Improve Your Modeling with Good Topology - Questions, Critiques, AMA

Jonathan Lampel

Hi all, later this month I'll be releasing a new modeling course that's focused on helping beginner artists get the skills and confidence needed to model anything they set their mind to. 

It's still in the editing stage and I don't have a release date yet, but when it comes out I will be doing a livestream to talk about topology and modeling in general. 

CGC Members:

If you feel stuck in your modeling skills, have any questions, or would like me to look at one of your models, please comment below. If you're submitting a model, please link to the .blend using Dropbox, Google Drive, or Pasteall.org

This should be a fun one, and I'll update this post with the date of the livestream when I have it! 

  • Jonathan Lampel replied

    A few more teaser images, so you'll know what you're getting into:

  • Ronald Vermeij(indigowarrior9) replied

    This looks very promissing Jonathan.
    if you need somebody to brainstorm against you have my email ;-)

  • Darren McBain(oboshape) replied

    Nice, sounds like it could be an interesting one :)

  • Omar Domenech(dostovel) replied

    Oh no, I'm a crazy person when it comes to topology. I go to lengths that I shouldn't just so I have a very clean and pristine mesh. 

    Hello, I am Omar and I am a quad-holic and proper edge flow junkie.


  • Zsolt Cseh(csehz) replied

    Jonathan thanks for this topic selection, that is going to be a very interesting course for a lot of people 

  • Ninive Kha(ninivekha) replied

    I am in!! :)

  • Flowizard (flowizard) replied

    Looks great!

  • Taylor Brown(crawlspace) replied

    Looking forward to it!

  • Mona Loren(monaloren) replied

    that sounds very interesting for me and exactly what I am serarching for at the moment

  • Jonathan Lampel replied

    Excellent! The event is scheduled for Thursday the 22nd. If you have any topics, questions, or models to submit, just reply here. 

  • William Miller(williamatics) replied

    I have a lot of trouble making protrusions and extentions, which is why I have put my robotic fighter jet on hold.

  • Zsolt Cseh(csehz) replied

    Jonathan @jlampel, personally I would like to know the definition of the "good topology", can be that objectively measured?

    During my learnings derived the below conclusion - good topology is creating an object from the possible least number of vertices/edges/faces and the best if all the faces are quads.

    If that was ever tue then I already being not sure, because in the BC1-1801 class read about the "uniform topology" or "even topology", which exclude long polygons as much as possible and then also the subsurf modifier behaves more as expected.

    Based on that my main question that where is the balance between the minimalist vs even topology and on which areas one can be better than the other.

  • Jonathan Lampel replied

    Great questions! I will be sure to cover that right off the bat csehz

    williamatics Could you give an example of a specific protrusion that you're having trouble with? A reference picture with what you're going for as well as a screenshot of where you're at with your robotic fighter jet (sounds awesome!) would help me give a more practical solution. 


  • William Miller(williamatics) replied

    Here are the screenshots (I will delete the other half and add a mirror modifier later):

    I want the final result to look something like these, except with the cockpit replaced by a computer:

    I'm having a lot of trouble with the wings, especially the tail fin.

  • Jesse Davis(jdavis88) replied

    Jonathan, when I saw the email in my inbox today talking about this class I was ecstatic! I've felt that way so many times in the past! I'm very excited and will begin the course today! Thanks again

    -Jesse

  • Zsolt Cseh(csehz) replied

    Jonathan @jlampel thanks a lot for this so detailed course. 

    I would like just summarize for other members the definitions which were presented by you in the live stream, as it might be good to memorize:

    TOPOLOGY is how the components of a mesh combine to form its shape

    GOOD TOPOLOGY is when the components efficiently define the intended shape and can be easily manipulated

    "EFFICIENTLY" -> defines only the intended shape and can be run smoothly on your target hardware

    "DEFINE THE INTENDED SHAPE" -> edges should form a continuous path (loop) along surface features


  • Jonathan Lampel replied

    I've updated the Perimeter, Detail, and Fill Loops lesson to include these two cheat sheets: