What is Retopology?

Sculpts, 3D scans and AI-generated meshes share one problem: their triangles are dense and arranged with no logic. That's fine for a still render. It's a problem for animation, UV unwrapping and real-time performance.

What good topology looks like

• Mostly quads, flowing along the form (see quads vs triangles)
• Edge loops around joints, eyes and mouths so they deform cleanly when rigged
• Density where it's needed and nowhere else

Manual vs automatic

Hand retopology in Blender, Maya or TopoGun gives the best result for characters that animate. Automatic tools (Blender's QuadriFlow remesher, ZBrush's ZRemesher, Instant Meshes) get you most of the way for props in minutes.

Do generated models need it?

Only if they'll deform or be edited heavily. A static background prop can ship as generated, perhaps after decimation. A character that walks, talks and emotes needs retopology. Afterwards, bake the original's detail and colour back onto the new mesh.