▶Quick start
Install
- Download
nextopo-1.0.0-windows-x64.zip. Don't unzip it. - In Blender go to Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions, open the ▾ menu at the top right and choose Install from Disk…
- Pick the zip. The remesh engine is inside it: nothing else to install, no path to set.
The first time the engine runs, Windows SmartScreen may warn that the program is new and unsigned. Choose More info → Run anyway, once.
First remesh
- Select a mesh in Object Mode.
- Press N in the 3D Viewport and open the NexTopo tab.
- Set Target Quads to roughly the density you want and click Remesh.
- The result arrives as a preview. Click Accept to keep it or Discard to throw it away.
⚡Flow - the one-click engine
Flow, the default engine, lays quads along the shape of the surface at an even density. It chooses its own settings, so there is nothing to tune: set roughly how many quads you want and press Remesh.
How to use
- Select the mesh and set Target Quads.
- Click Remesh. Progress shows in the panel; Esc or Cancel stops it cleanly.
- Look at the preview and the Last result box: face count and quad share.
- Not right? Change the count and press Remesh Again. The preview is replaced, no undo needed.
Options
| Target Quads | Roughly how many faces you want. Flow retries toward it on its own. |
|---|---|
| Engine | Flow (default), or QuadriFlow / Feature-line for manual control (see Advanced). |
| Preview Result | On by default. Off applies the result directly. |
| Use Modifiers | Remesh the mesh with its modifier stack applied. |
| Symmetry | Remesh one half about a local axis and mirror it, for an exactly symmetric result. |
⧉Multi-part models, part by part
A prop is rarely one closed surface. Every separate piece gets its own remesh and its own share of the quad budget, so small parts such as buttons, rivets and straps come out as quads instead of being swallowed. Identical copies, such as a pair of eyes or two matching skulls, get identical topology.
The count is a target, not a guarantee. On models with many small parts Flow may spend more quads than asked so those parts stay intact.
▦Hard surface
On mechanical models each part may switch to the engine that keeps its edges best, but only when that result is sound: no new hole, nothing cut off, and clearly better on a quality check.
◐Sculpts and game assets
Organic and stylised models get even, flowing quads that are ready for subdivision, rigging or a game engine.
✔Built not to get in your way
Runs outside Blender
The solver is a separate program. A mesh that defeats it returns an error instead of taking your unsaved scene down with it.
Repair first
Non-manifold edges, inconsistent normals, near-duplicate vertices and small cracks are repaired before the remesh, so real-world input works. Openings you modelled on purpose stay open.
Preview, then decide
The original stays hidden under the preview. Accept keeps the result as a new object; Discard brings the original back.
Your data carried over
Material slots, per-face material assignment and smooth/flat shading come across to the new mesh.
Repeatable
The same mesh with the same settings gives the same result every time on your machine, however many CPU cores it uses.
Fully offline
No account, no activation, no licence server. The add-on makes no network connections, and your meshes never leave your computer.
Survives Blender updates
The add-on is pure Python and the engine is a standalone program, so one install covers Blender 4.2 through 5.2.
Bake Base Color
After a remesh, bake the original's base colour onto the result as a new texture (needs Cycles).
✎Advanced: steer it by hand
Switch Options → Engine to QuadriFlow or Feature-line and you get the full set of controls: presets, hard-edge preservation with an adjustable angle, match-target refinement, and the painting tools. Flow is automatic and does not read paint.
How to use
- Open Options and set Engine to QuadriFlow or Feature-line.
- Pick a Preset: Organic / Sculpt, Hard-surface / CAD, Scan Cleanup or Game-ready.
- Remesh once, then open Advanced: Refine (paint) where the flow is wrong.
- Paint, then Remesh Again.
Painting tools (full edition)
| Guide edges | In Edit Mode, select edges that show the flow you want and click Set Guides. |
|---|---|
| Freehand brush | Drag on the surface in Object Mode to paint flow direction or density. [ ] change the radius. |
| Density paint | Select vertices and click Set Density to make that region finer than the rest. |
| Symmetry | Mirror what you paint across X, Y, Z or any combination. |
＋Free and full editions
Two downloads, no licence key, no activation, no expiry. NexTopo Free is the same add-on and the same engine with two limits. At or below 5,000 quads both produce byte-for-byte the same result.
| Free | Full | |
|---|---|---|
| Output quads | up to 5,000 | unlimited |
| Guide edges, freehand brush, density paint | - | ✓ |
| Flow, repair, presets, preview, materials, symmetry | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commercial use of your results | ✓ | ✓ |
Installing the full zip replaces the free one in place; your preferences and painted attributes are kept.
?FAQ
How is this different from Blender's built-in QuadriFlow remesh?
The built-in remesher refuses a lot of real geometry: non-manifold input, inconsistent normals, near-duplicate vertices. NexTopo repairs the mesh first, remeshes each separate part on its own budget, previews the result before replacing anything, and carries materials and shading across.
Is it all quads?
Almost: 98.8 to 100 % quads across our 13-model test set. The rest is a handful of other faces where the layout needs them.
Can I paint where the edge loops go?
Yes, on the QuadriFlow and Feature-line engines, in the full edition. The default Flow engine is automatic and does not read paint.
Will my UVs survive?
Don't count on them. A remesh replaces the topology your UVs were built on, so plan to re-unwrap or re-bake for production. Materials and shading do survive.
Does it need an internet connection?
No: not to install, not to activate, not to run.
Is it a subscription?
No. One-time purchase, perpetual, and you may use the results in commercial work.
macOS or Linux?
Not in this release. Windows x64 only.
It's slow on a huge mesh.
Remesh time scales with the input size. Decimate a multi-million-triangle scan first, or be patient; progress is shown and Cancel stops it cleanly.
✓Compatibility
| Blender | 4.2 LTS through 5.2 LTS (developed and tested on 5.2) |
|---|---|
| Platform | Windows x64 only |
| Format | Blender Extension (.zip) with the engine bundled, installed from disk |
| Internet | Not required. No data is collected; the add-on only writes temporary mesh files for the engine. |
| License | Add-on: GPL-3.0-or-later. Engine: proprietary, with every third-party licence included in the package. |
◇About
NexTopo is made by Dawid Gerula, a 3D artist and QA analyst building precise, production-grade tools for 3D artists. Questions, or a mesh that defeats it? Send it over: dawidgerulapl@gmail.com.