This sci-fi gun model was created as a personal project in order to practice hard-surface modeling, building props from limited reference, and preparing game-ready assets.
A turntable of the final asset, recorded in Unreal Engine 4
The Concept
The asset was based on a piece of concept art from the film District 9. I'm not sure if the prop was used in the final film or if it even got past the concept stage. But I thought it had a unique style, a good mix of details, and enough complexity to be a challenging model.
This graphic was the only reference I could find for the weapon.
Models
Hi-Poly Mesh
I started by modeling a high-poly version using a subdivision workflow. Some details that were not visible in the original artwork were added.
Low-Poly Mesh
A low-poly final mesh was created using the un-smoothed subdivison meshes as a base. In some cases, low-res geometry was pulled from smoothed, high-poly meshes or built from scratch. It was important during this step to consider which details needed to remain as geometry and which could be incorporated as texture features. I also tried to consider the hypothetical context for this asset — a shooter game — and which elements might be more visible to a player holding the weapon.
The final mesh uses 9828 tris.
Materials
Normal and ID maps were baked out of Maya in batches, in order to avoid conflicts from overlapping search envelopes, and combined using Photoshop. These resources were then brought into Substance Painter, where all of the materials were defined and created. Decals were added using a combination of techniques including custom stamps, projection, and hand-painted details. Scratches, rust, and dirt were the final touch to add detail and depth to the asset.
A breakdown of the material layers. Initial normal and ID maps were baked in Maya; final textures were created in Substance Painter.
Final Asset
The following images were captured in Unreal Engine 4
