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Basics of Retopology

  By Denis Keman • June 7, 2016 , , ,

Ok so here we are back again after almost a month of no updates. Today we will go over a topic that is generally overlooked by people that don’t specifically have to do it, and that is Retopology. The first question that we would answer would be what is Retopology. Well Retopology is the process in which you have a pre existing high density detailed mesh, and on top of that mesh you build a new mesh with clean geometry. This is widely used in gaming models where you want to have all the details from your sculpt into the game engine, or another place would be in Photogrametry or even when you go ahead and download a free 3D model that you like but it has crappy geometry that really doesn’t work with your scene.

So having said that in this post i will go over the bare basics of retopolgy in a few different software packages. This will be divided into three different videos covering the Retopology workflow in ZBrush, 3ds Max and 3D Coat.

In the first video we will start in ZBrush. Here we will go over the basics of the automated ZRemesher feature, then explain a bit how we can control the ZRemesher with the help of guides and then we will jump over to the manual way of Retopology in ZBrush with the help of ZSpheres. All in all it’s a decent way to do retopo in Zbrush and if this is something that would interest you then check out the video below.

In the second video we will take the same base and start the retopology process inside 3DS Max. Here we will go over the tools in the modeling ribbon, we will see how we can create, modify and move the new mesh around, and also see how we can mix up the retopology workflow with general modeling workflow. So go ahead and check out the video below.

In the third video i decided to make the first video in 3D Coat. In this video i stuck to only the retopology section in 3D Coat as this was the focus on the video, but in all honesty i will probably make more videos about 3D Coat as it truly is an amazing piece of software. In this video we will see how we can create the base mesh, and we will dive in a bit in the options of the different tools and brushes. But enough explanations go ahead and check out the video below.

So with these three videos we basically saw the basics of retopology in different software packages, but if you have access to different softwares then you can do it there as well. Maya, Blender and Topogun are three other softwares that do amazing work when it comes to retopo but i really didn’t want to go ahead and do it for those packages mainly because i’m not too comfortable with using them, which doesn’t mean that they are not awesome.

So that would be it for today, i hope you guys have fun watching these videos and more importantly learn something new. If that is the case don’t forget to comment, like and share it around.

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Detailed Intro to Working with Forest Pack Pro

  By Denis Keman • May 11, 2016 ,

Today’s post is a bit of a hybrid post, and what i mean by this is that when i was actually thinking about making a post about Forest Pack Pro i thought it would cover the basic options in a 20-30 min video and be done with it, instead we ended up with what you see here today. In the videos below you will be able to learn what is Forest Pack Pro and how it works. Now i am one of those people who thinks that when you are learning something it’s always good to have a certain model, or a project that you are trying to achieve and learn that way. Well today we will cover most of the options that Forest Pack Pro has in it’s arsenal, and at the same time we will do a couple of different end results. One of the things that specially makes me happy about these videos is the fact that i will cover a topic that has been asked from me multiple times, and that is the topic of creating grass and grass fields. So lets get down and start breaking down the four videos that you will be able to see here.

The first video in the string is more or less a very easy to follow basics of Forest Pack Pro. You will learn how to add a new Forest Pack node, then you will see how to change the display properties followed by how to add custom geometry. After this you will see how to control the density and spread of geometry on your surface. All in all this is the bare basics you need to understand before you start working with Forest Pack Pro. So go ahead and check out the first video.

In the second video we will see how we can use Forest pack Pro to create a modernistic Nail Art picture. To get this right we will kick it up a notch and go in a bit deeper into controlling the transforms of the geometry with the help of a bitmap. This is also where you will learn how to constrain the effect to certain plains and axies. All in all it should be an interesting video and even though it is a second part to the video series it won’t feel like it as it is a stand alone video. So again go and check it out.

When we get to the third part this is basically where we go in deeper with explaining even more features and at the same time we tackle the grass topic. Now for this video when i started it didn’t go as planned as i started modeling grass manually which was a huge time hog, so i scrapped the initial idea and went with a much faster and procedural way of making grass by using a free script called Debris Maker 2 so feel free to click the link and get it for yourselves. So if you have this plugin then you should have no problems with following along with the video, and creating a grass field of your own with ease. So go check it out and come back for the last video.

And in the last video for this post we will cover a topic very similar to the grass creating tutorial but with a twist, we will be using built in presets. Forest Pack Pro comes with a number of different presets that should be helpful to pretty much anyone working in the Visualization business. Other then that you will also learn how to constrain the effects of the scattering through the use of splines, and then at the same time use those same lines as base for scattering new geometry which will leave you with a very flexible end result. But enough with the explanation go ahead and check it out for yourself.

So with that done we come to a conclusion of our post for today. These were one of the more intense videos to record for me as i did get a number of crashes and the rendering times were a drag, but in the end i am actually happy with what it ended up looking like. So the only thing that i can hope for now is that you guys enjoy watching these videos you have some fun while watching them and most importantly of all you learn something new that can help you in your projects. So like always if you enjoyed the videos then hit the like button and subscribe if you haven’t already and i will see you all in the next post.

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First Glance at 3ds Max 2017 and Auto Peel UVW unwrap

  By Denis Keman • April 22, 2016 ,

When i make a new post i kinda tend to make it so that the videos are educational and are pretty much in the form of a tutorial. Well today’s video is more of a informational character then educational. Namely a few days ago Autodesk decided to release their newest version of the 3ds Max software the 2017 version of it, so i decided to make a quick video about the very first thing you can see when you try it out. I made it so that it is divided into two short videos in which you will see what you can expect with the new version of Max, as well as few issues and bugs. (This is an understatement)

So in the first video i go and show you how the UI has been changed, and i kinda compare it to Maya and as you will see for yourself it appears as Autodesk are trying to make Max look like Maya for some reason. Also you will see that in the rendering department we have some novelty in the form of a new render engine ART. But check it out for yourself in the video below.

In the second video that i decided to make it separate i go over something that i am personally stoked for, and that is the UVW Unwrap Auto peel mode. It’s been ages since Autodesk have done diddly squat when it comes to unwrapping in Max, and it has been a total drag having it do it in it. Well in this last version they finally decided to give the unwrapping portion some love and get it so it starts being useful. In the 2017 with the addition of the Auto Peel mode, and the addition of the tension map it is really starting to get back on track, so now the only thing that needs to be fixed is for Max to stop crashing every 5 min. In any case check it out for yourself in this short intro to Auto Peel Unwrapping in Max 2017.

After having some time to play around with Max 2017 i can only say that it’s probably going to be a good version of Max, but as of now i would stay away from using it, especially if you want to use it for your work projects as it is really buggy and unstable and it appears that crashing is it’s favorite past time.
And that would be it for this post, i hope it was informative and if you liked what you saw then click the like button, share and comment below.

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