Here are a number of Tips and Tricks to keep in mind when using ZRemesher:
- While ZRemesher can work with a very large number of polygons, it is recommended to reduce your count before using ZRemesher, if possible. For example, if you have 6 levels of subdivision, you might find that level 4 has enough polygons to maintain the overall shape and the medium details. This will improve ZRemesher’s speed without altering the retopology quality — especially if you are targeting a low polygon count.
- Dense meshes without much detail (such as imported scan data or a high resolution DynaMesh) can benefit from using Decimation Master to reduce the number of polygons without altering the model’s visual quality. Do this before using ZRemesher.
- It can also be helpful to minimize the variations of small details, peaks and valleys. This is easily done by using a Smooth or Polish deformation before using ZRemesher. The result will be a better polygon flow in the retopologized mesh.
- You can do a retopology over a previous retopology. The second one will have a better polygon flow even if the polycount remains exactly the same.
- A reminder about Symmetry: If you are using symmetry and are unhappy with the resulting topology, Undo and then try ZRemesher’s second symmetry calculation method. Do this simply by holding the ALT key when clicking the ZRemesher button.
- Try to avoid small holes in your mesh! Retopology will keep them and can potentially increase the polygon count. Wherever possible, it is advised to do retopology on a “watertight” mesh or a surface that is free from imperfections. Since scan data and flat surface DynaMesh models can have small, hard to see holes, using ZBrush’s Close Holes feature before running ZRemesher will improve your results.
- When your model is in DynaMesh mode it can also be beneficial to run the Tool >> Geometry >> Mesh Integrity >> Fix Mesh operation before using ZRemesher.