Introduction to TopoGun 3.0 - The Best Retopology Tool

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Introduction to Anatomy:
flipnm.co/introAnatomy
In this tutorial, you'll learn everything you need to know about using TopoGun 3.0 for retopology and 3D modeling. It's a very powerful retopology tool that's affordable and easy to use.
Navigation and UI - 02:48
Create Tool - 04:38
Edit Tool - 05:04
Merge Verts - 07:23
Collapse Edges - 08:04
Add Edge Loops - 08:30
Delete Edge Loops - 09:13
Delete Verts - 09:35
Draw Tool - 09:58
Bridge Tool - 10:56
Radial Menu - 12:50
Tubes Tool - 13:46
Brush Tool - 16:12
Slice Tool - 17:27
Cut Tool - 17:58
Circle Tool - 18:39
Patch Tool - 20:29
Delete All Topology - 22:53
Symmetry - 25:45
Bonus Tips - 28:31
Merge Meshes - 30:14
Exporting Models - 32:05
Importing Models - 33:19
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[@erickendoka2953]

I just updated my license to topogun 3 🙏 I had no Idea about the patch tool being so good. Thank you very much

[@Sinbad83]

Awesome timing. I was about to learn this software and was very glad to see your video at my recommendations. Great tutorial!

[@FlippedNormals]

Glad it was helpful!

[@christophed4579]

It would be nice to have too such tutorials on mechanical objects, like for instance a scanned model of an aircraft plastic kit.

[@razvanstanciu2655]

I think this the best software you can use for retopo. Easy to use , fast and effective. I am using it since first release.

[@JWPanimation]

Great tool. Some of the studios I have worked in use TG and now I know why the modelers who used it were so fast... For F.N, I think there is a business opportunity to work with the software developers to have stock ears, eyes, noses and mouths that can quickly be tailored to fit any model. I know that one of the reasons studios an crank out characters so quickly is they start with a standard base for all the character meshes instead of building each one from scratch.

[@tanphan.3d]

The Best turorial Video for Basic and pro

[@_TetKaneda]

Great contribution. Great tutorial. You have my like. Thank you so much. Greetings

[@serik3d]

Very helpful video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!🙂

[@FlippedNormals]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pav3d1]

They finally released it, i remember buying a license in 2010 😅 That new patch tool looks amazing!

[@FlippedNormals]

The Patch Tool is so good!

[@JonnyTenebrous]

The sheer performance of Topogun 3 is definitely its killer feature. I've been effortlessly retopo'ing an assembly of very high-poly organic meshes that would've crushed the viewport performance in other software (apart from ZBrush - but its manual retopo tools are incomparable to Topogun). I'm so thankful Topogun 3 dropped before I had to begin!

[@FlippedNormals]

It's completely nuts! GPU caching is a game changer. You also have this feature in Maya too, which speeds up retopo by a crazy amount when dealing with high poly meshes.

[@Marco-bj7ct]

Great explanation, Thanks a lot. 🙂

[@jamesbrady1930]

I am trying this out for the first time. It is far and above what quad draw does for maya. lol. why i haven't used this sooner is beyond me. never too late though :)

[@johanweiss1137]

Awesome speaker :3 Thanks!

[@RappinAcoustic]

The wait is over!

[@Drb3r]

Thank you frens

[@FlippedNormals]

No problem 😊

[@cozmo8475]

Great video as always guys !!. I was wondering if you can make a video about presenting characters for portfolio. There is not enough video about this topic in youtube if you guys make one that would be great

[@FlippedNormals]

Great suggestion! Added to the list:)

[@caddywampa6602]

​@@FlippedNormals Does the patch tool give you the ability to manually choose the location of poles and edge flow when opposite sides of a patch have different numbers of vertices?

[@MrGrassam]

Tried both this and 3dcoat recently and while 3dcoat has some dire UI issues, i prefered it by far. Has all that is shown here + The killer feature is that their draw tool isn't the usual draw like a pencil with a mouse which is absolutely useless, but you can draw with precise editable Splines or curves, so it's really good at laying down topo perfectly on sculpted curves and edges or hard surface sleek lines, nailing sharp contrasty silhouettes. I always see retopo demos on soft silhouettes (heads, bodies, animals) and at this point a lot of tools are good at the softer stuff.

[@0zaidi]

interesting, I tried a combo of Plasticity and Topogun 3 beta a few months ago, the retopo process was a bit tedious especially that you need to ring select then you can add a loop instead of just adding loops, but the patch tool came into clutch for filling up none deforming soft surfaces, never tried 3dcoat I'll give it a shot, thanks for the recommendation

[@Glitch-Gremlin]

Dude, 3Dcoat is AMAZING. But i hate how it has very few Tutorials. Like, i wanna know how to retopo hard surfaces and sharp edges. GOOD LUCK FINDING THAT INFO ONLINE!!!

