Breakdown: Creating a Game-Ready Retro-Futuristic Anomaly Detector

Introduction

Hi! My name is David Makarov (David MK), and I'm a 3D Hard-Surface Artist in the game industry. My 3D journey began around 2018. I started in architectural visualization before transitioning into the game industry as a Weapon, Prop, and Environment Artist. 3D was just a hobby and a way to bring my ideas to life on screen, but over time, it evolved into something much more significant.

Being self-taught, my skills were forged through a fairly conventional path: a mountain of theory from the internet and an even larger mountain of practice. I spent countless hours reading articles, watching videos, and analyzing the work of other artists to figure out how to apply those techniques to my own projects. Step by step, that persistence brought me to where I am today.

Throughout my time in the industry, I've had the opportunity to work on several projects, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl, NVIDIA Omniverse, World of Tanks, and a couple of unannounced AAA titles. In my spare time, I'm always tinkering with new personal projects and looking for ways to push my skills to the next level!

Anomaly Detector

The development of the Anomaly Detector began when I stumbled upon a piece of concept art by an artist known as zsyuan. The mood and atmosphere of the concept immediately struck a chord with me, as a long-time fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Metro series, I knew right away that I had to bring this design to life.

I recognized that the original concept was quite rough and would require some design refinements to work in a 3D space. I reached out to the author to ask for permission to incorporate my own edits and improvements. He not only gave me his blessing but also provided a rough ZBrush sketch to help me interpret the forms more accurately.

For this project, my goal was to create a believable, retro-futuristic version of a detector: a device that clearly has a history but hasn't been completely ravaged by time. I wanted the object to feel tactile, something you'd instinctively want to pick up and hold in your hands.

With that in mind, I focused on finding the perfect balance: making the detector visually compelling and detailed without overdoing the wear and tear. Once the vision was clear, I moved into the preparation phase: a deep dive into the core idea and an extensive gathering of references.

References

I believe that gathering references is perhaps the most critical stage in the development of any asset. Many people make the mistake of relying solely on the "visual library" in their heads, thinking their observation skills are enough to handle everything on their own.

However, the more experienced an artist becomes, the better they understand that our brains are imperfect: we miss countless details, imagine physically impossible things, and rely only on what we've seen before, which, as a rule, isn't much when it comes to a specific type of object.

In this particular case, I wasn't working with a real-life object but with a conceptual idea, which made the task even more complex and required intense focus and careful interpretation. My first step for any project is to gather a massive amount of references, usually between 100 and 500.

For the detector, I collected 410 references. I categorized them into groups for better organization and optimization. Finally, I studied each reference and considered how it could be applied within the context of the idea.

I analyze references in three stages:

• Perception: Silhouette, design, complexity, readability, etc.
• Construction and Logic: Forms, fit, joints, manufacturing methods, etc.
• Materials: Material types, colors, roughness, compatibility, variety, etc.

Sometimes, I write down key nuances in my notes after analyzing the references so I don't forget them later. Once the references are gathered, categorized, and analyzed, I move on to creating the base form.

The Blockout

This is the base form that helps you understand how the object is perceived in 3D space and whether the design feels compelling in volume. Here is what I focus on during this phase:

• Silhouette Readability: Is the object's outline clear and easily understood?
• Visual Interest: Does the silhouette look engaging from different angles?
• Proportions and Scale: Are the scales of the overall object and individual components accurate?
• Design Improvements: Can any aspect of the design be pushed further?

When building a blockout, I work from large forms down to the small ones. I start with large primitives, followed by shape refinement and medium details, finally adding the micro-details that complete the silhouette and make the object "pop".

Throughout this process, I constantly cross-reference the concept with my research to ensure accuracy. However, I allow myself to deviate from the original idea when it improves the final result.

I also strive to keep the geometry as simple as possible, avoiding complex topology at this stage, so I can return and quickly adjust the forms if needed. Be patient and take your time. Constructing a high-quality blockout is an essential condition for the success of your project. Many artists rush through this stage, sacrificing form and silhouette for speed.

However, the brain processes silhouette and form first. Modeling quality and textures only follow later. I view reference gathering and the draft phase as the foundation, while modeling, texturing, and presentation are the final polish. Once the draft is finalized and I'm happy with the results, I move on to the high-poly stage.

High-Poly

As with the previous stages, I won't dive into every technical minutia or describe the entire step-by-step process. Instead, I'll highlight a few points I consider most critical to the final result. Once the blockout is finished and I'm satisfied with the overall forms, I begin the detailed refinement of each element.

1. Logical Transitions

First and foremost, I focus on joints and transitions. They must be logical and readable from a distance, visually separating one part from another. A common mistake for many beginners and even some experienced artists is simply "clipping" one part into another or making transitions too subtle, which significantly hurts the viewer's perception of the object's construction.

2. The Art of the Chamfer

Next, I add chamfers (bevels), and there are two key nuances here:

• Player Perspective: Always evaluate your chamfers from the distance a player would see them, they must be "readable". Sometimes it is appropriate to exaggerate them to make the form more defined.
• Material Character: Remember that chamfer thickness depends heavily on the material. Polymer, plastic, and metal all react differently to wear and manufacturing. You convey the "feel" of a material partly through the character of its bevels.

