Angela Guenette is a character modeller specializing in topology and facial blendshapes. If anyone knows about the intricacies of 3D, it’s Angela: she’s been in the field since 2000, including stints on multiple Open Movies. For Sprite Fright, Angela focuses on retopology.
Retoplogy is an integral part of animated filmmaking. It's the art and craft of taking a high polygon model and optimizing it for rigging. Many artists find retopo intimidating: it requires a monk's composure and a mathematician's logic. But Angela was never daunted. “The process is very much like solving a puzzle,” she says. “It’s methodical, requires patience, and once completed feels rewarding because it helps facilitate a smooth animation pipeline.”
New to retopology? Here's Angela's take on the most fundamental of fundamentals:
And if you’re a little further along the retopology path, Angela has a multi-part timelapse series on her work, all applied to Sprite Fright’s characters.
Here’s an extract. Watch it as is to get an overview, or slow it way down to absorb every click and tweak.
For more of Angela, have a look at her mighty course right here on Blender Cloud: Blenderella, Advanced Character Modeling.
And if that somehow hasn't satiated your need to command every crease, try this packed series on stylized characters. As well as hours of lessons, it includes cheat sheets, downloadable files, and even add-ons to accelerate your workflow.
And, of course, check out the production logs for weekly retopo updates.
Hi an you tell me how to slow down the video in order to see all the clicks? I dont seem to have a button for that on my Mac..
@joanneseale There should be a speed option if you click the cog :) Let me know if it doesn't work for you.
This is great, i might wanna try retopology, but my workaround of retopo is to remesh my character.
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