So I’m in the process of modelling a game asset and as such topology is rather important.
However as I am fairly new to modelling I’ve run into some topo that I don’t feel quite confident in.
This is what I have now and the most optimal solution I could conceive. The triangles are ugly and the flow break upsets me, but at least they’re lying on a flat plane and wont be noticeable. (The rectangular piece in the middle is what I’m talking about, extending out to three tris at each side)
At first I attemped a loop cut straight across horizontally, as is crudely drawn in the image below, but that messes up the rings. As I have a subsurf modifier on those edges become straight. I could move them inline with the circle, but that breaks the symmetry of the rings and I fear it will complicate UV mapping.
On a last note, another solution I had in mind was to do the loop cut, but reroute it around the rings and run them around the model. To me that seems like a possible solution, albeit tedious and with a possibility to break things.
Not to mention it creates a whole bunch of other triangles in other places.
In conclusion, is there a better/optimal way to do this shape? I reckon it’s a common shape and scenario and hopefully a more experienced modeller can chime in
or if the exact form is not that important, could control what you can and leave it
or if you want to get really stubborn could do this and also take care of the n-gons there, having multiple vertices to control the form around the corners, still be able to add a control loop around, not spreading edge loops to surrounding geometry, and no triangles anywhere.
Thanks for the reply! And sorry for not including the rest of the model, it didn’t occur to me at the time.
As for your solutions, the first one is nice, unfortunately the flow would encounter similar circles further down, yet again breaking it.
The last one is perfect however! Not only is it localized to one quad, as you said it also contains no triangles and I have greater contour control! I’m gonna give it a go trying to model this shape. Thanks mate!
(I’ll mark this as solved when I get the geometry working for me)
I’d like to mention, however, that doing edge loops/cuts is a bit finicky. Especially around the center rectangle, the flow either goes horizontally or vertically. Not really an issue, since manual sub-d of key edges would mitigate that.
And I’m not complaining, comparing my first shape (to the right) with the current, it’s easily justifiable
