Creating a Detailed 20th Century Colt with ZBrush and Substance 3D

Introduction

Hello Everyone! My name is Rajan Verma, and I'm a 25-year-old 3D Artist with five years of experience in the gaming industry. I currently work at Mandali Games in Dehradun, India.

My love for games began when I received my first Super Mario game as a birthday gift from my parents. I spent countless hours playing it, along with other classics like Duck Hunt and 9999999 in 1 games. Video games became a huge part of my life as I grew up.

At first, I was interested in software engineering, but after my exams, I had a three-month break during which I played games a lot. That's when my curiosity struck: How are these games actually made? This question sparked a deep passion in me, and I knew that my future career would definitely involve something creative.

That moment became the turning point in my life. I started exploring the gaming industry, researching courses, and then pursued a B.Sc in Animation. From there, I dived into everything I could find about game development. Looking back, it was the best decision I ever made.

I began my professional journey in the game industry in 2020, and over the past five years, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of amazing projects across different genres and styles.

I strive to create detailed, optimized, and immersive game-ready assets that seamlessly integrate into diverse game environments.

Interest in Weapon Art

I'm not usually drawn to creating weapon art, as it's not my primary area of interest. However, for this particular project, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and design a small weapon model. My main goal was to refine my texturing skills by working on a detailed and realistic asset. Additionally, I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the entire weapon creation process, from modeling and UV mapping to material application and rendering. This project served as both a technical exercise and a learning experience, helping me expand my skill set in areas I haven't explored as much before.

The Colt 1908 Project

I wanted to explore weapon creation, so I decided to do some research and start with a small weapon project. My goal was to better understand the materials and texturing techniques involved in weapon design. While searching for references, I came across these particular ones, which immediately caught my attention, and I decided to bring them to life in 3D.

Work with References

I love the research phase – it's like being a detective, uncovering the small details that bring an asset to life. I dive deep into gathering as many reference images and bits of information as possible and organizing them into categories based on shape, size, material, and function. This process isn't only about collecting images; it's about dissecting them to understand how objects are built and interact with their environment and how they are used in real life.

Each image tells a story – revealing subtle variations in proportions, wear patterns, and how different materials respond to light and aging. The more I analyze, the better I grasp the nuances that make an object feel authentic. Having solid references isn’t just helpful; it’s essential. They serve as a roadmap, guiding me toward creating props and assets that aren’t just visually appealing but also grounded in reality. The difference between a decent model and a truly believable one often lies in the depth of research behind it.

TIP: Never limit yourself to photos of your product in every aspect. Always find similar coatings and be able to analyze the physical properties of products. This will help you avoid the problem of insufficient photos to create microfractures.

The software I used:
. Autodesk Maya
. ZBrush
. Marvelous Designer
. Rizom Unfold 3D
. Adobe Substance 3D Painter
. Marmoset Toolbag

Modeling

I began the modeling process by blocking out the basic shapes, ensuring the overall proportions were accurate from the start. This initial phase was crucial in establishing the model's foundation, allowing me to focus on its structure before diving into the finer details. Throughout this step, I constantly referred to my gathered references, carefully analyzing shapes, angles, and key design elements to maintain accuracy.


Once the primary forms were in place, I moved on to refining the model with a more detailed approach. I adjusted each component, ensuring it closely matched the reference images while maintaining an optimized topology suitable for game development. I took extra care in balancing detail with performance efficiency.

I paid special attention to rounded shapes, adding additional segments where necessary to ensure smooth curves without compromising the model's optimization. This was particularly important for close-up shots, where harsh edges or visible polygons could break the immersion.

For the gun case, I created the model entirely in Maya. I didn't use the ZBrush pass for this one because I aimed to get the result from textures only and carefully blocking out the main shape while maintaining proper proportions according to my reference image.

I used Marvelous Designer to create the cloth element, as it provided an efficient and realistic way to simulate fabric. The software allowed me to achieve natural folds, draping, and wrinkles, making the cloth look true to real-world physics.
Once the cloth was finalized, I integrated it into my scene, enhancing the composition for rendering.

TIP: Software is just a tool – the real magic lies in creativity. Use what works best for you and craft something extraordinary! 

High-Poly

After finalizing the detailed mesh in Maya with support loops and subdivision, I imported it into ZBrush for refinement. There, I added patterns, imperfections, edge damages, and scratches to enhance realism, giving the model a more natural and worn look.

TIP: Feel free to check out this channel for various topology tips and techniques. I have also used these in my work. I hope you find some useful insights there!