3. Storytelling Through Damage

After the base high-poly is set, I add chips and damage in specific areas to break up boring straight lines and inject a sense of history into the object. I tried not to go overboard here, as the goal was to maintain the detector's overall integrity and "clean" functional look.

For these details, I used brushes like Mallet Fast and Orb Brushes. I decided to damage the large cable, adding a tear at a high-stress bending point to reveal the internal wiring. This small touch made a previously "boring" straight silhouette much more interesting.

4. Layering the Focal Point

The screen area is a high-focus zone, so it needed to look diverse and "layered". I built this area using distinct components: Glass, Rubber Gasket, Metal Frame, and Main Body Housing. This complexity ensures that during the texturing and lighting stages, the screen area looks visually complex and realistic.

Workflow

For modeling, I primarily stick to Blender and ZBrush using standard polygonal modeling and sculpting methods. Nothing revolutionary. Though for specific cases, I might reach for Plasticity or Marvelous Designer. Once the chamfers, detailing, and transitions are finalized, and the damage is sculpted, I move on to the low-poly and UV unwrapping stages.

Low-Poly & UV

In this stage, I create the low-poly model, though in my case, it's closer to a "mid-poly" mesh. For personal projects, I don't strictly limit myself to a polycount budget. I'd rather spend that time on artistic decisions than over-optimizing topology, especially when creating hero assets intended for close-up renders like this Detector.

1. Planning for Close-ups

When creating assets for close-up shots, it is vital to avoid visible "stepping" or jagged edges on curved surfaces. My golden rule is to evaluate the curvature from the distance of the intended final render. I position the camera close to the geometry, and if the silhouette looks blocky, I add more segments. This is a common pitfall for many artists: angular geometry in a high-resolution close-up can immediately break the immersion.

Tip: Don't be stingy with polygons for your portfolio pieces. Save the aggressive optimization for production work. It's always better to have a bit more than too little.

2. Modeling Workflow

I use three simple techniques for my low-poly/mid-poly creation:

• Primitive Wrapping: Building new geometry using primitives around the high-poly model.
• Refining the Blockout: Utilizing the earlier blockout mesh and adding subdivisions where necessary.
• Traditional Retopology: Drawing polygons directly over the high-poly surface using snapping.

Once the mid-poly is ready, I remove unnecessary edges to reduce the count and, more importantly, to optimize space for the upcoming UV unwrap.

3. UV Mapping & Texel Density

For the unwrapping process, I use RizomUV for its extensive toolset and speed. For packing, I rely on the UVPackmaster plugin for Blender. The final result consists of two texture sets with a texel density of approximately 65px/cm (2K texture).

When it comes to UVs, I believe Texel Density (TD) management is key:

• Maximize Overall Density: This directly impacts the crispness of your textures. Always aim for the highest value possible within your constraints.
• Prioritize Focus Areas: I increased the texel density for the screen, glass, and memory card by 50% to ensure these high-interest zones look sharp even in extreme close-ups.
• Optimize Hidden Surfaces: For areas that are rarely seen by the player or viewer, I reduce the TD by 50-100% to save space for the more visible shells.

4. Baking

Finally, I perform a standard bake of the Normal, Curvature, and AO Maps in Marmoset Toolbag. After checking for any artifacts or bugs, I move on to the texturing phase.

Texturing

Now, let's move on to what I consider the most exciting and creative stage: texturing. This is where we truly breathe life into the asset.

1. Preparation and "Texture Blockout."

My process always begins with preparation. I return to my references once more to analyze the specific materials and narrative elements I want to incorporate. I also prepare all necessary decals in advance for the detector. This included stickers, handwritten markings, and the display interface.

I start with a quick material pass to evaluate the color composition, material readability, and overall balance. The colors must look harmonious even at this early stage. I immediately place color accents, yellow and red, for this device to ensure the composition feels cohesive rather than dull. Think of this as the "blockout" for your textures. If the model looks boring in its "clean" state, it's better to fix the color palette now before getting lost in the details.

2. Surface Contrast

It is crucial to remember that in real life, every material has a distinct level of roughness: wood, metal, plastic, and rubber all react to light differently. I always define my base Roughness values at the start and verify them in a real-time renderer like Marmoset Toolbag or Unreal Engine. In my Detector, you can see how different components maintain varied base Roughness levels to ensure they are visually distinct.

3. Edge Wear and Manual Polish

For edge wear, I typically start with a base generator (like Gun Edges or Old Paint Cracks) to mask out initial damage. I make sure to place wear in logical areas where it would naturally occur through use.

To add depth to the paint, I slightly increase the Roughness and lighten the color at the edges to simulate weathering. I also added a subtle Height/Bump effect to the paint edges using anchor points and masks to make them feel thick and layered. Finally, I manually paint in scratches using the Project tool with various alpha textures.

Tip: Never rely solely on generators. Use them as a foundation, but dedicate time to manual hand-painting to make the asset feel less procedural.

