# Retopoflow 4: the whole flow, a capstone and a cheat sheet The last Retopoflow 4 lessons: curve handles and helper ops, the whole flow from sculpt to game mesh, a capstone rock from scratch, a cheat sheet of modifier keys, and what to watch next. These are the last lessons of [Retopoflow 4: the core flows](/lessons/retopoflow-4), after [Relax and Tweak, caps, PolyPen, Contours and Mirror](/lessons/retopoflow-4/clean-up-close-and-creatures). ## Curve handles and helper ops **Goal:** Know the extras that save time. Learn them last, one per session. *Figure: The same strip of quads dragged two ways. A plain drag moves three points and leaves a kinked strip with stretched quads. With curve handles (Alt C), dragging a handle tip bends the whole strip into one smooth curve.* - **Curve handles** (`Alt C`): drag a selection as if it were a curve. On by default in PolyStrips and Strokes [3]. - **Mesh Cleanup:** in the tool settings or the `W` pie. It snaps to the source, merges doubles, fixes normals, fills holes, and can triangulate [1]. - **Even** (`Shift Alt R`) and **Relax** (`Shift R`) as operators for selected loops [2]. - **Twist Loops** (`Alt T`) and **Rotate Topology** (`Alt R`) realign a grid fill [1]. - **Diamond Bevel** (`Ctrl Alt B`): a crease-like junction on selected edges [1] [2]. - **Adjust Loop Count:** resamples a strip's count. **Exercise:** try one helper per session on a mesh you've already made. **Time target:** novice 10 min per helper, competent 3 min, fluent under a minute. **Good enough when** - [ ] You've tried each helper once. - [ ] You can say which one you'd reach for to fix a twisted grid fill. ## The whole flow: sculpt to game mesh **Goal:** See the steps above as one flow, from a sculpt to a mesh you can export. *Figure: A toon cliff goes from a dense sculpt to a low game mesh in seven stages: a clean target is made over the sculpt, three PolyStrips draw the skeleton, Strokes fill between them, Relax evens the quads, F caps the top, the triangle budget is checked, then Subdivision Surface is dropped and the ridge marked sharp.* 1. **Sculpt the form,** or a blockout. Keep it to big planes. 2. **Make the target:** Add > Mesh > Retopology from Active. Hide everything else. Save. 3. **Skeleton:** a few PolyStrips along the ridges and lips. 4. **Fill:** Strokes between them. 5. **Tidy:** Relax, Tweak and pins. 6. **Caps:** `F` on the top; leave the bottom open if it's buried. 7. **Check the budget** in the Statistics overlay. A 5 m toon rock might start at about 300 to 600 triangles; treat that as a value to test, not a rule. Far over? Remove loops. 8. **Game mesh rules:** - No Subdivision Surface modifier on the game mesh. If a result looks soft and soapy, check for this modifier first. - Mark Sharp on the edges that should stay crisp, then Shade Auto Smooth (Blender; in 5.x the menu may read "Shade Smooth by Angle"). - Optional: a Bevel modifier with 1 segment plus Weighted Normal, for a soft highlight along edges (Blender). 9. **Export** the way your engine expects. **When not to retopologise** (reasoned advice, not from the manual): hats, props and clothes. Box-model them directly at game density. Retopology is for shapes you sculpted first: rocks, cliffs, creatures. **Good enough when** - [ ] You can name each stage, and the tool it uses, without looking. - [ ] You know your own triangle budget for a rock, or how you'll find it out. ## Capstone: one rock from scratch **Goal:** Retopologise one sculpted rock or cliff, start to finish, using only these lessons. **Steps:** orientation, skeleton (3 to 5 PolyStrips), Strokes fill, Relax and Tweak, a top cap with `F`, the bottom as you choose, a Statistics check, Mark Sharp, Shade Auto Smooth, and no Subdivision. **Time