Retopologize a mesh

Retopology generates clean, new topology based on the surface features of an original mesh. Mudbox preserves the shape of the source mesh while producing a production-ready model with uniform quads. You can also specify whether you require topological symmetry in the resulting mesh.

The following steps let you exercise as much control over the retopology process as you want. You decide whether to guide the operation with curves, or let Mudbox run the operation and construct the topology solution for you.

To retopologize a mesh

1. (Optional) Draw curves to guide retopology if you want to have some manual influence over the retopology operation.

   If you draw guide curves on the mesh, Mudbox gives those curves higher priority than the surface features of the mesh when determining the final edgeflow. Otherwise, Mudbox analyzes the flow of the surface features to define the direction, distribution, and placement of edges in the resulting mesh.

2. If you have more than one mesh in the scene, select the mesh you want to operate on.
3. Select Mesh > Retopologize > New Operation. (Or select a previously saved retopology operation to use the same settings again.)
4. In the Retopologize window, enter an Operation Name if you want to save the settings, then set any other options you want.
   TipSaving the operation settings is a good idea if you plan to revisit your high resolution asset and make changes later. You can re-run the same retopology operation without setting up the extraction options again.
   • If you're using curves to guide the operation, ensure that Use Curves to Control Topology Flow is on.
   • Set the Transfer to New Mesh options to indicate whether you want sculpted detail, layers, curves, posing and freezing information transferred from the source mesh.
5. (Optional) If you require topological symmetry in the result mesh, set Symmetry to Based on Source Topology (if the source mesh is topologically symmetrical) or Based on Axis (to apply symmetry based on an axis that you specify).
   • With Based on Source Topology, you can control which side of the mesh Mudbox uses as a template to recreate symmetry by selecting a few faces on one side of the mesh.
   • With Based on Axis, the Axis drop-down list lets you set which axis to mirror across, and a preview plane displays in the 3D View as you select the various options.
     

     The preview plane shows the center of the model on the desired axis, and the green check mark shows which side of the model will be copied.

6. Click Retopologize.

   A progress indicator displays near the status line as Mudbox validates all meshes and starts the retopology process.

   NoteTo cancel the retopology process at any time, press Esc.

   For information on troubleshooting any errors that can appear, see Troubleshoot retopology operations.

   Mudbox creates a new mesh based on the source mesh, and the original mesh is hidden.

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