TopoGun Tutorials

Film and commercial projects often require very high-resolution, highly detailed vehicle models. However, these models are not appropriate for games or other real-time applications because of the large number of polygons. So in order to be able to rig, animate, or integrate these models into a game engine, we first have to convert the model to a much lower resolution. Using a motorcycle as our example, we'll use Maya to reduce the resolution of many of the pieces. We'll then use TopoGun to create new topology for the very detailed meshes like the engine or radiator. We'll cover methods for baking normal and color maps from within Maya as well as in TopoGun. These techniques will allow us to create a much lower resolution model that is visually very close to its higher-resolution counterpart. Once we're done, you'll have a good grasp of several of the tools we can use to create game-resolution vehicle models and you'll have the knowledge you need to apply those techniques to your own models. If you're interested in building the high resolution motorcycle from start to finish, please check out the Motorcycle Modeling Techniques in Maya course which will take you through that process.

These days it's common practice to create extremely high resolution and highly detailed models in sculpting applications like ZBrush or Mudbox. These models can give us a great idea of what a character, set, or prop will look like but they're usually not optimized for rigging, animation, or use in a real-time game engine. Or the underlying topology we are using to sculpt may not be optimal for the detail we're creating. TopoGun remedies these issues by allowing us to very intuitively draw new geometry right on top of our existing models. This new topology can be used as a new base mesh when sculpting, or we can use it in a game engine along with all of the texture and normal maps that TopoGun also creates. We'll start out the course by talking about the importance of good topology and why TopoGun can be such a a useful tool. We'll go over the interface and the basics of getting around the application. We'll talk about the tools you'll be using in TopoGun to create and modify topology. We'll cover the generation of different types of texture maps and cover a symmetrical workflow. Once we're done with the tutorial, you'll be able to start using TopoGun to really speed up your workflow and create more optimal topology for your projects. We will also be jumping around a little to different applications, to see how well TopoGun integrates, so it will be helpful if you have some experience with Maya, ZBrush, or Mudbox.

Throughout these lessons we'll delve into the animated growth of a tree branch as a time-lapse video. We'll learn everything from modeling, texturing and shading to the animation and final compositing. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a better understanding of how you can employ efficient and productive techniques for a time-lapse video that can be used when up against a tight deadline.

Sculpting applications like ZBrush are great for creating extremely detailed models, complete with surface texture and color. But to be able to rig, animate, or integrate these models into a game engine, we first have to convert the model to a much lower resolution. TopoGun is a great tool for taking our detailed meshes and allowing us to very intuitively redraw this new topology. In addition, it will allow us to project all of the mesh's detail onto maps. In this way we can use a lower resolution version of the model, while it still appears very detailed. We will start the tutorial by preparing and exporting our dense meshes from ZBrush and then bring those into TopoGun as references. We'll use several tools in TopoGun to literally draw new base geometry right onto the high resolution meshes. We'll look at several of the tools available and how we can manipulate and change topology once it's been created. Once the topology is done, we'll create UVs for the new pieces and then generate maps for the detail and color information. Once we're done with the tutorial you'll have created your own game-type character from a very dense sculpt and you'll have the knowledge you need to repeat the process on your own creations.

While this series of tutorials is not a step-by-step guide, they instead offer an in-depth look at the key aspects of production that goes into creating realistic-looking shots that would otherwise be difficult to shoot without the aid of computer graphics. These tutorials will cover everything from the concept sketches and visualization to modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering and final compositing of the photorealistic shots. While the tools used in this series of tutorials are primarily Maya and modo, the techniques discussed are easily applicable to other mainstream applications.