Understanding Topology and Edge Flow in 3D Modeling

After watching this tutorial, you will learn 5 tips for better understanding topology in any 3D software. Maya will be used for this demo but the concepts and workflows discussed here can be applied to any 3D Software.
I came up with these tips after many years of modeling professionally and teaching students over the years to improve their understanding of topology
Professional Website: onmars3d.com/
Gumroad: gumroad.com/onmars3d
Artstation: www.artstation.com/onmars3d
Instagram: / onmars3d
Software used in Tutorial: Maya 2020
#topology #retopology #edgeflow #retopo #autodeskmaya #3dmodeling
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Table of Contents
0:00 Introduction
0:37 Tip 1 - Localize topology
6:48 Tip 2 - How to clean up ngons and triangles
11:15 Tip 3 - Adding edge flow for form
13:32 Tip 4 - Holding edges and face loops
19:00 Tip 5 - Practice with retopology and quad draw
24:08 Recap all tips
25:52 Conclusion
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[@OnMars3D]

Check out my Patreon/KZbin Membership for all my project files, 3d models, bonus videos, Discord and more or just to support this channel 🙂 www.patreon.com/OnMars3D

[@ChrisCohen]

I played a game where I had to drink every time you said "go ahead and" in this video. I passed out after 30 seconds. 😆 Thanks, really important lesson on topology here, I learned a huge amount.

[@OnMars3D]

Haha, glad you found it helpful! :)

[@DrakZhull]

I would just like to add a little comment to the first tip for everyone, be careful when using cutting and welding vertices so you don't create so-called spiderwebs (welding several edges into a single vertex without proper edge flow and loops). It can screw with smoothing and overall shadows from lighting very easily, leaving ugly artifacts. In certain situations, it can occasionally work and seem extremely efficient but it is not worth the potential clean-up work when it doesn't. Great Vid! 👍

[@cioelle]

this is exactly the lesson i needed, there's not enough simple yet detailed videos talking about topology like you do - especially w/ localising topology. thank you so much for this

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@user-ju9uo5sn8e]

YOU ARE MY PROFESSOR. YOU DESERVE MORE KZbin PEOPLE.

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks, more to come!

[@cinnamocole]

I'm in my first year at college studying 3D animation and was told that the only area I had to improve was my topology (specifically, stop using NGONS) - thank you so much for this tutorial, I really think this knowledge you have passed on will help me get the best grades I possibly can now. Thank you a million times!!

[@OnMars3D]

That's really great to hear, glad you found it helpful!

[@ThBlueSalamander]

Hi I'm doing Computer games art

[@ninja_tony]

If it makes you feel any better, that's a common problem just about everyone goes through when they are starting out! I doubt any of us got into modeling without having a problem with ngons in the beginning, and I know in my case, it took me forever to understand (I was learning all this stuff close to 20 years ago, before KZbin even existed, so you all are so lucky to have these resources!)

[@addictedfoolgamer1970]

This was so useful! I’ve started looking into using Blender from total novice position and was finding it hard to get a decent non confusing explanation of topology and what retopology actually is.

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@chandragrahaifanka635]

yes please, more topology lesson. Btw, thanks for this video

[@OnMars3D]

More to come!

[@MrPanker]

@@OnMars3D why maya looks very similar with blender

[@user-fn5es1wh7u]

@@MrPanker It’s the other way around.

[@kasperesbjornsson9163]

​@@OnMars3D1

[@JRichardGaming]

This is now one of my favorite videos on KZbin.

[@risingghost2809]

I'm a blender user. Found this to be an excellent explanation of topology (something I have an issue with.) Thank you!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear that!

[@TranquilMarmot]

Thank you for the recap at the end! I have a feeling I'm going to come back and reference this all the time. I've been a casual Blender user for almost a decade, but I'm just now learning more about topology and kicking myself for not learning it earlier.

[@naqabposhniraj]

Absolutely Yes. Please more topology lessons & a big thanks for this tutorial 🙏!!

[@ang2733]

Your tutorials are fantastic and very helpful. Thank you!!! Wld love to see you go deeper into topology in Maya

[@tuxedoblackfoot]

Working with blender, started to get to where I needed to model hands and feet. Very helpful tutorial.

[@kammm1203]

I watched a lot of toturials about topology in youtube and I think this is the most detailed and informative one so far in KZbin.

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to hear that!

[@klauszwegert6382]

Sorry for commenting on an older Video but i can advice people to not force yourself to model everything out of one object. I personally did the mistake that i treid to really have something as one whole object. If you can get away with modeling it seperate withouth it being to inaccurate from the concept it should be fine. Great video, our school recommend your channel

[@OnMars3D]

Glad you found this helpful and appreciate the recommendation!

