Boot topology question

[Umii]

Hi All,

Just had a first go at modelling some boots and I wanted to check something for next time I do it.

My question is, I am going to pose them and because of that I thought it would be better to make the main boot all out of one mesh which I have it’s all quads etc. and was a bit of a pain to do because it was one mesh and a bit dense at the moment I know, I’ll retopologise it if I ever need a low poly version and bake the detail and the materials here are just temp I’ll scuff them up etc. and texture them properly.

I could have done a much cleaner and lower poly first model if I had done it as separate panels for the leather but I was worried that when I posed it and weight painted it for the armature the separate panels might give me problems where it flexed.

So when I run into this again what’s the general way to do this where you have layers of detail, try and go one mesh or will it work if I split it into separate parts and not give me issues when it flex’s, thanks!

[ridix]

Take a look at this mesh optimization:

[Umii]

Take a look at this mesh optimization:

Thanks ridix that’s a really interesting vid and I see there is a series I’ll have a good look, I got some good ideas from that, I was just going to go shrink wrap and face snapping to retopologise if I needed to but this approaches it differently.

That wasn’t actually the question I wanted to ask tho apologies if I was not clear, I wanted to understand if I was correct in trying to model all out of one mesh like I did because I was going to pose it or would I have been ok to model the panels separately which would have been easier and tidier off the bat from a topology point o view but I thought I might get problems where the mesh deformed if it flexed and I had layers of panels. I figured I was not the first person to do this and there was most likely a standard design pattern people worked to for this sort of scenario. Doest that make sense or am I over thinking it ?

thanks for the reply!

[Umii]

I’ll answer my own question did some tests and I’m better doing it all out of one mesh like I did examples below same boot but separated panels on the front one (but all in same object obviously) both auto weighted to rigify rig, single mesh works out the box, object with separate mesh panels in it the panels sort of works and they move with some bones but don’t deform and get gaps I’d have to go in an fix up all the weight painting and I bet there would be some bits that crossed over between bones that was a royal pain.

So if I know it all has to flex together I’m going for one mesh for anything that has to flex unless anyone tells me different I’m also happy to be wrong as always! but that’s what I’m seeing from my tests.