When working in ZBrush, it's essential to utilize layers and the morph target option for each sub-tool to maintain flexibility throughout the sculpting process. These features allow for non-destructive workflow adjustments.

Then, I started working on subtle edge damages to make it look natural and aged. For the imperfections, I relied on very basic brushes, such as the DamStandard, Trim Dynamics, and Standard. 
 

I have used a font in Painter instead of adding it in ZBrush because there, I have the freedom to adjust its intensity, transform, and scale whenever I want.

Low-poly & UVs

As I mentioned earlier, I optimized my base mesh during the initial modeling phase, keeping it low-poly from the start. This approach allowed me to reuse most of it without the need to rebuild a separate low-poly version, saving valuable time while maintaining an efficient and game-ready topology.

After finishing the low-poly model, ensure a clean and optimized mesh by checking for ngons, flipped normals, and overlapping geometry before moving forward.
You can also check what I used for cleanups before baking:


Once I completed all the necessary points, ensuring the model was clean and optimized, I moved on to unwrapping. Many automatic UV packing plug-ins in the market give good results quickly. For this, I packed the pistol and magazine mesh separately and manually. I used one texture sheet for the pistol and half for the magazine. 

While unwrapping, I carefully place seams in less visible areas, minimize UV islands, and add seams along sharp bends and hard edges where needed. I also keep UVs relaxed and straight to prevent distortions and bake artifacts, ensuring clean and efficient texturing.

For the magazine sheet, I optimized the UV layout by efficiently packing the UVs into half of the texture sheet while ensuring they were properly scaled within the 0-1 UV space. This approach allowed me to achieve a higher texel density, ensuring the textures remained sharp and detailed without unnecessary stretching or blurriness.

NOTE: Don't forget to change the map resolution in baking software and also change the texture sheet resolution in Painter to use grunge, procedurals, and other details properly.

Baking

For this, I used Marmoset Toolbag for baking. It's very simple and easy to use. Marmoset Toolbag offers clear, well-documented tutorials that make learning effortless.

First, I created separate files for texturing – one with all meshes combined as a reference and another with multiple copies of the mesh separated and rotated at different angles to get a better view while painting. This setup helped me achieve more natural-looking textures.

Texturing

Texturing is my favorite part – this is where an object truly comes to life! I've been using Substance 3D Painter for a few years now, and it has become an essential tool in my workflow.

Having a strong understanding of real-world materials is a major advantage. Observing how surfaces wear over time, develop scratches, accumulate dirt, and show subtle color variations helps create realistic and believable textures. I designed an image containing text and a logo, which I later used as a stencil to add fine details.

Before starting with texturing, I like to set my viewport. Here is a link to a good tutorial by William Faucher on how to set your viewport in Substance 3D Painter.

Plastic Material

So, I began texturing with plastic material, and I made sure to add all additional height details at the bottom of the material stack if needed. I started with the plastic material with a base layer, which has some roughness and color, according to the references.

When texturing in Substance 3D Painter, always name your layers clearly and stack them logically based on how real-world materials age and interact with their environment. For example, if you place a new bucket outdoors, it will first fade and discolor due to sun exposure, then develop subtle edge wear from use, and later accumulate dust and dirt. This layered approach ensures realism in texturing. Once the base is set, you can add storytelling details like scratches, worn-out areas, and subtle finger marks, making the asset feel truly lived-in.


For this project, I crafted every material from scratch, avoiding pre-made smart materials to maintain full creative control. Along the way, I also incorporated tips and techniques from Adrien Roose's articles and Artruism Digital's YouTube tutorials, which helped refine my understanding and approach toward realistic texturing.

Metal Material

For the metal texture, I followed the same approach as I did for the plastic material – starting with a solid base and then adding roughness variations and color shifts to create a more natural and realistic look. This layering method helps in achieving depth, making the material feel more believable and true to life.

After adding details, I applied a fill layer, disabled all channels, and set its height blending mode to "pass-through." This allowed me to use anchor points for precise edge wear, dirt buildup, and additional details. Anchor points are incredibly useful as they can be referenced in multiple layers to maintain consistency. I also placed additional anchors in lower layers to use them later when refining textures.

When creating any artwork, the key is to follow a structured approach – starting with primary forms, moving to secondary details, and finishing with tertiary refinements. The same applies to texturing. I began with the base metal, as it forms the largest and most essential part of the prop, setting the foundation for all other materials.

I also used stencils to bring the textures even closer to real-life references. Stencils are an incredibly powerful and easy-to-use tool in texturing, allowing for precise detail placement and natural imperfections.

