Modeling for Animation 06 - Retopologising the Face!

In this video, we work through the puzzling task of retopologising the face. Starting by demistifying the edge flow, we then dive into the action by blocking out the initial flow, and gradually work through the rest of the face!

Intro (00:00)
Analysis and Planning (00:55)
Blocking the initial Loops (08:00)
Adding volume to the initial Loops (13:55)
Filling in the nose (18:15)
Building the Scalp (21:20)
Extruding the neck (29:39)
Filling in the lips (31:00)
Building the ears (33:00)
Adding volume to the eyelids (40:28)
Adding the mouthbag (41:45)
Combining the Head to the Body (46:20)
Mixamo test fun! (51:20)

[Dikko]

Love this video? Then check out my latest short film BLACK CURTAIN: The Fear. Out now! BLACK CURTAIN: The Fear

[stpvapor]

"Fuck you, you try to rig it, then." Right then, this guy became the favorite teacher I've ever had.

[jobinjeeji]

It was jaw dropping when i finally made a character. I tried and failed lots of times because i was not on the right path. For anyone trying to make a character this is the best course available on internet for free!!

[dawne]

I’m still floored that this tutorial exists. I feel like skilled modelers either don’t want to make videos or want to keep these concepts industry secret. You are opening a world of opportunity to the public and I think that’s incredible.

[Badbufon]

i decided to play a drinking game every time he says "up and running", i died of alcohol poisoning, totally worth it tho, best blender tutorial ever made, after years of sorrow and frustrations i finally know how to use that damn program like a pro, sadly now i have the knowledge but not a corporeal body to apply it. you win some you lose some

[jitone]

Note: if it's frustrating to have the retopo mesh "in Front" instead change your shrinkwrap to targeted normals, above surface. and Click the offset to .083. This is making it a lot easier for me to see whats going on.

[haseebiftikhar]

Bumping my head for 6-7months leads me to this guy... and now blender seems lot easier.

[nmuta]

Even though this is a higher poly retopo process than the types of modeling I'm making, this retopo video is BY FAR the most useful for me and best I've ever seen. He discusses and tackles the most difficult problems like when you have too many columns / too much geometry and how to merge that / clean it up. Also he's the first person to really fully articulate the difficulty of ears, and also I love how he demystifies how to make everything even and clean.

Most importantly, though, he's the first one I've seen to really fully discuss loop flow for the head in an in-depth way, not just making the loops but discussing all of the loops in the face, why they exist, how to make them, etc etc etc. Really really solid video.

[Couple-O-Ghosts]

You are the Patron saint of all 3d Modeling tutors. I have spent the past several weeks looking for an explanation of retopology theory anywhere on the internet that made any sense to me at all.
I am making my first 3d Indi game title and this is the last thing I needed to get under my belt to finish my character creation Thank you.

[Headcrabpanther]

A useful tip: Do not use the Smooth brush to even out the mesh. Select the Slide Relax brush and hold down shift, just as you would use the smooth brush while using most other brushes while doing this.

[MuffinMachine]

9 months later...came back to this to retop a character I am making. Went through a lot of life changes over the last year and dropped blender for a while. This is still hands down the best retopo guide I've found. Thanks again Dikko.

[TheDanielConsole]

I almost cried today because I took the whole weekend to retopo my first character alone just looking at reference and the result was very bad. This course is a godsend. Thank you so much for sharing!

[synyewfei]

Best blender retopology tutorial in youtube!

[infotoons]

I'm going to retopologize many of my characters using your work (and edge) flow. Thank you for sharing it.

[ParfaitDream]

This is the best tutorial on character modeling I have ever seen. Your explanation of how the topology should follow on the face has helped me like no other has.

[EliaForceita]

Your tutorials are ones of the most simple and easy to follow and your funny way of explaining that shit is so captivating that, despite these videos are almost all about an hour long, time really flies while watching these.

[andrewceco]

this.... this is incredible. I am SO excited to learn how you rig, you mastermind of all things. Thank you for the inspiration and help!!!

[beavonmoranga]

So far the best video on retopology out here. I have learned a lot that failed to grasp on 8 different videos. Kudos my guy🎉

[Askejm]

3d scanned my face and retopologized it with this method. was using a different tutorial when a friend of mine recommended me this one. damn its 999 times better

[WaterShowsProd]

I've watched quite a few tutorials on retopologising, and this one not only gives the best breakdown of loops and poles, but is the first time I've seen anyone start by placing a pentagon over the eyes and cutting out the centre to create that initial ring. This explained so much in an amazingly short amount of time. Incidentally, I was modelling a monkey early today and spent ages on the damned ear, so I could relate to that part very easily.