Retopo- speed improvements

[vivi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcTll-owhVM

The kit-bashing workflow is awesome...but without a way to export it to a animation software...it is useless.
MODO for instance has also a kit bashing technique but, because u dont have voxels...u can easily export it. Although I have to say..I saw MOD in action, and it was slow, I didnt like the kit-bashing there.

I have some ideas on how to kit bash and still keep the flexibility to export the whole thing..but since I am not a programmer, I dont know if I just had a bad dream or so


vito

[xeen3d]

Hi vivi

your model looks like made with only one layer if you retopo a complex model like that with only one layer

you will have much much work .

Normally you musts make layers for a better retopo with enough layers you can retopo every layer alone without getting

trouble with a so complex model .

Bevor you begin making a so complex model in C3d i would make a scribble and than i take many as i can to separate layers

if model is ready i go from last layer to first and retopo every layer alone with that technique you got not that problems you have.

Bevor you model starts you must know how to de montage that model in to pieces to retopo it later.

Thats my way to handle complex models it must be not the only and not the right one but it works.

best

Andre

[kay_Eva]

If you were to model something like that the old fashion way, there would be lots of use of floating geometry I would imagine, because it's easier for you to isolate details and organize geometry with that way. Similiarly, it is easier for 3dCoat to retopo if you think of you think modularly and organize you're voxels by layers. For example, you're pipes could have their own layer. And the base structure could be another layer. And you go about and isolate each area that you think should be isolated so that a complex model such as yours will be reduced to several simpler parts. After that you can combine these layers into any organization that makes the most sense to you and then retopo them that way. Afterwards, you'll have several disconnected meshes, that you will be free to combine in any 3d package that you desire.

For example what you say at the 10 min mark - you should really need to model only 1 of those pieces. And then retopo one of those pieces. Then you can take that resulting mesh and combine it as polygons, probably as another piece of floating geometry.

OR you can have each piece that is similiar in shape as that one, on their own seperate layer. And retopo them seperately, but I prefer other approach of making a single piece, turning that into a mesh, and then combining them later as polygons. It all depends on ur UV approach that you plan on later I suppose.

You may ask, then what's the point of kitbashing, well you are getting your concept into 3d in a very intuitive manner. Once your modular components are retopoed approapriately, then you can follow combine them as polygons while using your 3d Voxel model as a reference

[AbnRanger]

If it's not going to be an animated character or if it isn't a game model, I would look at Auto-Retopologizing most of that. It seems to do a very good job with hard surface, primitive shaped objects. Nevertheless, you do need layers with Autopo too, if you want the best possible result. Keep the Retopo layers named the same as the voxel layer they will be baked from. This way you can check the new tool "Names Correspondence" in the Retopo Menu, and have 3DC bake everything in one shot without any overlapping issues.