Hi LexLuthor,
I love your videos! I’ve been following your work for quite some time, at least from your time on the UDK forums. I can definitely understand why an experienced artist would prefer doing all the topology work by hand. No algorithm can duplicate a good artist’s style or workflow preferences, or quality end result, especially if the mesh in question is to be animated.
For those of us who aren’t necessarily great 3D artists, though, I think the tool has great value. It’s a new addition (from 4.6), and quite different from the tool used in previous versions of ZBrush. It’s really a step above everything else I’ve seen that attempts auto-retopology, including 3D Coat (although I love 3D Coat’s manual topology tools).
The program can save valuable time on complex meshes, even when you have to do additional touch up. It allows you to use guidelines for specific topology in important areas, adjust (by paint) areas for higher and lower poly count, use symmetry as needed, and reduce or increase the influence of the algorithm as it affects curves and how it adapts to shapes in general. For areas where I already have a specific topology that I want left alone, like my character’s hands and face, I hide those parts in their own polygroups before using the algorithm.
The results of the default algorithm out of the box are just amazing. Areas that need to be changed can still be adjusted by hand, and for non-artists like myself, this is much faster than retopologizing an entire mesh by hand (unless of course it’s a simple mesh)! I’ve just found it to be a huge time saver so far, but again, I understand where you’re coming from and why you’d prefer to complete the process by hand.
Cheers,
-D