How to add nice outlines and fix indents?

Hi, I modeled this low poly model


based off of this image.

I would like to add outlines so it looks more like the 2D drawing. Specifically the lines between the arms and legs. If possible around the model as well.

I also would like to know what’s causing these weird indents near the eyes and the circle on the body. I’m assuming its because I used the knife tool but I would like to know more about it, is it because they are triangles?


robot.blend (1.2 MB)

Hello sir, to get the outlines, you should use the “Freestyle” feature, i dont know much about it, so i advice you go watch a couple videos on it before attempting yourself.

Now to adress your model:

first off, try to keep your normals in check, do some research on it if you dont know what “normals” are.
This can quickly be done by doing CTRL+N

Second, lets have a look at your topology.

What you have here is a bunch of N-Gons, i will come back to you in about an hour addressing this issue, cause i see it popping up all the time.

Ok thank you. If you have any recommendations on where to learn about normals I’d appreciate them as well

Google it, learn what normals are.

long story short, its the direction of which the polygon is facing, thats what a so called “normal map” alters, it changes which way the surface is facing without actually deforming the model, it only alters how light and shadows interact with the surface.

Also do some research on ngons and topology instead, i realise that its a lot to type, and i dont have time to make a video response any time soon

ok, thanks I did some googling and converted the n-gons to tris and then quads. Only issue is this made a lot more faces which I’d prefer to keep low on a low poly model. It’s not too bad on this model but I’d like to learn how I can use the knife tool in the future for when I need to make things like eyes on my low poly models without causing n-gons.

EDIT: even after turning the n-gons to quads the indents are still there. Do I have to individually select the sides and bring them outwards so its flat now? Is there an automated process of doing this?

i dont have a lot of time, but here is 15 minutes of rambling. hopefully you get something out of it

Thanks so much for the video! I thought keeping it all one object would make it simpler to rig later on. I also don’t plan on using a subdivision surface modifier since I want to keep it low poly. I erased the head and made a sphere to replace it so its more symmetrical. I inset one of the face for the eyes but I can’t seem to find a good way to make them round. Also I can’t seem to find a good way to make the two circles on the body using inset. Is there a way I can use the knife tool without ending up with n-gons?

Questions on the video:

How can I do what you did by double tapping G and sliding (5:00) using the 3dsMax keyboard preferences? How did you select a side and then select all of the arm (5:22)? and how did you “split” the neck (9:00)?

For future videos it’d be nice if you had that extension that showed your key\shortcut presses : )

thanks again for the video!

robotnew.blend (1.4 MB)

robotnew2.blend (400.9 KB)

Dynamic outlines with duplicated geometry, and surface lines with UV mapped procedural texture. But yes, could also do it with Freestyle.

wow that is awesome, how did you make the eyes? also any more info on surface line and how you made the procedural texture?

Floating geometry, 3 materials, and outer is faded with a procedural gradient. Should be enough if you don’t plan to animate them.

Enable node wrangler addon and ctrl+shift+select a node to preview it. The node setup is almost linear so it should be easy to follow what happens each step. It all begins with an UV unwrap, which is done quickly in that one by projecting it from view.

Freestyle render can do the outlines, and also surface lines with freestyle edge marks. The downside with the latter is that the lines need to follow the geometry.

Keeping it separate has literally no downsides at all, besides it not being affected by smoothing groups or modifiers such as subdiv surface, or bevel etc, but by the time you get into this, you’ll already know when to use separate objects, and when to have them as one object. So for you, just split everything that doesnt have to be one mesh.
and just to prove a point, here is a model i made of a tank:

Its made of 20 individual objects, and each of those objects has their own “mesh islands”. Its a total of 64k tris, which is a good number for games, my goal was under 75k.
And you see it almost crashing at the end, the total amount of individual objects, after merging and splitting by loose parts, is 750. - so no, you dont have to do it in one mesh at all :stuck_out_tongue:

also just to mention, dont aim too low, for the sake of keeping it low. its perfectly fine for you to go up towards 80k, which is FAR more than you will need for that model. So basically, dont limit yourself :stuck_out_tongue:
the only reason to go for “low poly” these days is for artistic style, but in that case, please be aware that is just a style, and NOT a limitation! you can have a lot of polygons while still keeping the low poly style by focusing those polygons on details instead of big shapes.