4. Buttons and Screen

Since buttons are frequent contact points, I reduced the Roughness on the protruding edges to simulate the "polished" look caused by skin oils and friction. I also slightly desaturated the red color to show fading.

I used two layers of geometry: the display and the protective glass. For the display, I applied a custom UI texture created in Photoshop, added a CRT filter, and an Emissive glow. For the glass, I added transparency and a crack texture. I placed the crack in the corner so it serves as a narrative accent without distracting from the primary screen information.

5. Decals and Final Pass

I placed my pre-made decals and added a slight bump to their edges so they don't look perfectly flat. For the handwritten marker and pen notes, I slightly blurred the edges to simulate how ink reacts to moisture over time. I also added "edge dirt" where the stickers meet the body, as grime naturally accumulates in those crevices.

The final touch was adding a unifying layer of dust and dirt across the entire model.

Constant Verification

Throughout the texturing process, I check the model in the engine every 15–20 minutes. I set up a basic studio lighting scene to ensure that the textures hold up under different lighting conditions and that nothing looks "broken" or inconsistent.

Presentation

Before diving into the presentation, I try to imagine the final look and feel of the project. For the Anomaly Detector, I definitely wanted a light-themed presentation with soft studio lighting. I typically handle my presentation in Marmoset Toolbag. After importing the model and setting up the materials, I pick a studio-themed HDRI map and begin adjusting the camera and light sources.

1. Camera and Composition

My first step is determining the focal length. Photographers often use 80–100mm for product visualization. I chose 80mm for the general hero shots and 120mm for close-ups. This allows me to maintain accurate proportions without significant perspective distortion.

Tip: In general, if you want to understand how to present your work effectively, I highly recommend learning from professional photographers. Study product photography articles, watch tutorials, and talk to photographers. These experts truly understand how to "sell" an object visually.

2. Lighting Logic

For the light sources, I used a standard 3-point lighting setup with additional accents to emphasize the form. Regarding temperature, I balanced a neutral/cold overall tone with warm rim lighting. My lighting breakdown:

• Fill Light: A low-brightness HDRI map to soften shadows.
• Key Light: A large light source that defines the primary volume and shadows.
• Top Rim Light: Adds interesting highlights and visual depth.
• Bottom Rim Light: Makes the render feel more alive and balances the warm/cold hues.

I chose a classic white plaster background without high-contrast details to ensure it wouldn't distract from the asset.

3. Close-ups and Depth of Field

For close-ups, I used high Depth of Field values to simulate a real camera lens and focus the viewer's attention on specific details, such as the screen, buttons, or decals. I also decided to combine some of these into diptychs in the final presentation to avoid cluttering the project with too many individual renders. In a typical project, I render 50–70 shots from various angles and focus points. I then select the best 10–15 renders for post-processing.

4. Post-Processing

For post-processing, I use Luminar Neo. It contains all the necessary tools for quick and effective render enhancement:

• Balancing highlights and shadows.
• Adjusting brightness and contrast.
• Adding sharpness.
• Creating a subtle vignette.
• Applying a light film-grain filter.

I believe post-processing should be the "cherry on top" of an already high-quality raw render, like a well-chosen spice for a dish. Practice moderation and aim to enhance your renders, not over-process them.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, I want to say that this project has been an incredibly valuable experience for me, both in terms of crafting a hero-asset and infusing my own creative vision into an existing concept. I truly enjoyed the process, and it was a pleasure to challenge myself with such a unique and non-traditional task.

While I wouldn't say the development of the detector presented any major technical hurdles, it did offer a fresh perspective on how to apply the skills I already possess. But in the context of creative refinement and pushing the concept further, I certainly learned some vital lessons, including understanding form integrity, designing for ergonomics, creating layering, color accentuation, material harmony, balanced detailing, and, most importantly, storytelling through detail.

If you were to ask me, "What exactly makes a piece of work compelling and interesting?", I would answer with a single word: Storytelling. If you look at the core of good cinema, games, painting, or music, they are always telling a story. A game asset is simply a small story within a larger one. This narrative manifests in the details that we often label as "imperfections" in real life or simply overlook.

Every scratch, every bit of wear, every sticker, or crack tells us something about the object. This is what breathes life into it and transmits emotion. When a viewer looks at an object and feels a connection, it's not just because of the technical execution, it's because of the narrative you've embedded within it. Our task as artists is to engage the audience's imagination to its fullest.

We want them to see a crack on the screen and unconsciously wonder: "How did that happen? What's the story here?" We want them to see a weathered sticker and think: "This thing has been through a lot". You are essentially building a scene that exists beyond the frame, directly in the mind of the viewer.

I truly believe that when creating any asset, your goal as an author is not just to copy forms and materials from references, but to act as the director and writer of that object. Every element, button, scratch, or chip should prompt the questions: "What happened to it?" "Who used this?" "How was it used?" This is how your work gains the depth that makes it truly worth exploring.

I hope this breakdown inspires you to look beyond simple modeling and dedicate more attention to visual storytelling. Remember that it is through these details and stories that an object finds its unique soul and truly comes to life. Thank you and good luck with your projects!

David MK, 3D Hard-Surface Artist

Interview conducted by Emma Collins