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V o l u m e 0 2
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“It is more than probable that the average man
could, with no injury to his health, increase his
efficiency fifty percent.”- Sir Walter Scott
TOPOLOGY WORKBOOK
V o l u m e 0 2
PUSHING POINTS
TOPOLOGY WORKBOOK | volume 2
pushingpoints.com
Published by:
Hickory Nut Publishing
Clermont, FL
Copyright law protects the value of this creative work. When you make unauthorized copies of this creative
work, you are taking something of value from the creator without permission.
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TOPOLOGY WORKBOOK | volume 2
Ed Ferrari graduated with a BFA in Computer Animation from Miami International University of Art and Design.
After college, he spent a decade in Los Angeles, working in the film and television industry. Following his stint
in Hollywood, Ed landed a position with Foundry, fulfilling the role of software evangelist on the Modo team.
Currently, he’s living in the greater Boston area working as a 3D Production Artist at New Balance Athletics Inc. In
his spare time, he writes short stories and builds worlds around the odd characters he draws on the post-it notes
that cover his work area.
Ed Ferrari | artstation.com/edferrari
TOPOLOGY WORKBOOK | volume 2
Table of Contents
Introduction
Who should read this book? 02
What you can expect from this book? 03
Section 01 | Box Modeling: Character Head
Getting Started 05
Eye Mask 11
Laugh Line 12
Inner-Laugh Line and Nose Loop 13
Nose 14
Starting the Eyes 25
Starting the Mouth 27
Ear 29
Finishing the Mouth 40
Finishing the Eyes 44
Neck 45
Centerline 49
Finalize 51
Final Thoughts
Closing the Loop 60
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Introduction
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INTRODUCTION
When I released the first volume of the Pushing Points Topology
Workbook, I can honestly say that I had no idea how it would be
received. Although I had been sharing the same information in studios,
classrooms and with individual artists for over twenty years, I had
never compiled it into book form.
Many artists have asked for a follow up to the book, and the most
requested topic was the techniques I use when creating the facial
topology of a character head. The information in this book focuses
on just that.
As with anything that I have shared with artists over the years, it’s
important to understand that the information you will find in this
book isn’t the truth. It’s my truth. There are many ways to go
about tackling any task, and the techniques for creating a
character head that I share in this book is what works for me.
My advice is to explore this resource with an open mind, leave with
as many take-aways as you can and use what works best for you.
Although it’s not a requirement for this book, I’d strongly recommend reading and
completing the exercises found in the first volume of the Pushing Points Topology Workbook. It’s a
software-agnostic guide that teaches you the foundation of Subdivision Surface topology. There are over sixty
exercises packed with loads of tips, tricks and techniques designed to teach you how to manage the topology
of your meshes. The book doesn’t show you how to build a car, character or creature. Instead, it teaches you
the foundation of SubD topology, so you can construct ANY SubD asset with clean polygon flow.
02
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For each step in the process I share not only what to do, but why to do it. While you
could ignore the “why” and speed through each step blindly, you may walk away from this
training lost, frustrated and no better off than before you read it. Learning isn’t a race. To truly
increase your understanding and abilities, you need to slow down and take the time to
understand the information being shared. In the end, you’ll get there faster.
SECTION 01
Box Modeling: Character Head
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Step | 02
02 Convert the polygonal cube primitive to Catmull-Clark
subdivision surfaces (SubD), and then Subdivide the
mesh to generate a denser cage to work with.
Note:
It’s very common for artists to over subdivide the mesh
at this stage. I recommend keeping the mesh as light as
possible for as long as possible.
05
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Note:
Throughout this guide, we’ll be using a variety of tools.
The names of these tools may be different, depending on
which software you use. While the Extrude tool was used
in this example, the same results could be created using
alternate tools such as the Polygon Bevel or Smooth Shift
tools.
Feel free to use any tools you feel most comfortable with
as long as the end result matches the reference images
shown for each step.
Simply put, the software and tools you choose to use are
of little importance; only the results matter.
