AAA Topology Explained: Games vs VFX vs Animation
🧠 Get the topology board I used in this video:
https://www.onmars3d.com/topology-boa...
This is part 2 of my 3D Art Talk series, breaking down real topology across games, VFX, and animation.
In this video, I walk through production assets from AAA studios and show how topology actually works in different pipelines. This isn’t about perfect wireframes, it’s about understanding why decisions are made.
games prioritize silhouette and optimization
VFX relies on subdivision and displacement
animation depends on clean edge flow for deformation
triangles, n-gons, and “messy” topology all have a place
Let me know in the comments:
What type of topology do you struggle with most right now?
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Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/onmars3d
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Twitter: / onmars3d
Next Level Game Art: @NextLevelGameArt
Software used in Tutorial:
Blender
Autodesk Maya
Miro
#blender #3dmodeling #autodeskmaya
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Video Editor: AB - [email protected]
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Table of Contents
0:00 Introduction
0:13 Miro Board Walkthrough
1:45 3D Art Core Principles
2:45 Batman: Arkham Origins
3:36 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
5:01 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
5:45 The Last of Us Part 1
6:41 Vertex Blending for Environments
8:52 God of War
11:25 OM3D Game Art Program
12:10 Cyberpunk 2077
13:27 Floaters for high detail
14:30 Baldur's Gate 3
19:02 Wolfenstein: Youngblood
19:29 nGons in production models: Games vs VFX
20:50 VFX Topology
21:04 Ghost of Tsushima Cinematic (VFX)
21:39 Tron Ares
22:26 Gran Turismo (VFX)
22:55 Topology Across Industries - Topology in Context
24:32 Wrap-Up
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