Pull a horn out of a sphere and the triangles along it stretch until the brush has nothing left to move. Dynamic topology is one of three fixes for that, and the only one that works while the stroke is still going. This post covers what it does, how four sculpting tools implement it, and when one of the other two fixes is the better choice. Re:Form is our tool and one of the four, so weigh that section accordingly.
What is dynamic topology in 3D sculpting?
Dynamic topology is a sculpting mode in which the mesh changes during the stroke: the software splits triangles under the brush where you add detail and collapses them where you smooth. Blender calls it Dyntopo, ZBrush calls it Sculptris Pro, Nomad Sculpt calls it DynTopo, and Re:Form, which is in alpha, calls it Live Topology.
The name is literal. Topology is how a mesh's vertices are connected, and in ordinary sculpting it is fixed: a brush moves vertices around, and the number of triangles and the way they join never change. With dynamic topology on, the connections change too. The brush still pushes the surface, and a second process runs behind it that compares every edge under the cursor with a target length. Edges that are too long get split. Edges that are too short get collapsed.
Blender's manual describes Dyntopo as "a dynamic tessellation sculpting method that automatically adds and removes topology under the brush" (Blender 5.2 LTS manual, as of October 2026). Maxon's ZBrush documentation uses its own word for the combination of tessellation and decimation: Tessimation.
The problem it solves
A sculpting brush can only move vertices that exist. A sphere with 50,000 triangles spread evenly has enough of them for a head shape and nowhere near enough for an eyelid. There are two older ways to get more.
Subdivide. Every triangle becomes four, across the whole model. The eyelid gets its density, and so do the back of the skull and the base of the neck, which did not need it. Two more levels for a sharper lid crease means sixteen times the triangles everywhere. The polygon budget guide has the arithmetic.
Remesh. The surface is rebuilt at an even density that you choose. That repairs stretched triangles after a long pull, and it is still uniform: one resolution for the whole model, set by the smallest feature you care about. It is also a separate step. You stop sculpting, run it, and carry on.
Dynamic topology removes both the uniformity and the stop. Density follows the brush, so a model can carry fine triangles on the face and coarse ones on the torso, and a pulled-out shape gets new geometry as it grows.
How does dynamic topology decide where to add triangles?
Dynamic topology works toward a target edge length, and each tool lets you choose what sets that target. Blender's Dyntopo offers four detail types (Relative, Constant, Brush and Manual), Nomad Sculpt offers Screen, Radius and Constant, ZBrush's Sculptris Pro ties density to brush size by default, and Re:Form's Live Topology uses one Detail slider.
Those names describe three ideas.
- Screen-based detail. The target is measured in pixels, so zooming in gives finer triangles and zooming out gives coarser ones. This is Blender's Relative Detail and Nomad's Screen setting. It feels natural, because you zoom in to do small work anyway. The catch is that a stroke made while zoomed out can coarsen an area you had already refined.
- Brush-based detail. The target follows the brush radius. A large brush makes large triangles and a small brush makes dense ones. This is Sculptris Pro's default, Blender's Brush Detail and Nomad's Radius setting.
- Constant detail. The target is a fixed size in the model's own units, whatever the zoom or the brush. This is the most predictable of the three, and the one to use when you need to know what a stroke will do to the triangle count.
The second choice is direction. Blender's Refine Method can be set to Subdivide Edges, Collapse Edges or both. Nomad has the same three under the names Subdivision, Decimation and Uniformisation. Setting the mode to add-only is a common safeguard: a careless stroke can no longer delete detail you spent time on.
Dynamic topology in four sculpting tools
Details below come from each tool's official documentation, as of October 2026.
| Blender Dyntopo | ZBrush Sculptris Pro | Nomad Sculpt DynTopo | Re:Form Live Topology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Desktop app | Desktop app and iPad | iOS and Android app | Desktop browser |
| What sets the density | Relative, Constant, Brush or Manual detail | Brush size by default | Screen, Radius or Constant | A Detail slider |
| Removes triangles too | Yes, with Collapse Edges or Subdivide Collapse | Yes, decimates during the stroke | Yes, with Uniformisation or Decimation | Yes, with Smooth and Relax |
| Subdivision levels | A separate workflow (Multiresolution) | Model must have none | Existing levels can be lost | Layer must be on a single level |
Blender. Dyntopo is a checkbox in Sculpt Mode's tool settings. It has the widest set of controls of the four, including a flood fill that brings the whole object to one detail size when you use Constant or Manual detail. The manual recommends it for complex base shapes and names Snake Hook, Clay Strips and Density as brushes that suit it.
ZBrush. Sculptris Pro is a global mode, and the brush cursor turns purple when the current model can use it. Density follows Draw Size, which makes it quick to learn: shrink the brush and you get finer triangles. Maxon's documentation says the model must be a PolyMesh3D with no subdivision levels, and that brushes which generate content, such as Insert and Curve brushes, do not work with it. The mode takes its name from Sculptris, a discontinued standalone program built around the same idea.
Nomad Sculpt. DynTopo is a toggle in the Topology menu, and it can then be switched per tool. A Quality or Speed preference decides whether the mesh is refined before the stroke is applied. If you are choosing between Nomad and ZBrush on a tablet, the iPad comparison covers the rest of both apps.
Re:Form. Live Topology arrived in v0.8.7 Alpha and is the newest of the four by years. The 0.8.7 release notes cover it in detail, and there is a summary further down.
Is dynamic topology better than remeshing or subdivision?
