Topogun question

[Snasitra]

Hi,

I would like to put this out to all you artists working in game studios right now...

How are you retopologizing your models? Is z-brush enough for you or are you using Topogun or a similar program for that stage? What would you say has become industry standard for retopologizing high resolution sculpts out of zbrush?

Thanks for any feedback.

[AcrobatFly]

I used to use ZB exclusively since I didn't have to go to another program. However, ZB's retopo is just way too slow and primitive. On small retopo jobs it's okay, but I wouldn't use it on big stuff anymore. I've done retopos in my core 3D app, Cinema4D. That's worked out okay. Certainly a lot easier and more reliable than ZBrush.

However, for my money, I've found 3D-Coat to be a lot more efficient than either option. On the surface, 3D-Coat looks like a candy coated version of ZBrush. Almost toy-like. It's not. 3DC is an excellent companion app for ZBrush. Great sculpting & painting tools. The retopo tools are top notch.

Here's a sample of some of the 3DC retopo methods:

http://www.3d-coat.com/retopology/

Andrew, the developer, has also implemented and is working on refining a semi-automatic retopology algorithm.

EXAMPLE: http://www.3d-coat.com/files/stink_dragon.avi

It's not 100% perfect yet, but Andrew updates the app often enough where it should be a viable retopo method very soon.

I've tried TopoGun before, but have had some stability issues with it. The developer also doesn't update it as often as he could. By comparison, 3D-Coat gets updated every week or two. Bug fixes & new features.

[Mrpearlzildjian]

I've pretty much sworn by Topogun ever since I picked it up. I don't really have any stability issues with the retopo, just sometimes when I try to bake maps that are hard on the system resources, like AO maps.

[akacg]

so can u make the normal map in topogun? never used it..

[dustinbrown]

Getting back to the original question, I don't believe there is a defacto, "industry standard" retopo tool that most studios use. Every Artist has certain tools they like to use, and thankfully we have lots of great options to choose from.

ZBrush
Topogun
3DCoat
NEX (Maya Plug-in)
and the Graphite Tools in Max (aka Polyboost)

And I'm certain XSI, C4D, and just about everything else has tools to get the job done.