*Side View
06
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Note:
I prefer to not work with a centerline when modeling a
character. I find it much easier to manipulate the mesh
throughout the build process without a centerline. In
some 3D software, I also find working without a
centerline avoids breaking symmetry while modeling.
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*Side View
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Note:
In the last two steps, additional geometry has been added
to the back of the head even though we just need it for
the face. This isn’t an issue given that the overall mesh is
still light on polycount, but be aware that it isn’t always
ideal to add geometry in all areas of the mesh. When
possible, choose to localize the detail.
*Front View
*Side View
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Note:
These extra edges will aid in the creation of the eyes and
mouth without making additional geometry on the back
of the head.
*Side View
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Note:
This step requires a total of two polygon bevel operations.
Ensure that your mesh looks similar to the image in the
lower left before moving forward.
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Note:
Don’t feel like you must recreate the shapes shown in the
reference images. I’d prefer you didn’t. You can use the
steps provided in this book to create an endless amount
of characters, all appearing very different.
*Front View
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Note:
An alternate method for this step can be found on the
next page.
*Front View
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Note:
This alternate technique is simply a reminder that there
are many ways to tackle any operation. Give both
methods a try and see which works best for you.
*Front View
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Note:
I find that I spend only 10% of my time creating new
geometry and 90% of the time manipulating existing
geometry. Make sure you are taking time to refine the
mesh along the way before moving on to the next steps.
*Front View
*Side View
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18
Step | 18
The result of spinning the edges in the previous step
produced two edges that we need to remove from each
side of the nose. Select these edges and delete them.
Note:
While there was technically nothing wrong with the
topology that we started with at the beginning of Step 17,
the resulting topology after Step 18 is more ideal and sets
us up for future edits.
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Note:
For more information on poles, refer to section 05 in
volume one of the Topology Workbook.
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*Side View
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Tweak the mesh until you’re satisfied with the result. The
cleaner you make the mesh, the easier it will be to
produce good results in the future.
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*Front View
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*Side View
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*Side View
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Note:
This step uses a similar method to the final exercise in
Section 04 from Volume one of the Topology
Workbook. The main difference is that exercise used
fewer polygons to produce a similar topology.
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Note:
The tragus is a prominence on the inner side of the
external ear, in front of and partly closing the passage to
the organs of hearing.
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Note:
This method is also used in Section 06, Exercise 04 of
Volume one of the Topology Workbook.
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Step | 36
36 Select and spin the edge shown in the image on the left
using the Spin Edge Tool. Not only does this address the
six-edge pole that was created from the previous step, but
it also gives us an overall cleaner topology.
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Note:
This is the final step for the ear in this exercise, but you’re
free to use the methods discussed in Volume one of the
Topology Workbook if you’d like to add additional detail.
For example, Section 06, Exercise 07 shares a quick
technique for adding more detail to the outer ear lobe.
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Note:
Feel free to refine the shape of the mouth cavity before
proceeding to the next step.
*Side View
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Note:
No new geometry is created in this step. We simply
manipulate the existing geometry.
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*Front View
*Side View
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Create as many heads as you can and see if you can get to
the point where the steps become second nature, allowing
you to focus more on the development of the character
and less on the technical aspects.
The more heads you model, the faster the process will
become. Each head on the left took roughly fifteen min-
utes to create using the exact steps described in this book.
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SECTION 02
Topology Reference
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Base Mesh
Eye Mask Loop
Eye Loops
Laugh Line Loop
Mouth Loops
Inner-Laugh line and
Nose Loop
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Final Thoughts
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Thirty years into the journey, a new generation born on the Archean trains to fulfill the first
generation’s mission. Eager to reach Uelara, the 2nd Gen crew prepares, as planned, to assume
their parents’ responsibilities—that is, until. . . someone goes missing and a devastating secret
is discovered, putting the future of the human race in jeopardy. Will the crew rally and carry
out the mission—or is humanity doomed?