Dynamic topology is not better than remeshing or subdivision; it solves a different problem. Use dynamic topology when detail belongs in one area of a model, a voxel remesh when the whole surface needs rebuilding at even density, and subdivision levels when the forms are settled and you want to move between coarse and fine versions.
| Dynamic topology | Voxel remesh | Subdivision levels | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it runs | During every stroke | When you trigger it | When you trigger it |
| Density | Varies across the model | Even everywhere | Even multiple of the base mesh |
| Joins overlapping parts | No | Yes | No |
| Step back down to a coarser version | No | No | Yes |
| Best stage | Concept and blockout, local detail | Blockout, merging parts, repair | Refinement on settled forms |
Voxel remeshing has one thing the others lack. It rebuilds the model as a single closed volume, so a head, a neck and two ears sculpted as overlapping pieces come out as one shell. Dynamic topology only edits the surface it is given. Blender's manual notes that Dyntopo and the Voxel Remesher cannot be used at the same time.
Subdivision levels have the other unique property. You can drop to level 1, fix the proportions, and return to level 4 with the fine work still in place. Dynamic topology produces one mesh at one moment, with no lower level to return to. This is why many artists use it early and switch to levels later. Retopology vs remeshing covers the remeshers and what comes after them.
What do you give up when you turn it on?
Dynamic topology costs speed and mesh data. Blender's manual lists slower performance and says color attributes, UV maps and face sets are lost or corrupted under Dyntopo. ZBrush's Sculptris Pro needs a mesh with no subdivision levels and does not preserve UVs. Re:Form's Live Topology needs a closed mesh on a single subdivision level.
Speed first. A normal stroke moves vertices. A dynamic stroke moves them, measures the edges nearby, splits and collapses some, and repairs the connections, all before the next dab. Every tool pays for this, and it shows on dense meshes.
Then data. Anything stored per vertex or per face has to be carried onto the new triangles, and each tool supports a different list. In Blender the list is short, so paint and face sets are best done after Dyntopo work is finished. ZBrush keeps PolyPaint under Sculptris Pro. Re:Form keeps mask, paint and Mesh Sets with the surface.
Then mesh quality. The result is triangles of mixed sizes. That is fine for sculpting, rendering and 3D printing. It is a poor fit for animation, where edge loops need to follow the anatomy, so a dynamically sculpted character is retopologized before rigging like any other sculpt. Uneven density has a quieter cost as well: a Smooth stroke across the border between fine and coarse triangles can behave differently on each side, and that can show as a faint step.
Last, runaway counts. A small brush with fine detail, dragged across a whole model, can add hundreds of thousands of triangles in a few strokes. Keep the triangle counter in view.
A working routine
- Block out with large triangles. Set the detail coarse and get the proportions right. Dense geometry at this stage only slows the big moves.
- Refine by area. Lower the detail size as you move to the face, the hands, or wherever the viewer will look. Leave the rest coarse.
- Use constant detail when the count matters. Screen-based detail is comfortable. Constant is predictable.
- Switch to add-only before polishing. If your tool has a subdivide-only mode, use it once an area is finished, so a stray stroke cannot thin it out.
- Rebuild when the forms are settled. A remesh or a retopology pass gives you an even mesh, and subdivision levels take over for fine detail from there.
Where Re:Form's Live Topology stands
Live Topology is a switch in the Topology section of Re:Form, which runs in a desktop browser on WebGPU: current Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and Safari 26. With it on, Draw, Inflate and the other building brushes add triangles under the stroke, and Smooth and Relax remove them. Clay, Draw Sharp, Crease, Fissure, Grab and the mask brushes sculpt without changing the triangles. A Detail slider sets the triangle size.
The layer has to be a closed mesh on a single subdivision level, with up to 6 million triangles, or 4 million on the Free plan. On a remeshed model the quads stay quads except where a stroke changes them. Undo and redo cover Live strokes, and switching Live on or off starts a new undo history. Subdividing afterward works, so a Live blockout can move on to levels.
It is a first release inside alpha software. Dyntopo and Sculptris Pro have years of refinement behind them and more controls: Re:Form has one slider where Blender has four detail types and a flood fill, and no add-only setting. The subdivision and detail guide is the full reference.
Live Topology is on the Free plan with every other brush and tool. Free covers personal, non-commercial work up to 4 million triangles with OBJ import and export, and needs a sign-in but no card. Pro is $9.99 a month or $99 a year and raises the budget to 80 million triangles, adds STL, GLB and FBX, and includes a commercial license. To try it, open the studio in a browser tab.
FAQ
Does dynamic topology ruin your mesh for animation?
Dynamic topology leaves a mesh made of triangles in mixed sizes, with no edge loops, so it is not ready to rig or animate. That is true of most sculpted meshes, whatever method made them. The usual path is to finish the sculpt, build a clean low-polygon mesh over it by retopology, and bake the sculpted detail onto that mesh as normal maps.
Should beginners sculpt with Dyntopo turned on?
Beginners can sculpt with Blender's Dyntopo on during blockout, because it removes the need to plan resolution before the shape exists. Use Constant Detail so zooming does not change the result, and watch the triangle count. Dyntopo is slower than ordinary sculpting and loses color attributes, UV maps and face sets, per Blender's manual as of October 2026.
Can you use dynamic topology and subdivision levels together?
Dynamic topology and subdivision levels cannot run on the same mesh at once, because levels depend on a fixed base mesh and dynamic topology rewrites it. ZBrush's Sculptris Pro requires a model with no subdivision levels, and Re:Form's Live Topology needs a single level. The common order is dynamic topology first, then a rebuild, then levels.