[@MrGrassam]

Totally agree. The UI is a minefield and the behaviors from one tool to another (brush, move, smart retopo) are different@@ghazi.d

[@The_Toonimator]

Yeah. 3D Coat is so underrated but does have its quirks. I used Topogun 1 and 2 but it wasn't as good as 3D Coat retopo back then. I did buy retopoflow for Blender but I've heard it was slow so haven't used it yet. 😕 3d Coat has other unique features for sculpting/ modeling. There's a feature in 3D Coat decades ago (like a scatter mesh brush) that Zbrush is now doing something similar. I use both Zbrush and 3dcoat so I'm use to horrible UI. The forums on Pilgway (3dcoat) are somewhat helpful. But as typical with some programs, an older version, like 5 or so updates back seem to not have the retopo/ui issues. But yet they release several new updates that don't address the common retopo/UI issues. 😂 They don't have enough tutorials either for 3dcoat. Poor marketing imo. 😢

[@TheHighFlys]

3DCoat is not only fantastic for retopo but sculpting and texturing as well! It's a shame their marketing sense is like almost non-existent, 3DCoat could be around a lot more popular with the right marketing push and UI overhaul.

[@navidmirvalizadeh4914]

It's very useful and informative tutorial retopo now is definitely easier than Maya quad draw

[@daveyhu]

Good stuff, but what about the intersection of body parts i.e. when you're having to connect two pieces with different edge flow? For instance going from torso to arm.

[@CEBOLLASKIN]

Hi! love your content you are so great! I love Topogun, tried the bake maps option and I see a great quality bake, but couldnt find or in internet, any option to bake UDIMS, do you know if is there an option for it? thanks!

[@mixchief]

Are there any bridges for this? Like "Send to Topogun" add-on in Blender and in Topogun, "Export Back to Blender". That would be the tipping point for me. (Other programs have this: Plasticity for instance, provides realtime edits and that even uses a different paradigm, converting NURBS to Polygons instantly; RizomUV also have bridges for seamless operation.) I think this is much needed. Another important question: Can you set up Blender navigation in Topogun?

[@madisarlybayev4208]

Which is better for hard surface retopo? 3d coat or new topogun ?

[@jrM5492]

What do you think of the auto retopology tools such as Quad Remesher by Exoside?

[@MagicSwordFilms]

Is there a way to use the Tubes tool with symmetry? I'm working on the model in one half at a time like your suggestion, but now that I want to add in geo for the torso it seems kinda tedious with symmetry turned off

[@TheExcelsis]

I definitely need to buy this software soon; I normally use Maya, but some of the features in this software I wish Maya had in their topo tools.

[@anulchand5552]

In topogun 3 can we export meshes together because I am having 10 different meshes.

[@andrewfulton1456]

Does this work with more mechanical/ less organic models?

[@dcarchdesign6393]

Porque cuando importo un modelo a TopoGun se ve en negro?

[@TheAxeGrinder]

1:42 He said it! The Canadian in me is pleased.

[@umme267]

Hello. When I load reference mesh the mesh is all black. What can I do about that? Please reply

[@Dr_TBD_7613]

The reference mesh is always an unlit black for me. How do I fix this? I tried Documentation, FAQ, and KZbin videos. I have unwrapped the model and added a color texture map before importing. Nothing fixes this black reference. :(

[@masoudrashidinezhad9429]

What is your software to display Shortcut? Thank you.

[@FlippedNormals]

This is actually built into Topogun directly. It's neat.

[@XaiaDigital]

Would be nice to have a topology wrap here too.

[@FlippedNormals]

Very!

[@SadAlthea]

I have a problem, when I add a reference mesh, the mesh is black and I don't understand how to fix it. Perhaps someone can help me?

[@SeeGraphnet]

nice software

[@VishalNamani]

I wish they provided support for 3d space mouse.

[@keziagreste]

Retopology is actually kinda fun.. Unexpected ngl

[@pra2hyper245]

(haven´t seen the video yet), but is this a good tool for hard surface retopology?

[@FlippedNormals]

yep!

[@watkinscreatives]

Since this is retopology only, how heavy of a mesh can it work with? Like, will we still need to decimate out of zBrush or can this thing handle 15 million polys?

[@watkinscreatives]

me shaking my head at myself when you answer the question right after I ask it... i should really watch the video FIRST before asking questions lol

[@jaunty_tunes]

Been using Topogun since 2011, however Topogun 3.0 seems to have problems snapping verts together. About one in every 10 clicks, I have to manually re-connect the verts to weld and form a poly. This is insanely annoying and I almost wish I was using 2.0 instead.

[@yonamemoria6812]

Is it possible to work the whole workflow with a stylus?

[@FlippedNormals]

You can, but some of the tools are faster to use if you have a scroll wheel.

[@Modeller-ug4kc]

What wold also be great is a ZBrush bridge (the only reason I prefer Maya for retopo at the moment).

[@UlfricStromcloak]

So I have a 3DCoat 2023 license, How much different Topogun 3 is over 3DCoat's retopology tool. Is it better than 3DCoat?

[@FlippedNormals]

We havent used 3DCoat, but I'd love if somebody who has could comment below! :D

[@IGarrettI]

can anyone tell me how it compares to the new 3D coat retopo tools and retopoflow?

