Retopo Suggestions - Take 1 - Subdivision Deformation

[probiner]

Hey there. I saw the new auto retopo method and while i think it is very impressive, there is also room for improvements.

I got some ideas that i would like to discuss here by takes.

Take 1 - Subdivision Deformation

__One thing i noticed when you want to Sculpt, make a Retopo and bring it to LightWave (or any other main 3D package),is that your Retopo mesh will not have the exact same shape than your sculpt in 3D-Coat when you apply Subdivision to it, especially if the Retopo mesh is light, because the SubD deformation is not taken into account in Retopo process.

__The solution, now, is to increase the density of the Retopo mesh, so, increasing the number of polygons, in order to make that SubD deformation preety much null, although it is still there.

So my suggestion would be for 3D-Coat to have some sort of 2 meshes going on at the same time in a Retopo:

__Having a Working mesh that sticks to the sculpt Shape and calculated from this one, an Output mesh (the SubD cage). The Output is the the one to be exported to the Main 3D Package, and when Subdivision is applyed on it, it will look like the 3D-Coat Scuplt without the need of dense meshes.

What you think? No need, or makes perfect sense? Is it possible to do a reversed SubD calculation?

If i gave you the 'Intended Shape' in the picture below and told you to do a Retopo, what kind of mesh would you give me back from the -Faces State- line in the picture, the first or the last?

It is true that even for animation you sometimes need dense meshes but it would be nice to be able to choose and not to get stuck with dense so that the shape is the same in the primary 3D package.

Cheers

[AbnRanger]

Looks like Andrew is working on something to address the issue...

# If you will export low poly mesh with this option 3D-Coat will "sharpen" mesh in so way that in your 3D-package you will get... about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck...

# same model as mid-poly in 3D-Coat after subdivision with Catmull-Clark. about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck

# It is absolutely important if you want to get displacement and low poly mesh as result. about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck

# If you will export displacement and low poly mesh, import in your package, subdivide mesh, apply displacement and get same result as in 3DC. about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck

# It looks like there are too many options for newbies. Looks like making "Export wizard" is inavoidable thing. about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck

# I have add new very important option to export setting "Perform coarsing". It is inverse to subdivision. about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck

[probiner]

Great! Looking forward to see that.

I'm thinking how to explain my idea for take 2 and will post it later

Hopefully when i post it, again, Andrew will already have posted a new implementation covering it. That's how fast he is =P

[ifxs]

I too have had this issue, and also saw Andrew's recent tweet. Hopefully this is ironed out. Would save time on inter-program pipelines for me.

[rimasson]

I too have had this issue, and also saw Andrew's recent tweet. Hopefully this is ironed out. Would save time on inter-program pipelines for me.

I'd like to have this too.

Actuall, ZB is the only app able to recreate a subdiv cage.

[probiner]

I'd like to have this too.

Actuall, ZB is the only app able to recreate a subdiv cage.

And how is that? When you subdivide the object you are already distorting the SDS lvl1.

[michalis]

I have to complain that you didn't pay attention on what I posted here. Its not just an idea. Its a workflow already. We can avoid displacement maps. They work fine but never the best. Especially for rigging.

http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=193861

http://www.3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6190&view=findpost&p=46786

[probiner]

I have to complain my post here has nothing to do with displacements.

But only to get a retopo mesh to have the correct shape when subdivided in the main 3D app, which doesnt happen right now because the retopo mesh is stuck to the subdivided reference shape, so your object in the main 3D app won't have the same shape than the one in 3D-Coat.

I was only asking that after retopo, the vertices could be brought to the cage position instead of subdivision position, for correct meshes, especially the light ones.

Not focusing on the divisions, but on the deformation that SubD does to a cage.

http://wscg.zcu.cz/wscg2006/Papers_2006/Full/B89-full.pdf

Anyway Andrew implementation already does this to some point. It's not perfect, but it's there.

Cheers

[michalis]

I have to complain my post here has nothing to do with displacements

You didn't pay attention to my links probiner. I thought it could be helpful. Sorry.