I have one triangle face in model I've submitted (https://cgcookie.com/exercise_submissions/22156 / https://imgur.com/pISJ9qk.png). It's within husky's ears, where ear canal should begin... I have given up trying to turn it into quad (without breaking the rest of the ear's topology), but it still bothers me - is it possible to solve it?
Hi! You could solve it by adding another edge loop going from there to the one on the other side.
I'd be more concerned about the big one on the nose though - when mirrored over it creates a six sided pole which will definitely cause some pinching when subdivided. I'd recommend reworking that area.
While not a perfect solution, something like this would fit your existing topology:
Also notice how that closes the loop around the eyes and will better support the shape of the snout. Hope that helps!
ppkmkdz I feel like I am playing 3D Tetris whenever I am working on topology. Super tricky business but I feel very rewarded when I figure it out and then take a step back to look it over and how well the details look with good topology.
I took a stab at your ear and I think I see what the problem is. You have basically a "circle" at the inside base of the ear with 9 sides or vertices. Hard to work with 9 sides to make quads. Any time you have a body part that has a circular shape, plan to give it sides that are divisible by 4 if possible. But even a circle with 10 sides will get you the quad you are trying for.
If you add an edge loop towards the top of the head (just make it stop at the top of the ear) you will get your 10 sided circle. Or you could remove an edge loop to get an 8 sided circle!
Like in the crudely made image below. (Green verts are the ones added).
You could either add in like I did with that dotted line or remove the edge that goes through vertex #1 and up to the top of the ear.
Then the only thing left to do would be to drag that bottom edge towards the top of the head to make the newly created quad into a better square shape.
I would probably recommend selecting all of the bottom faces when done and do an inset with "i" which will create a nice holding edge loop. We like to see holding edge loops just before major detail shifts like ears sticking out of the head.
I like Jonathon's cheat sheet for other brain ticklers when I want to finish out with quads but have "tricky" meshes. But notice how he leaves the ugly parts always in the middle and then tidies everything up with edge loops outside of that. This would work for circular geometry just the same. In your case you are going to need to add an edge loop in my humble opinion.
Let me know if that helps.
@jlampel , blanchsb Thank you guys a lot, I think I understand this a little better now.
I'm still trying to get used to all those junction things - especially when and which to use.
The solution to ear problem is obvious now, it just didn't occurred to me that I can simply make edge loop going over to the other ear, as it was behind mirror modifier.
I didn't see the tri on the snout until now, I guess it's because I've tried to add loops around the nose as last thing, with knife tool, after I've had the head modeled, and just didn't looked through how the topology has changed... Then again I wasn't sure how to place loops first, without general shape...
Thanks again guys
ppkmkdz Glad to help. I decided to help to practice my own understanding since I am still learning topology.
I make topo-mistakes a lot but I think I am getting better at it. Yes, definitely use that mirror modifier to your advantage,
