Hard surface retopologization for subdivision

[ajz3d]

Hello.

Retopologization of organic models in 3D Coat is quite pleasant. But it's about the other end of the surface world I'd like to ask a question about.

How do you guys retopologize so called hard surface sculptures that are intended for further subdivision in your rendering and animation packages? Sculptures containing circular/curved holes on smooth, but curved surfaces. Sculptures for which you don't have any base meshes because objects were created in 3D Coat from scratch or maybe they were NURBS solids imported into 3D Coat for further modification and detail sculpting. I'm thinking things like toasters, guns, graters, walkie-talkies, hinges, tanks, planes, boats, etc.

Do you have some tips or tricks to share perhaps?

For me, retopologizing this kind of objects without a SubDiv base mesh already prepared is a hard and slow process because of the lack of standard modelling tools, Catmull-Clark subdivision, grid/object/component snapping available in the Retopo Room. Without these tools, creation of regular shapes like circles, ellipses, perfect grids, boils down to eyeballing and this is not good. I constantly have to switch between 3D Coat and subdivision modelling program in order to prepare mesh chunks for import to 3D Coat, inspect subdivision, align components, etc. It's not a very friendly workflow.

I'm sure there are a better and faster ways to accomplish this kind of task and in hope of hearing about them I decided to write this post.

Edited September 4, 2013 by ajz3d

[L'Ancien Regime]

Be patient. Andrew is working on an updated retopo right now that we're all anxiously awaiting.

 

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=59&t=1122151

 

 

Follow the latest development of it here

 

https://twitter.com/AndrewShpagin

[ajz3d]

Very nice. This hard surface AUTOPO demonstration looks very promising. Of course it would still require a some manual work and clean up, but it is a very, very good starting point for a SubDiv model. I especially like how the edges follow sculpture's hard edges and the circular hole. Perfect.

And how can I be patient now, after I've seen what next version of 3D Coat will be capable of?

[TimmyZDesign]

And how can I be patient now, after I've seen what next version of 3D Coat will be capable of?

I'm going crazy waiting for it too!

[L'Ancien Regime]

I've never had such a high expectation for an update as this next one.