Retopology Techniques in Maya LT
With the advent of the high-resolution sculpting workflow, the modeled assets we create can sometimes be difficult to work with in their native state. Software required: Maya LT 2015.
What you'll learn
With the advent of the high-resolution sculpting workflow, the modeled assets we create can sometimes be difficult to work with in their native state. For this reason, various tools are typically used to create a new, pipeline-friendly topology for the model. There are different methods for creating this geometry and it's important that the method we use be quick, efficient and gives us the control we require. Maya LT is built specifically for game workflows so it has some tools focused on creating new topology. We'll cover setting up our reference model so the new topology we create will snap to the surface. We'll talk about using Quad Draw to interactively place points and polygons across our model's surface. We'll also cover the Shrink Wrap functionality and talk about edge flow concerns as we create a new mesh for a bird creature. We'll also cover some of the ways we can customize how Quad Draw functions and look at methods for speeding up the retopology process on unusual shapes. In the end of this training, you'll be able to create optimized meshes out of your own high-resolution sculpts. Software required: Maya LT 2015.
Table of contents
- Setting up the Reference Mesh 4m
- Starting the New Topology with Quad Draw 7m
- Changing Quad Draw Preferences 7m
- Speeding up Retopology with Quad Strips 7m
- Extending Edges 6m
- Using Shrinkwrap to Jump Start Our Topology 9m
- Mirroring Our New Mesh 6m
- Creating Custom Shrink Wrapped Meshes 9m
- Finishing the New Mesh 7m
Course FAQ
Maya LT is a 3D modeling and animation software built specifically for game workflows. It is good for beginners and new users, as it is quite user-friendly. Maya LT allows 3D modeling, animation rigging, rendering, 3D animation, and much more.
Retopology is when you take the features of a surface and create a new topology out of it. It is recreating an existing surface, but with more optimal geometry.
This course is for anyone who wants to learn Maya LT and useful retopology techniques. It will be especially useful for anyone involved in game development and game workflows.
In this course you will learn:
- Retopology techniques in Maya LT
- How to set up reference mesh
- Quad Draw and Quad Strips
- How to extend edges
- How to use Shrinkwrap
- How to mirror our mesh
- Much more
To follow along and participate in this course you will need Maya LT version 2015 or newer. The course demos use Maya LT 2015, but the concepts taught should carry over to newer versions of Maya LT as well.
About the author
Justin thrives as a lead modeling author at Pluralsight. Growing up, Justin found a deep interest for the computer graphics industry after watching movies like Jurassic Park, Toy Story, and The Abyss. His ambition would lead him to work at Sony Imageworks in Los Angeles on movies like Monster House and Surf's Up. Justin has also had numerous articles, tutorials, and images published in 3D World and 3D Artist. As an author, Justin enjoys collaborating with fellow authors, especially on project... more