[@kookio4284]

Holy crap this really opened my eyes even today as someone who has been having problems with not going over my class’s tri limit in Maya.

[@Mahim270]

Very helpful video,would love for more of this same kind.

[@christianlee1423]

more topology/modelling complex objects please! u are a great teacher

[@user-zi1ru7ru8f]

I'm not very good at polygon modeling, so it's very helpful for me to have this kind of instructional video. Thanks!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear that!

[@JoySenseKO]

Amazing, thank you! Clear, structured explanation with good voice

[@lukasallenbaugh4728]

Thank you ! This is the clearest video on topology I've seen to date. Very helpful!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@VishnuMenon]

Great stuff!

[@drewbigelow4979]

Massively underrated my dude!

[@moonchild8105]

Such a precise and helpful tutorial, thank you a lot.

[@avdeshk3553]

really helpful 👍

[@RichellyItalo]

The best video about edge flow ever.

[@Timeshlft]

So it's the best topology tutorial! Thanks you good men.

[@jere.d9]

nice tips, my friend!

[@danieldallagnol5523]

Ty so much!!!!! I was struggling with some triangles

[@hamidrezasalami4620]

Very useful tips! Thanks a lot!

[@Ponk_80]

Thank you so much for explaining this so well.

[@antonbayda2571]

This is freaking awesome! Extremely useful video, keep up the great work)

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks, will do!

[@pyre753]

Great video. Looking forward to watching more of your content in the near future.

[@OnMars3D]

More to come!

[@curlyt8198]

Agreed 🙃👌🏼💪🏼😍

[@TheGrayKPlays]

What a fantastic video! I have been modeling for ages as a hobby and topology is one of my least favorite subjects and most videos I find on the subject bore me to death this was simple to the point and INFORMATIVE! Thank you!

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to share!

[@BarrettSmithBB]

Thank you for this! Even though I don't use Maya, the fact that you go over the basic fundamentals that bridge many different softwares is amazingly helpful for a novice in any 3D modeling software.

[@OnMars3D]

No problem, happy to share!

[@galacticbroadcastingcompan8756]

Wow. Thank you. Can't believe this was free. Subbed

[@blairzettl3933]

11:00 Luke would have never made those turns. Great tut, thanks!

[@Grrrlikeme]

Wow, that was extremely useful. Thank you so much for this video!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@maurogamer5135]

Probably one of the best video I have ever found about Topology, thanks so much for sharing it! I left like , bell and suscription for ever!

[@OnMars3D]

Awesome, thank you!

[@russelloverland9508]

wow! Thanks for the tips!!

[@sillylittlecartoons4335]

You are my hero. This makes SOOOOO much more sense to me now. Ty!

[@OnMars3D]

I always appreciate comments like these, always happy to help!

[@willraz5497]

fantastic very helpful much needed

[@TheOfficialTimro]

Sheeeeessshhh low key gonna watch all your tutorials so that I can bring back the Lancer one day ;)

[@hobbieretardo]

Thanks for the good explanation and multiple examples, now i finally get it the use of this.

[@OnMars3D]

Great to hear, that was my goal showing all these different types of models!

amazing video! thanks for sharing the knowledge!

[@AtSkiy1987]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@growupempresas3698]

Amazing thoughts organization! thank you so much

[@TheOscarGamer_]

Might watch it later, this will be useful next time I practice a bit with Blender

[@racheleprojects]

Great video. I’m self taught so seeing a structured video on typology will def help me improve my work. Thank you!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LuisLopez-lm3lk]

Amazing, thank you so much for this video, whas exactly what I needed

[@federico8342]

this is pure gold

[@pyrotechnick420]

Thanks for this refresher, I'm not sure if we ever properly learned how to guide edge flow back in the day in school. I've been struggling using the subdivide workflow for years now, being unable to control my edge flow properly. Thank you for this.

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@dazecm]

Good explanation of Linear Edge Reduction. You can also apply the same techniques to Radial Edge Reduction when extruding shapes from a surface.

[@milagroswarnholtz2137]

AMAZINGGG so useful! thank you for doing these videos and shearing your knowledge! i really appreciate them

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to share!

[@TherealSam561]

amazing work thank you !

[@espinafreAzul]

I'm glad I found your channel, I'm going to apply to my study right now!

[@OnMars3D]

Good luck!!

[@5SecondsOfFrames]

the video was so helpful thank you so much

[@sagardchavda2873]

This was really helpful, would like to see more topology lessons

[@OnMars3D]

More to come!

