# The two horrors of 3D: Why do shading nodes and retopology terrify me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Blender and CG Discussions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2026, 5:34am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403 "2026-10-19T05:34:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 5:34am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/1 "2026-10-19T05:34:12Z")
I am on a 20-hour masterclass. I just watched some parts of the video and I got to the part where I had to retopologize my character, the instructor said that it was very easy but honestly, I feel like I’m going to spend years learning it. How do people use shader nodes? it looks too complicated for human understanding. It genuinely feels like the hardest part of any character. How does a beginner like my overcome these? ---
**Author:** ![GDZ10](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@GDZ10](https://blenderartists.org/u/GDZ10)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/2 "2026-10-19T05:43:54Z")
Personally, I prefer to start with something simple and basic and build my skill gradually. Others prefer to jump in at the deep end. If you’re starting with a masterclass then perhaps you’re one of those. I guess my advice is to go back to something simpler. ---
**Author:** ![Duthomhas](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/duthomhas/32/1582_2.png) [@Duthomhas](https://blenderartists.org/u/Duthomhas)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 5:48am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/3 "2026-10-19T05:48:07Z")
Please don’t put your text in a code-block. It is insanely obnoxious to read. Remove the `[code]...[\code]` wrapping your text, or the ````` from the top and bottom of your text, or the three or four spaces at the beginning of each line of your text… however you did it. Your instructor is right — from a certain point of view. Both things just take some time to get used to. The only way to get comfortable with them is to just do them. The good news is that you have a head-start: I presume your instructor took you over the basic techniques of doing both things. Don’t be afraid to mess up. That’s part of the learning process. Don’t let _worry_ stop you from just doing it. Save a copy of your data before starting, then the worst thing that can happen is that you’ll mess up and have to use the saved copy to start over. Welcome to Blender! ---
**Author:** ![sozap](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/sozap/32/443872_2.png) [@sozap](https://blenderartists.org/u/sozap)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 9:43am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/4 "2026-10-19T09:43:23Z")
Well, first you’re talking about two very different things between shaders and retopo. If you want the problem to be half simpler just focus on one area at a time… On the overall many things in 3D aren’t straightforward, but still you can at least get the very basics. Working with nodes on the overall is hard to grasp at fist, and expect to invest quite some time figuring this out. However this then opens a lot of door as compositing is very similar, geometry nodes also shares some concepts and many concepts are also found outside blender in corresponding applications. So by learning compositing you also learn a bit of shading, knowing shading will help if you look into geometry nodes, so even if it’s hard it gets better with time. My last advice is to pick your battles, focus on one area of interest at a time and learn only the very basics of others. Keep in mind that this stuff takes time. Most talented artists have years of experience and constant learning. 3D isn’t something you’ll figure out in 20 hours, but with a step by step attitude everything is approachable ! ---
**Author:** ![Okidoki](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/okidoki/32/1434104_2.png) [@Okidoki](https://blenderartists.org/u/Okidoki)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 10:20am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/5 "2026-10-19T10:20:14Z")
Just as everyone else does learn things.. step by step. 😉 Or.. could you read and write in the first class ?? 😜 ---
**Author:** ![AlphaChannel](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/alphachannel/32/1432111_2.png) [@AlphaChannel](https://blenderartists.org/u/AlphaChannel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 10:25am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/6 "2026-10-19T10:25:01Z")
Please don’t put your text in a code-block. It is insanely obnoxious to read. This 20 hour masterclass? Is it taught by a guru? Learning 3d is not easy. 20 years maybe. Read the forums, look at other people’s nodes. Practise. Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![MartinZ](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/martinz/32/1437938_2.png) [@MartinZ](https://blenderartists.org/u/MartinZ)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 10:47am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/7 "2026-10-19T10:47:53Z")
> [@Sergeant1](#): > > How do people use shader nodes? it looks too complicated for human understanding. 😆 It may at first. Don’t worry about it. Just use them for simple things and then you might need more complicated stuff in time and then you learn bit by bit and after a few years even most advanced stuff is OK. Also: Please, don’t use code tags for regular text. That’s extremely inconvenient to read. ---
