Quality of topology for a human head

I’d like feedback about how good the topology of a human head I made is. With a human head I previously modeled I had trouble modifying facial features to look like new faces. Too many looked alike. I’m wondering if a new model with better topology would help.

The previous human head I modeled had a topology similar to the middle example of bad topology under section 3.2 at this page http://www.thundercloud-studio.com/tc-tutorial/modeling-guide-realistic-human-head/#lightbox-gallery-Ed07/2/ . The edge loops across the cheeks went horizontal and vertical instead of looping the way they do in the good examples.

I used a model I generated from MakeHuman as a guide to how to make the edge loops. However, there are many more poles on my model than the MakeHuman model, but I think this might be due in part because I modeled it with fewer vertices.

I’m primarily looking for feedback about the topology of my model. I linked to screenshots from Google Photos, except a shot of the front view I attached because Google Photos would not upload it.

Side view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GYcxXKBbdXNk61Oy1
Quarter view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yc4RnMcjyfkHkliH3
Wireframe side view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DCa98NohN3R2cE7A3
Wireframe front view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zgZg9Bz0B8bqlypM2
Poles with 3 connections: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ewXmFkLMC2bjBjea2
Poles with 5 connections: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YykiT1mpEmEh5d5K2
Poles with 6 connections: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h8wSc5TFbhk4HPbn2
MakeHuman example: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VwygtWmuMbM4dtin1

In the screenshot of vertices with 3 connections, it includes vertices along the middle of the head (since it has a mirror modifier) as well as the bottom of the neck, and the holes where the eyelids and ear will go (the Python script doesn’t distinguish between vertices at the edge of the mesh from others so it counts them as poles). I was going to deselect vertices at the edge of the mesh but decided not to since vertices along the middle (x=0) of the mesh might be poles once the mirror modifier is applied.

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Really good documentation! but you are doing a lot of poles!!! and don’t use 6 poles, never ever! also in the midle line try not to put poles.

One of the 6-poles is at the corner of the lip. I’m not sure if it would be convenient to reduce the connections of that vertex. It is connected to the outer part of the lip (both above and below), a vertex at the bottom of the upper-lip and a vertex at the top of the lower-lip, a vertex on the face next to the mouth and a vertex at the corner of the lip on the inside of the mouth. There are four other 6-poles, one of which is in the midline (screenshot at https://photos.app.goo.gl/Skus3qUX45daPScJ2 ) under the chin. I wasn’t sure if this pole is an issue since it is not a part of the head that animates. The 6-pole near the corner of the nose is at the top of the only triangle of the mesh (all other polygons are quadrangles).

I also have a lot of 5-poles on the side of the head near the back. Since this part of the head doesn’t animate, I also thought this would be acceptable. It also would be hard to not have poles near the back of the head because otherwise it would require too many vertices on the back of the head.

Is better to have more poligons that to have to many poles! also, I’m sure you can do little poligons with a lot less poles, Just start taking them out.
I’m not very good, but this are some of mine, in green what I consider good 5 poles, and in red bad 5 poles, not good places.


I made a new mesh. I think the poles are in better places. There is still one 6-pole at the corner of the nose, but I think I could remove it. Right now the facial features look like of odd, and it’s also hard to shape the portion near the mouth because of many vertices, but those vertices are necessary to keep edge loops.

Screenshots:
5-poles: https://photos.app.goo.gl/89FX428nhLEzWHww1
6-pole: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3BPrCNlZkZSLJswv1
front view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JpFmDCaZy4TQapMv1
quarter view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/27F2nEQu2FfFiV1I2
side view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rPJw23i9JbprYlMo1

Your proportions are so bad that you really don’t know why the poles are where they are, I recomend to you to use manuel bastion addon, to just have a well proportion head, and do a retopo on that. you will see more clearly where poles have to go.
Anyhow, you did simplify a lot the geometry

I edited my mesh and I think the proportions are better now. I also removed some edge loops in the chin area and removed the only 6-pole next to the nose.

Did you suggest downloading the manuel bastion addon to look at the topology and proportions in the models generated by that program? I already downloaded MakeHuman. Would MakeHuman be sufficient or should I download the manuel bastion addon as well?

Screenshots:
Front view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KdlsIPOzrzGjcQEL2
Side view: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YLPKhiGbNzVNWeso2
5-poles: https://photos.app.goo.gl/D946fOqZkv9ffOxt2

Not to look at the topology, but to have a mesh you can make a retopology. Just usit as a guide for the proportions. Also you can check the topology of course.