[@vitlaska]

loved it! definitively will be sticking around for more hahaha

[@OnMars3D]

More to come!

[@Mamika_AFK]

Very useful lesson and easy to apply in any 3d software! Thank u so much! Just subbed 😄👍

[@OnMars3D]

Thanks for the sub!!

[@dennispfund9202]

Super interesting, much thanks really.

[@mbattee]

Amazing video. Thank you.

[@Jason-gs6hd]

very useful vod, thanks

[@TheSatzy6699]

Excellent content and explanation 🎉

[@danielsonderhoff5882]

Great help. Thanx

[@kamolhakim3688]

Very powerfull video, Thanks a lot Ser

[@Wirus1337]

really helpful!

[@Aljan_17]

Your video was very helpful! Thank you for this!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@the_3d_cookie]

beautiful man thanks for this mate 😁😁😁

[@nickliu7736]

Thanks for sharing about this！

[@OnMars3D]

Of course!

[@snazziington]

this was really useful! will definitely implement these tips on the model i'm currently working on :D

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnathandoe8577]

amazing models

[@nicolevreeland3027]

Thank you so much for making this video. I've been taking classes to learn Maya and this video was so helpful.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@D31T7]

realllllly helpful on my workflow !

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it helped!

[@btovdeo]

Excelente!!

[@TheDorianTube]

Well, you just cleared out my doubts. Like you said, a looooooooot of people barely use holding edges. I was taught to use them pretty much always, but started to have doubts whenever I compared my models to people that are way more skilled than me. Their models always looked so clean, while mine had all those holding edges around, so I started to use them less and less. Now I have peace of mind lol

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@Barreta91]

Thanks, high quality content!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@farhadsamadov3598]

What a amazing artist! Why I found you now?!

[@vrtech473]

this really helps me out Thanks!

[@OnMars3D]

Glad to hear it!

[@CHITUS]

Great! You could do a separate playlist about edge flow, loops, topology, quad vs tri vs n-gons, etc., from the ground up! Thanks!

[@OnMars3D]

That's definitely on my list, more topology videos!

[@PieterHanja]

Thank you!

[@galotta8475]

@15:50 - would a Champer Modifier do the work as well (as a holding edge)?

[@osantinello]

best youtube video I ever seen!

[@yeye3999]

This is an amazing video, will help me a lot. many thanks! 🤗

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Elvera4art]

Thank you very much!

[@ikaisoha2700]

18:43 Wow that is cool seat 💗

[@jambadidi9922]

Hi, it is a great video. But would you be so kind and explain situation on 0:50? Youŕe doing the first cut and the result is one vertex on the right side and two vertices on the left. How do you get rid of the second vertex on the left? I can imagine it can be used on some plane but on box like you´ve showed on your other videos you end up with triangle. So 1-3 is easy but with this could you answer me?

[@Numi_Verse]

Edgeflow has been a challenge for me, but im thinking im starting to get it finally. Thank you

[@OnMars3D]

Happy to help!

[@alvarotavares1966]

Awesome.

[@hihihing7302]

very very helpful

[@IZNT-0]

Thank you so much

[@schizoscope8703]

Thanks!

[@Luv0oKat]

Thanks God i found you!

[@leomagnez]

Very nice video with clear explanations, thank you ! :D Does the same techniques apply to meshes intended for Environment Art ? (I would guess so since most topology tutorials on KZbin seam to feature characters rather than objects but I want to be sure)

[@OnMars3D]

All of these techniques can apply to environment modeling but you can take it further and use more triangles and have less even distribution of edges. You can also have less clean geometry for environment props since they do not need skinning for animation and just use rigid body animations. Of course, you need to keep in mind low poly vs sub-d modeling, I plan to cover that topic soon.

[@USBEN.]

This was a very good video for everything regarding topology.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it helped!

[@alexim3354]

Wow! Thank you so much! Nobody taught me this!

[@OnMars3D]

You're very welcome!

[@Rosa-ng8uu]

Finnaly good tutorial about topology.

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it helped!

[@7petallotus]

thank you this video helped a lot, currently learning 3d and I come from a 2d background so this really helped me make senesce of modeling

[@OnMars3D]

Glad it helped!

[@RonnieMirands]

Thats absolutely amazing! Keep more of this please! Something could be useful to teach would be this: A lot of people use bolleans for hard surface. For production is really possible to keep this approach of cutting things (like boxcutter-blender style)?

[@OnMars3D]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed this! I recently covered how to use Booleans in Maya when hard surface modeling. Is this what you mean? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYG8Y2lopNOViNk

[@AlexTsekot]

Depends on the production.