And to make the circles for the eyes, well there are 100 ways to do it. Among the best ways is probably what the slime above me did :smile: However i suggest you look at what he did, study it, but dont use it. Learn to do it yourself. Learn how the shrinkwrap modifier works (dont forget you need to use the offset in the shrinkwrap modifier), understand how the node editor works, and understand the limitations of what he did. What he did is for blender only, he generated a texture in blender, which will not work if you plan on exporting the model to another program, in which case you need to generate maps so other programs can read it.
I dont think his solution is the right one for you, simply because its a bit advanced, but by all means study it, if you can really figure it out, go for it, its a great solution.

And to elaborate on the N-Gons, any Ngon can be converted to quads and triangles, you just have to decide where you want to draw the lines. Causing an Ngon is fine as long as you fix it right afterwards, but of course, avoiding them in the first place is ideal. - and dont get too hooked on the knife tool, as i said in the video, i never use it, at all, i dont like it, and i dont use it. But if it works for you, then go for it. It all comes down to preference.

I suggest you get used to the blender hotkeys, as it will make it a lot easier when asking for help, discovering new tools, and using the program in general, as the software is designed around those hotkeys. Emulating 3DS wont give you 3DS, we dont have the same tools at all.
The tool is called Edge Slide, i dont know where it is in the 3DS layout.

at 5.22, i used the Select more (CTRL + Numberpad(+)), however, i have that rebound to Shift+MouseWheel Up, which is why i could do it so quickly. However, pressing L while hovering over it will do the same, which is “Select Linked”. However, this means the arm has to be split, otherwise it will select everything.

9:00 i used a tool called “rip” i believe, default hotkey is V.

And the reason i dont display my hotkeys is because ive changed so much, ive used blender for 5 years, so i costumize almost everything to speed up my workflow.

  • i dont suggest you do the same, get used to the default layout first.

I think you have to be a bit more careful when you reply to beginners, i dont think he should focus on all of this now. You provided a great solution, but i think its a bit too advanced for him at this stage.

If you do want to use big words, you should probably explain them. Floating geometry, Materials, Procedural gradient, nodes, UV unwrapping, projecting from view, all these are big words that i suspect he dont understand yet.

Just dumb down the language a little depending on who you are talking to :stuck_out_tongue:

I provided options for what is asked in the thread title and also separately in the thread. I don’t know enough about the project or its goals to give solutions. For example, I have no clue what requires the geometry to be low poly.

The example doesn’t contradict or take away from what has been discussed before. Good geometry is important nevertheless. There’s one modeling shortcut and one modeling option in the example that might be suitable for the project, and it’s his job to evaluate if there’s anything that can help, just as with any feedback.

As I don’t know enough about the project, I’m not wasting my time with long explanations based on assumptions. I usually only answer if I have something to say, and I rather use actual terminology in a clear post so it’s at least possible to

You messed up the quote there at the end, but i see what you went for.

Using terms is fine but perhaps explain them a little so when he does google it, he knows what hes looking for. I know its a lot of extra work to go in detail, but thats the difference between a good, and a great reply.

Google is always a solution, but some people prefer to hear it from someone directly, myself included. He could google “how to fix ngons”, “how to fix wierd shading”, etc. to find a solution to his problem, but when you ask other people for advice and help, you more often than not get more than you asked for.

Im not being negative towards you, its just feedback, i feel like you got a bit defensive. You’re doing great for the community, and often when i see that you’ve replied to a thread i more often than not dont get involved, cause i know you do a great job.

is there a way I can use the knife tool without having the indent errors? The knife tool is much more intuitive and I can’t seem to make the eyes round if I don’t use the knife tool unless I use a subdivision modifier