target:** novice 2 hours, competent 45 minutes, fluent 20 minutes. On a first-ever try, any of these is a pass. **Compare:** if you've retopologised this sculpt before, put the old result next to the new one, count the faces, and see what you left out. **Good enough when** - [ ] 300 to 600 triangles for a rock about 5 m across (a starting range; adjust it to your game). - [ ] No Subdivision Surface modifier on the final mesh. - [ ] The silhouette matches the sculpt from your game camera's main angles. - [ ] Every loop is there for a reason: it changes the outline or moves the shadow band. - [ ] No visible holes, and the top cap is clean. - [ ] The file was saved at least three times along the way. ## Cheat sheet *Figure: Four steps: Ctrl plus click or drag creates geometry, Shift plus drag relaxes, Ctrl Shift plus drag tweaks, W opens the pie menu.* Three modifiers worth learning first. From the manual; each row names its page. | Action | Keys | Manual page | |---|---|---| | Create geometry (any tool) | `Ctrl` + click or drag | Quick start | | Select / tweak | click / drag | Retopoflow Mode | | Pie menu (tools, settings) | `W` | Retopoflow Mode | | Brush radius / strength / falloff | `F` / `Shift F` / `Ctrl F` | Retopoflow Mode | | Strokes and PolyStrips brush size | `Shift F` or `[` `]` | Strokes, PolyStrips | | Quick Relax from any tool | `Shift` + drag | Relax Brush | | Quick Tweak from any tool | `Ctrl Shift` + drag | Tweak Brush | | Fill (Patches / auto fill) | `F` (or `Enter`, `Ctrl` + click) | Patches, Helper Ops | | Segments / width (PolyStrips) | `Ctrl Scroll` / `Shift Scroll` | PolyStrips | | Count (Strokes) | `Ctrl Scroll` | Strokes | | Slide an I Strip bridge | `Alt Scroll` | Strokes | | Contours ring vertices / loops | `Ctrl Scroll` | Contours | | Twist a ring | `Shift Scroll` or `Alt T` | Contours, Change List | | Toggle curve handles | `Alt C` | Curve Handles | | Flip handle type | `V` over a control point | Curve Handles | | Scale / rotate a control point | `Alt` + drag / `Alt Shift` + drag | Curve Handles | | Rotate topology | `Alt R` | Helper Ops | | Relax operator / Even | `Shift R` / `Shift Alt R` | Change List | | Diamond bevel | `Ctrl Alt B` | Change List | | Pin / unpin | `Shift P` / `Alt P` | Change List | | Loop select | `Alt` + click or double-click | Retopoflow Mode | | Pick shortest path | `Ctrl Shift` + click | Retopoflow Mode | | Box / lasso select | `B` / `Ctrl` + right-drag | Tweak Brush | | Fallback selection tool | `Alt W` | Retopoflow Mode | | Clip region (isolate an area) | `Alt B` | Change List | ## Further watching *Figure: Four steps: a CG Cookie course, a YouTube playlist, a face retopology demo, a walkthrough. All are leads, not endorsements.* Four leads to follow, none watched for these lessons. Titles and links only; none of these were watched for these lessons, so treat them as leads. - [Retopology with Retopoflow 4](https://www.cgcookie.com/courses/retopology-with-retopoflow-4), a CG Cookie course by Jonathan Lampel. - [The Complete Guide to Retopology with Retopoflow 4](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDXD8Sa9zET3Gsw4C8gTFaTL086KLO-xP), a YouTube playlist. - [Retopoflow 4 - Face Retopology Workflow Demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLE4kKlx55w). - [RetopoFlow 4 Is Finally Here! (Walkthrough)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DPOtKDDH9M). ## Sources 1. Retopoflow 4 manual, Helper Ops. 2. Retopoflow 4 manual, Change List (auto-save in 4.1.5, hotkeys added in 4.x). 3. Retopoflow 4 manual, Curve Handles. --- Published 2026-10-12. Web page: https://www.mackenziebowes.com/lessons/retopoflow-4/the-whole-flow Part of [Retopoflow 4: the core flows](https://www.mackenziebowes.com/lessons/retopoflow-4).