[@snark567]

Retopoflow lags like a mf after the topology reaches a certain amount of complexity. Topogun seems to have much better performance.

[@IGarrettI]

@@snark567 I agree

[@johannw7933]

How does this compare to Retopoflow in Blender? Personally I like to try to keep as much of my workflow in Blender but this does look like a great tool if it is significantly better than Retopoflow.

[@FlippedNormals]

Both this and RF are great tools! A big advantage of TopoGun is that performance is miles better with high poly meshes than Blender

[@romulino]

@@FlippedNormals Retopoflow is great until it starts lagging horrribly, which in my case is a few seconds after I open it. :/

[@rebelangel8227]

the tools in retopoflow are more intuitive and easier to work with but its buggy and laggy as hell...if retopoflow and topogun were merged into one program it would be next to perfect.

[@christopher8116]

TopOGun is back now; where was it before ?

[@MigiloDiPilo]

Maybe kind of a weird/dumb question, but I bought Topogun 2 couple months back and you could already play around with Topogun 3, now I want to upgrade, and when filling in the information, it also asks for a password, do you happen to know where that information is located???

[@FlippedNormals]

The password should be in the initial order email, I think

[@MigiloDiPilo]

Ah thanks, yes I looked for it, but I probably deleted that email during cleanup haha. I will just reach out to the support and ask them...thanks again@@septinite

[@charlielane9868]

What do you think about this compared to Retopoflow 3?

[@FlippedNormals]

Honestly both are great. Performance is miles better in TG though for high poly meshes than in Blender

[@charlielane9868]

​@@FlippedNormalsThanks for the help😊

[@ThoughtsFew]

Polyquilt + Petik for all my blender bros 🎉. I just started using 3D coat for retopo and so far I really enjoy it.

[@newgamers8028]

Hi, is this separate software or plugin software.

[@wolfgangamadeus2873]

It's a separate software.

[@Ptah1130]

I had this tool since forever. Excellent tool

[@newgamers8028]

@@wolfgangamadeus2873 thank you

[@FlippedNormals]

It's a standalone software

[@warriormaddy420]

wow

[@FlippedNormals]

🙏

[@NickEnchev]

I've tried topogun 2, and this is a lot more of the same. I've tried all the offerings in Blender, meh, also in Zbrush, which was surprisingly decent when you use that weird flow of Click ZSpheres, then go to retopology... method. Nothing beats Maya's quad draw tool, its crazy how such a simple tool just blows everything else away with its practicality.

[@the.only.red.dragon]

maybe but Il rather pay a one time fee than a subscription of 300$+ a year

[@NickEnchev]

@@the.only.red.dragonYeaaaa, subscription fees, yaaaa *looking around nervously*

[@flukve3574]

A custom application for just retopology is great and distraction free, but at the same time all of the features that was showcased in the video has been available in 3D Coat for a long time.

[@BOSSposes]

Definitely giving this a try it being the only topology only tool is false tho Instant mesh's is a topology only tool also and all is re-topologied in like 3 clicks automatically Clubic and triangle Tpogun looks far too time consuming as your likely to spend 4hrs drawing topology to find out right at the end it wont work is there no automatic scan tool? As manually drawing 15000 squares just ain't gonna work

[@shipisleaving]

dude how do you disable the see through of my reference mesh f**king deleting random a** faces and welding verts halfway across the world, who thought this was a good idea lmfao

[@carlobarley1985]

you mean 3dcoat righttttt

[@the.only.red.dragon]

nah

[@ednardoguimaraes4340]

I like more retopoflow. In blender addonn

[@badbud2330]

weird how quad draw is still way better.

[@kosg2]

I don't see the advantage of paying for this tool when you can do all of this for free in Blender? None of the tools showcased here were anything spectacular and mind-blowing. Would be great to have an actual unbiased comparison. Besides that, I do enjoy your content.

[@MigiloDiPilo]

Im sorry, but this is kinda a standard reaction, same as when people say, why do you use zbrush for sculpting, you can do that in blender...It's not the same

[@FlippedNormals]

You can definitely do retopo in Blender as well, and we have loads of tutorials on it. But TopoGun is highly specialized at it, and you can load in meshes which are so much heavier than what Blender can manage. The tools are also much more straight forward to use, with basically no setup as it just works out of the box. Also with tools like the Patch tool, you can speed up retopo a lot. Retopoflow in Blender is great though, and we have videos on that too! But if you only do retopo once in a while, you don't need a dedicated retopo tool. TopoGun and Blender gives you an insane toolbox though, and is highly recommended.

[@sephtv2759]

Save yourselves some money and buy retopoflow for blender instead, it's objectively better, especially the strokes tool. Only downside is that blender is slow with really high poly models so if that's the deal breaker to you then yeah this would be better.

[@nicholaspostlethwaite9554]

Just not the way anyone wants to go, separate specialised programmes. Re-toppo is not hard just do it by hand in Blender. Certainly not worth paying for. imo.

[@5690467489056750]

Zremesher