Topology

"Topology is the mathematical study of the properties that are preserved through deformations, twistings and stretchings of objects." Topology is essentially the way manipulated shapes fit together in natural-looking ways. In this part of the project, I'll be looking into just facial topology.

Facial topology is very important when making characters for games. If the topology isn't set up on the rig correctly, any expression that the character tries to make will not work very well at all. It is essentially like making all of the muscles inside the face work as they should in reality. If all the muscles and topology are correctly present, then the rig should be no trouble at all to animate.

This is the human muscle structure of the face, which is vital when using Topology.

Here, you can see the different lines and curves used to create the natural shape and form of the face.

In this example, the movement of the mouth doesn't look as natural because the polygon count on the face us so high. 

In this example, the lines and curves are so much more natural than the first image, hence the better-looking movement.

The lines on the face always flow in a certain way to create quads. If triangles or five-sided shapes are formed, then the topology can be unsuccessful in most cases.