(08-04-2021, 08:51 PM)Kold-Virus Wrote: I stink at topology and uv mapping, what's your secret?
Oh, so I use Maya for 3D most of the time, and this might be a lazy solution, but there's an auto-remesh and auto-retopology tool that works pretty well, so long as your models aren't too complex. For the keychain models I used curves to generate geometry from vectors I imported to Maya, creating the base shape of the model, then used that combo of tools to fix up the result. A lot of the time you'll have to manually adjust the mesh after as it's not perfect (and the results can be really surprising)! There's a similar tool in ZBrush called ZRemesher as well for 3D sculpts. To smooth out the topology I use "average vertices" in Maya to keep polys uniform, plus smooth edges. Then, for UV mapping I use Maya's 3D Cut & Sew! You can directly select on the mesh where the UV should make its cuts and that saves me so much time.
I hope that helped clarify some things... This is also just what I did for this particular project. Usually I box-model everything and re-topo by hand, so I guess it's best to alter your methods to what works best for the situation! There are a lot of techniques out there.