again, how do i delete the topology lines and Zsphere.
2nd: When previewing the new geometry i get al kinds of weird black spots. This happends even when i just create two new polygons. When i increase the mesh density (adaptive skin for example) the spots get smaller. I tried different models but the results are always the same, black spots / holes everywhere :(.
try boosting your resolution up, i got the black spots on my laptop when i was using 1024 - 768 but not when i use a 1920 - 1024 dont worry too much about it, there not missing polys. but it might be as simple as turning on double sided polys in the Tools-> Display Options-> Double. give em a go.
Turning Double sides off did the trick :), it might be a driver problem since i was messing around my videodrivers a couple days ago. But a least now i know how to get rid of them black spots, thx for your help:D .