BlenderRetopology Skill

A Claude Code skill that provides manual retopology workflow guidance for Blender MCP. Transform high-poly sculpts into clean, animation-ready quad meshes using proven topology techniques.

Overview

This skill encodes expert retopology knowledge from manual workflows into structured guidance that Claude can leverage when working with the Blender MCP. Rather than relying on automated remeshing (which rarely produces optimal results), this skill teaches the fundamental principle that all retopology reduces to three shapes: Circles, Rectangles, and Cylinders.

What It Does

• Guides topology island creation: Break complex models into manageable feature-based regions
• Provides edge flow patterns: 4-to-2, 3-to-1, and 2-to-1 reduction patterns for connecting islands
• Ensures animation-ready meshes: Proper loop placement for deformation at joints
• Maintains quad-only topology: Clean loop cuts without triangles blocking subdivision
• Optimizes polycount: Start minimal, add detail only where needed

When to Use

Trigger phrases include:

• "using BlenderRetopology skill"
• "retopologize", "retopo"
• "reduce polycount", "low poly version"
• "clean topology", "edge loops"
• "quad mesh", "topology islands"
• "animation-ready mesh", "game-ready mesh"

Installation

For Claude Code

1. Download the .skill file from Releases
2. Place in your Claude Code skills directory:

   ~/.claude/skills/blender-retopology.skill
   

3. The skill will auto-load when triggered

Manual Installation

Clone the repository and copy the skill folder:

git clone https://github.com/MushroomFleet/BlenderRetopology-Skill.git
cp -r BlenderRetopology-Skill/blender-retopology ~/.claude/skills/

Usage

Basic Usage

Add the trigger phrase to your prompt before sending instructions to Blender MCP:

Using BlenderRetopology skill, retopologize this sculpted head mesh for animation.

Example Prompts

Full character retopology:

Using BlenderRetopology skill, create a game-ready version of my character sculpt. 
Target 10k polys with proper edge loops at joints.

Specific feature work:

Using BlenderRetopology skill, retopologize just the hand. I need clean topology 
for finger deformation with 8 edges per finger.

Topology repair:

Using BlenderRetopology skill, fix the edge flow around the mouth area. 
The current loops don't support proper lip deformation.

Skill Contents

blender-retopology/
├── SKILL.md                    # Main skill instructions
└── references/
    └── patterns.md             # Detailed edge reduction patterns

SKILL.md

Core workflow guidance including:

• Setup sequence (backup, decimate, shrinkwrap, snap settings)
• The three shapes doctrine (circles, rectangles, cylinders)
• Topology islands strategy
• Connecting islands with pole-based patterns
• Loop cut validation
• Smoothing workflow
• MCP operation mapping
• Troubleshooting common issues

references/patterns.md

Detailed reference material:

• ASCII diagrams for reduction patterns (4-to-2, 3-to-1, 2-to-1)
• Circle fill patterns for various edge counts
• Pole placement guidelines with anatomical locations
• Head and hand topology breakdowns
• Animation-critical loop requirements
• Edge count matching formulas

Core Concepts

The Three Shapes

Shape	Use Case	Key Rule
Circle	Caps, fingers, cylindrical features	Always even edge count
Rectangle	Flat fills, connectors	Loop cut in both directions
Cylinder	Body parts, limbs, torso	Circle caps + rectangular body

Topology Islands

Every model breaks down into islands—self-contained topology regions for major features:

• Face, body, hands, feet, ears (major islands)
• Eyes, mouth, nose (sub-islands within face)
• Individual fingers (sub-islands within hand)

Islands connect using reduction patterns when edge counts don't match.

The 4-to-2 Pattern

The most common connection pattern. Example: connecting 4 fingers (32 edges total) to a palm (18 edges):

1. Connect finger islands horizontally
2. Apply 4-to-2 pattern at joints
3. Verify loop cuts flow correctly

Requirements

• Blender MCP configured and accessible
• Claude Code with skills support enabled

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Areas for improvement:

• Additional anatomical topology breakdowns
• More edge flow pattern diagrams
• Blender version-specific guidance
• Integration examples with specific MCP functions

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

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📚 Citation

Academic Citation

If you use this codebase in your research or project, please cite:

@software{blender_retopology_skill,
  title = {BlenderRetopology-Skill: Manual Retopology Workflow Guidance for Blender MCP},
  author = {Drift Johnson},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://github.com/MushroomFleet/BlenderRetopology-Skill},
  version = {1.0.0}
}

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