Modeling · Intermediate

Remesh

Rebuilding a whole mesh automatically with new, evenly spaced faces

Also called Remeshing, Voxel remesh, Quad remesh

What is remeshing in 3D?

Remeshing is replacing a model’s entire surface with a fresh, evenly spaced mesh made automatically. Where decimation removes some faces, a remesh keeps none of the old ones. It fixes stretched, overlapping or uneven geometry, which is why sculptors remesh often and why it makes a quick first pass before retopology.

Think of it like this

Think of laying fresh, even tiles over a cracked, patchy floor. The room keeps its shape, but every tile is new and the same size.

Where it fits in a 3D project

  1. Create
  2. Surface
  3. Rig
  4. Animate
  5. Render
  6. Export

Create: Building the shape: modeling, sculpting, scanning or generating it.

How remeshing works

  1. 01You choose a detail size, such as a voxel size or a target face count.
  2. 02The software measures the old shape, often as a volume of tiny cubes.
  3. 03It builds a brand-new surface of even faces over that shape.
  4. 04The old mesh is discarded, along with its holes and stretched faces.

Remesh vs retopology

PropertyRemeshRetopology
Done byAn automatic toolAn artist, sometimes with helper tools
Edge flowEven, ignores how the model bendsPlanned around joints and features
SpeedSecondsHours for a character
Used forSculpting and quick cleanupFinal animation-ready models

Remesh while you are still shaping a model; retopologize once the shape is final and the model needs to animate well.

Where remeshing is used

  • Evening out stretched faces in the middle of a sculpt
  • Merging overlapping parts into one closed shell
  • Giving scans and AI models a cleaner base mesh

Beginner tip

Remesh before you sculpt fine detail. A coarse remesh wipes out small wrinkles, so save sharp details for your last sculpting pass.

Terms related to remeshing

Remesh FAQ

Voxel remesh vs quad remesh: which should I use?
Voxel remesh rebuilds the shape from tiny cubes, giving a dense, even grid that is ideal while sculpting. Quad remesh aims for fewer, larger four-sided faces that follow the form, which makes a better starting point for retopology.
Why remesh a sculpt?
Pulling and stretching digital clay spreads faces thin in some places and bunches them in others. A remesh spreads them evenly again, so brushes behave the same everywhere.
Does remeshing remove UVs?
Yes. A remesh builds new faces, so UVs, vertex colors and anything tied to the old faces are lost. Remesh first, then unwrap, or bake the old textures onto the new mesh.

Updated October 29, 2026 · Browse all 3D terms