Topogun


https://forum.reallusion.com/Topic77896.aspx
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By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
Hi All

Sometimes more difficult to create good low-poly model that hi-poly and I'd like to recommend You really good and not expansive tool with help You to do this - Topogun

This small program allows You to "draw" low-poly topology on the surface of hi-poly model, Furthermore - all vertex of low-poly will be automatically "glued" to the target surface.
Program very easy to use and in addition has the features of creating normal bump, displacement and ambient occlusion maps.

Hope this information will be helpful
By Paumanok West - 15 Years Ago
Vit3D (2/27/2011)
Hi All

Sometimes more difficult to create good low-poly model that hi-poly and I'd like to recommend You really good and not expansive tool with help You to do this - Topogun

This small program allows You to "draw" low-poly topology on the surface of hi-poly model, Furthermore - all vertex of low-poly will be automatically "glued" to the target surface.
Program very easy to use and in addition has the features of creating normal bump, displacement and ambient occlusion maps.

Hope this information will be helpful


This sounds like something fantasic I ought to know about... except... like Wil's photo-to-3D tool... great; now you've got a great character mesh.

How are we supposed to RIG it? :crazy:
By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
There is no problems with rigging, at least nothing special :)
Topogun can import/export models in OBJ format and after importing model in MAX You can rig it as any other models creating in max.

Topogun was my main tool for creating Warrior low-poly model. First I sculpted warrior model in ZBrush, then load hi-poly in Topogun and create ("draw") low-poly topology on it.
Can say that Topogun's normal bump creation function not so perfect as in ZBrush, but not bad at all
By Paumanok West - 15 Years Ago
Vit3D (2/27/2011)You can rig it as any other models creating in max.


OK, so being able to afford Max, and being able to use Max, are 100% required. :crying:

Thus your pipeline is:
ZBrush -> TopoGun -> 3DS MAX

How do you apply a rig to make it iClone-able?

I assumed, from a glance at the whitepapers, that you always had to start from an iClone mesh...?
By W.VEEKE - 15 Years Ago
Mike,

you can rig what ever you want in 3ds. You do not nee Iclone meshes at all. If you want to use the RL animations and facial expressions you only need the Iclone bone templates but you can use every mesh you want.

Wil
By W.VEEKE - 15 Years Ago
The only thing i do not understand is, why need of topgun if you have 3d max. You can easy reduce the vertexes in max, what does topgun what max(many free plugins for musslesbuilding and vertex reducing) does not?
By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
Exactly as Wil say! :)

To make iClone G3 Compatible character You just need to follow these requirements:

- your mesh must be rigged to RL bones from template (You can use any rig pose, but You not able to move bones - just rotate and/or scale);
- body parts objects must have the same names as corresponding objects in template;
- body parts borders must have same number of vertexes (so called connection vertexes), and if You planning exchange body parts with standard G3 models, connection vertexes should be not too far from original connection vertexes;
- material of all body parts must have name "Skin"

If You made model according to this rules You will got full functional G3 compatible character ;)

By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
Wil,

Yes, it's possible to reduce number of vertexes in max, but...
- it will takes a lot of time if will work with million polygon mesh;
- your low poly mesh will have some dependence with original mesh topology.
Topogun allows to create absolutely different hi-optimized topology and most important - do this fast
By Sen - 15 Years Ago
Hi ,

I agree with Wil . 3dsmax included tools for retopology now , but the best if you have it , is Zbrush . It's my personnal opinion of course :P .
By peteradam6 - 15 Years Ago
Does Topogun have an "automatic fill" mode, or do all of the low-poly triangles have to be added by hand?
By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
No, Topogun does not have "automatic filling", but You can create some low-poly in other program (MAX for ex.), load it Topogun and automatically glued all vertexes of low-poly model to the surface of hi-poly.
And I should remark - main surface element in Topogun is rectangle, not triangle, but ofc You can create triangles too.
By Apparition - 15 Years Ago
Hi guys!
I can see you still believe iClone can deal with quad polygons. Not true! When a quad mesh is fed to iClone it DOES create a diagonal edge between a pair of diagonally opposite vertex. No matter what you do, EVERYTHING will end up as triangular mesh.

If you don't think I am right, just create a simple thing like a 4 b3 quad mesh plane. Count the polys in MAX they should be 12. Export the prop. Import into iClone. Count Polys. 24!!!!!

Oh! my goodness! It doubled the polygons into triangles.... Why?

ASk RL. They must know triangles are better.... I guess!
Here the proof:


First Image from MAX 12 Polygon Plane.



Second Image: Exported as Prop into iClone, becomes 24 Polygon Plane !!!!

Why bother trying to make quads, if you end up having twice triangular count?

Fine!   You think it is better for modelling.  OK!   But what you get at iClone is NOT what you see in MAX.    Honestly!!!!

Mike

By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
Hi Mike

A lot of thanks for demonstration, but it's not a secret that ALL mesh-based 3D programs triangulate ALL models in scene before rendering and 3DS Max too ;)
So it's possible to use any type of polygons when making your mesh for iClone because it support them on import (as You demonstrated).
I prefer work with quad polygons by the reason I described in my earlier topics (I will not repeat these explications here because they do not deal with Topogun theme).
By Apparition - 15 Years Ago
Hi Vit3D...
I think the subject DOES have to do with the thread topic precisely because it was mentioned above and Topogun is a program dedicated exclusively to mesh alteration and modification.

I also have some demonstrations showing how, when you work with quad modelling, you see a result which is different from what you will get at iClone upon rendering.

As it seems you don't like the theme to go in this thread I will set the demonstration and open a new one.

I hope you will engage in the discussion!

Thanks
By Vit3D - 15 Years Ago
I'll be glad to join such discussion if it'll be interested for other forum members.
But this discussion more about 3D basics that iClone modeling, because there is nothing special how iClone treat triangular and quad polygons - most 3D programs and 3D games work the same way.