**Author:** ![Gianluca\_Scattarella](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/gianluca_scattarella/32/1501946_2.png) [@Gianluca\_Scattarella](https://blenderartists.org/u/Gianluca_Scattarella)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/8 "2026-10-19T11:57:16Z")
When an instructor calls retopology “very easy”, they only mean the tools are mechanically simple—you are just extruding and snapping quads—not that figuring out edge flow is intuitive on your first try. It feels like it will take years to learn because jumping from freeform sculpting to strict technical constraints is a massive mental shift. The secret is realizing that character retopology isn’t an open-ended puzzle you have to invent from scratch. Every humanoid character follows the exact same solved blueprint: you lay down five or six foundational loops first (closed rings around the eyes and mouth, the mask loop, the line from the nose around the chin, and simple cylinders for the limbs) and then just bridge the gaps between them. Keep a color-coded facial topology diagram open next to your viewport and trace those main loops like paint-by-numbers until the pattern becomes muscle memory. Shader nodes look too complicated for human understanding only when you stare at a giant procedural graph all at once. For actual character work, you almost never build massive math webs from scratch; ninety percent of the time, you are just plugging four baked texture maps (Base Color, Roughness, Normal, and Subsurface) straight into a single `Principled BSDF` node. When you do combine nodes, stop thinking of them as code and treat them like 2D image layers: a `Mix` node is just two layers with a blend mode, a `ColorRamp` is a Levels slider, and black-and-white connections are just layer masks. Turn on the Node Wrangler add-on and `Ctrl + Shift + Left Click` any node to preview what it does directly on your model—nobody reads a complex node tree in their head all at once, we just inspect it one step at a time. ---
**Author:** ![touba\_denrael](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/touba_denrael/32/1322150_2.png) [@touba\_denrael](https://blenderartists.org/u/touba_denrael)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/9 "2026-10-19T12:30:29Z")
there are no horrors. there are workflows you have not learned about how to use. it might take [some] time, but the more you explore, the more enjoyable your journey will be. happy :blender_logo_64_png:ing! ---
**Author:** ![thorn](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/thorn/32/1035944_2.png) [@thorn](https://blenderartists.org/u/thorn)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/10 "2026-10-19T13:05:33Z")
> [@Sergeant1](#): > > I am on a 20-hour masterclass. Without knowing which one, I can’t comment on whether it’s suitable for a beginner. But speaking generally: a 20 hour class doesn’t mean that it will take you 20 hours to learn how to effectively use tools and workflows on a daily basis with ease. Some of these things may take you weeks and months to feel comfortable with; it’s a long process of study and practice, trial and error. ---
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/11 "2026-10-19T16:33:32Z")
Thanks for the reply ---
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/12 "2026-10-19T16:48:03Z")
Much appreciated. How is your experience with blender ---
**Author:** ![touba\_denrael](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/touba_denrael/32/1322150_2.png) [@touba\_denrael](https://blenderartists.org/u/touba_denrael)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/13 "2026-10-19T16:52:42Z")
excellent [coming from alias then maya times, leaving this area of work for seventeen years then somewhat back into it, beginning again with v3.6.x]. happy :blender_logo_64_png:ing! ---
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/14 "2026-10-19T16:53:28Z")
Okay. NIce. Blender is really interesting and nice to use ---
**Author:** ![etn249](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/b19c9b/32.png) [@etn249](https://blenderartists.org/u/etn249)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/15 "2026-10-19T16:58:42Z")
Shader nodes have levels of complexity. You can choose to use only the easy parts at first, then build from there if you want once you understand the very basics. The basics are easy, but there is no ceiling to complexity. You will find people doing crazy stuff in shaders with loads of math and making super complex effects. Don’t let those examples make you think you need to be at that level, the most basic parts are the most important. I don’t know how much the course you are following tells you about shaders. I usually recommend this explanation, it covers the most important parts and is not really difficult. [![](https://blenderartists.org/uploads/default/original/4X/6/b/a/6baa8cb847b9d88e245f3990bcdc8bf98767761f.jpeg "How to Setup and Use Texture Maps for Beginners (Blender Tutorial)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUZHyoeuwVI) ---
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/16 "2026-10-19T17:03:27Z")
Thank for the valuable information. Highly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/17 "2026-10-19T17:09:08Z")
So sorry about that ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Campbell](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/michael_campbell/32/523720_2.png) [@Michael\_Campbell](https://blenderartists.org/u/Michael_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/18 "2026-10-19T18:01:47Z")
Don’t be intimidated by shading nodes, they’re just little boxes with options that take something in, do something with it, and spit it out to the next node. They’re extremely simple individually, and if you right click any of the nodes, you can select the ‘online manual’ option to find out what all the options are for. The video below will help you too 👍 [23 Viewport Rendering Lighting And Materials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5gsmIwUQYU&list=PLj47Aeq9jcpRfE-ab8Wf7VgVJTO0hbEFW&index=25) Retopo on the other hand, yes that’s pretty hardcore. You would be forgiven for using Exoside Quadremesher or similar to do it for you when possible 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thorn](https://blenderartists.org/user_avatar/blenderartists.org/thorn/32/1035944_2.png) [@thorn](https://blenderartists.org/u/thorn)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 6:13pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/19 "2026-10-19T18:13:38Z")
FWIW: I don’t believe i"ve ever used retopo on _anything_. It’s completely optional, and if you learn some basic modeling skills you may not even need to. ---
**Author:** ![Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Sergeant1](https://blenderartists.org/u/Sergeant1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403/20 "2026-10-19T18:14:55Z")
It’s gonna be compulsory for me because I want my character to move. [Next page](https://blenderartists.org/t/the-two-horrors-of-3d-why-do-shading-nodes-and-retopology-terrify-me/1655403.md?page=2)