Overall Purpose & Function

Some parts of the Retopo Room interface change and update to reflect new choices that become available for a given function dependent on the context of that function. We will point out these changes when the selection of a tool or function causes them to occur.

Also, many important functions are contained in the “Retopo Menu”. It is important to know when and why to use these options throughout the entire Retopo/UV Map creation process.

Since many possible workflow situations will involve the creation or modification of a model’s topology and its associated UVs, we will cover the most common ones.

Retopo Room

• The Viewport in the Retopo Room functions as it does in all other Rooms, and you can use all of the gestural shortcuts and Navigation and Camera controls available in the other Rooms.
• When a Retopo function uses 3DCoat Brushes, these familiar controls are adjusted as in other Rooms. For numerical control of the Brushes, look to the sliders at the top of the interface.
• The Retopo Room and its tools can also be used to modify any topology created automatically through the use of AUTOPO.
• One model can be composed of many separate “Retopo Groups”. These Groups may be created simply to designate different model components or to isolate different areas to receive different texture treatments. They may also contain different topological treatments for different purposes (LOD versions and animated or static versions of a model, for example).
• The Statistics Panel, located at the bottom of the interface, contains a continual readout of your most important model information as your actions in the Retopo Room update it. These can help you locate troublesome n-gons and triangles and give you a complete overview of the number of polygons composing your model.