For this project, I incorporated some amazing stencils from Klym Yatsenko, which are free to use and highly effective in adding authentic surface details. These helped me refine the textures with realistic wear, markings, and surface variations, enhancing the overall quality of the final asset. 

TIP: Dust is often less noticeable on the Albedo Map than on the roughness map, so always focus on roughness variations to make it feel more natural. Pay close attention to the scale of hairs and dust particles – they should be visible from a distance but not overly long or too bright. Using a variety of dust types and patterns adds depth and realism to your textures, so don't hesitate to experiment!

Here's the approach I used for adding text to metal directly in texturing, instead of sculpting it in ZBrush, as I mentioned earlier. This method gave me more control over its placement, depth, and wear while keeping the workflow non-destructive. By using Height Maps, roughness variations, and subtle edge wear, I was able to integrate the text naturally into the surface, making it feel like a realistic engraving or paint detail.

For the magazine, I followed the same texturing approach as before. I started by creating the base metal, incorporating discolorations and a usage pass to reflect natural wear. Then, I applied a spray-coated paint layer, adding subtle usage marks and wear patterns to enhance realism. This method helped me achieve a believable, real-life appearance.

Gun Case

I began the cardboard texture using a Megascans material as the base to achieve a realistic foundation. From there, I enhanced it by adding grunge details, roughness variations, and subtle height adjustments to capture the natural imperfections of worn cardboard. To give it an authentic touch, I also included pen markings and other subtle details, making it feel more used and story-driven.

For the paper texture, I started with a simple plane, folding it naturally to match real-life behavior. Then, I baked it in Painter to capture the form accurately. Next, I built the texture by applying a base color, followed by a usage pass to simulate wear and tear. To enhance realism, I used the opacity channel to create subtle torn or frayed edges, making the paper look aged and well-used.

Rendering

I used the amazing and handy tool Marmoset Toolbag 5 for the lighting and rendering. During my research, I came across an inspiring reference image that caught my attention. It aligned perfectly with an idea I had in mind – to present the pistol in an antique-themed display. I decided to bring this vision to life by carefully crafting the scene, ensuring that the lighting, composition, and materials all contributed to the vintage aesthetic. The reference served as an added inspiration, helping me refine the final look and feel of the presentation. 

To achieve consistent and accurate results in Marmoset Toolbag, I used the same HDRI images I had previously set up in Substance 3D Painter. This helped me maintain a uniform lighting environment, ensuring that the materials, reflections, and overall look remained as close as possible to the original texture work.

Here are the render settings I used for both separate compositions and still renders:

These settings helped me achieve high-quality, polished renders, ensuring the final presentation looked cinematic and visually appealing:

Resolution:  Specify the resolution you used, e.g., 4K for high-quality output
Sampling:  Number of samples for clean and noise-free renders
Ray Tracing/GI:  Enabled for realistic lighting and reflections
Shadow Quality:  High for crisp, realistic shadows
Bloom & Post Effects:  Used for a subtle glow and cinematic feel
Depth of Field: Adjusted for a more dynamic and focused composition

In this final stage, I focused on polishing my renders and video presentations. For image post-processing, I used a bit of Photoshop to enhance colors, contrast, and overall presentation. For video rendering, I worked in Wondershare Filmora, where I compiled Marmoset-rendered clips, added a brief project introduction, and seamlessly stitched everything together.

To elevate the visual appeal, I incorporated subtle particle dust effects and a vintage cinematic touch, giving the final presentation a refined and immersive feel.

Conclusion

This project was a meaningful journey that helped me refine my skills in prop creation and presentation. It reignited my passion for art, inspiring me to push my future projects even further.

Never give up on your ideas halfway through is my main advice to beginners. I know a huge number of extremely talented artists, my colleagues, who make amazing works but refuse to finish them in the final stages. At such moments, I feel a great resentment that such beauty, capable of inspiring and surprising, will never be seen.

What I have learned from my time in 3D is that, unfortunately, or fortunately, truly inspiring work can only be created by endlessly working on yourself and your mistakes and by constantly moving forward.

If anyone has any doubts or questions, you can join my Discord server, where me and my friends and other artists can help you in case of feedback, discussion, ideas, etc. We built this 3D community so passionate artists could have a place to hang out with other artists, seek help, share their knowledge, and expand their skills in a collaborative environment.

I'm truly grateful to Gloria Levine and the 80 Level team for the opportunity to share my work and to my friends for their invaluable support and feedback. 

I hope this article provides valuable insights and inspires you in your own creative journey. Thank you, my amazing audience, for taking the time to read it!

Rajan Verma, 3D Artist