Creating Retro-Inspired Imaginary Device with Blender & Substance 3D

Introduction

Hi! I’m Ewa Wierbik-Ziąbka, a 3D Artist focused on modeling and texturing, especially detailed props and devices, though I’m not limited to those. Some of you might remember my Leica M2 render, which was featured here previously and later received a Best of Blender Artists 2024 award.

Since that interview, I’ve been refining my style and exploring new directions in personal work, particularly through unique and visually interesting designs. I’ve also been diving deeper into game-related workflows, including learning more about Unreal Engine.

On the educational side, I’m currently creating a new course for CG Cookie, a unique project focused on modeling a vintage-inspired camera. It’s quite different from my earlier tutorials and gives me a chance to share a more design-driven approach. Alongside that, I’ve been expanding my portfolio with original props and a variety of client work.

Inspiration & References

The Synthron 5000 started as a little experiment in pushing myself out of my comfort zone. One day, I heard that being an artist also means coming up with your own concepts. I realized I hadn’t had the chance to do that much. Honestly, I didn’t feel particularly confident in concept creation, but I decided to give it a try anyway… and that’s how the Synthron 5000 was born!

The idea came to me while casually scrolling through Pinterest and ArtStation. I had created a piece based on another artist’s concept, in a similar vibe, and I wanted to keep exploring that “game-console-but-with-a-twist” direction. This time, I ended up combining a radio and a calculator into one quirky little device.

The process was very old-school: just some paper and a pencil. I sketched it out, created a few references (“references” might be a generous word here, but let’s roll with it), and it looked okay enough to take into 3D. After some light design tweaks (“design” is maybe a big word), I did a quick blockout, felt like it worked, and dove into the modeling process from there.

One of the concepts I made was to see if my idea would even work. After finishing modeling, I had to move the keys down to make the whole device able to open and close:

Modeling

I modeled the Synthron 5000 entirely in Blender, starting with a blockout to establish proportions and the overall look of this asset. I used mostly built-in Blender tools like the Bool Tool, LoopTools, and good old-fashioned manual modeling. In this phase, I like to do the “hand work” and avoid add-ons that automate too much – that way, I keep full control over how the mesh looks, especially when planning for high-poly details later on.

For the smaller parts like buttons or even vents on the side, I used Array modifiers and kept everything non-destructive until the unwrapping stage. That gave me a lot of flexibility – I could still adjust the size or shape if something didn’t feel right, and it also made creating the high-poly model much easier.

Arrays in action:

Before unwrapping, I parented the opening part of the device to an empty and rotated both the low-poly and high-poly meshes. This gave me more control in Painter and helped avoid baking issues, especially since the bottom half of the device was supposed to open upward, and I needed to move all the keys and the surface elsewhere to keep things clean during the bake.

Letters on the gamepad were created using a text tool, beveled, and prepared for cutting. After applying the Boolean, I cleaned up the mesh so there were no artifacts or bad shading left:

For all the keys, I created a simple cutter and cut all the elements simultaneously:

The high-poly model was mostly a polished version of the low-poly, with beveled edges and a bit of cleanup. I added surface wear like chipped wood and dirt directly in Substance 3D Painter, so the base mesh didn’t need to carry every small imperfection.

As for the rest of the small elements, I focused on keeping enough detail in the low-poly to support baked hard edges and silhouettes, while keeping things game-engine friendly.

At some point during the modeling process, I also decided to create a game cartridge. It felt like a fun addition – and, honestly, I realized the screen shouldn’t be playing something randomly if there’s no game inside… that would be a little bit suspicious, right?

Retopology & Unwrapping

I didn’t need to fully retopologize the project since I started with a low-poly mesh and added details later to create the high-poly version. That said, I did go back and adjust some geometry to optimize it further and make sure everything was clean and game-ready.

The whole process was a bit tricky because I wanted to keep most of the edges sharp. I used the Mark Sharp by Angle option in Blender, which sped things up a lot. Still, I had to place some seams on non-sharp edges too, since there wasn’t always a cleaner solution.

For unwrapping, I kept the modifiers unapplied as long as possible to stay flexible, then marked seams and organized the islands by logical parts of the device. The next step was to apply some modifiers, especially for the keys – they couldn’t have the same texture. I used UVPackmaster for packing everything efficiently and ZenUV and UV Toolkit to straighten some of the islands.

Some islands had to be straightened, so overall, there’s more space to pack all the islands:

I also tried to maintain proper padding between the islands, especially with the idea that this might end up in Unreal Engine or a similar environment (because I tend to pack them very tightly for non-game objects, which is not necessarily good for game props).

Texturing

In Substance 3D Painter, I started by setting up a few base materials for the main parts: painted wood for the casing, metal for bolts and screws, and plastic for buttons and ports. I prefer building everything from scratch using fill layers and custom masks instead of relying on smart materials – it gives me more control and helps keep things consistent across the asset.

Texturing process in Substance 3D Painter; building the material step by step, starting with base materials and adding more details:

For wear and tear, I used a mix of curvature-driven masks and hand-painted details. I usually begin with subtle edge wear based on Curvature Maps, and then go in manually to highlight areas that would naturally see more use, like the lid edges or cartridge slot. I also hand-painted the fingerprints and dirt on the keys and lower part, because I wanted to show that it had already been used a lot. For the radio parts, the process was similar – a balance of procedural and manual work to keep things believable but not “too much”.

Definitely too clean:

Scratches and smearing were built with a combination of procedural grunge and hand-painted touches. I layered different grunge textures and used anchor points when needed to better control blending. Anchor points add a lot – they allow you to customize almost everything – but it’s important to keep your layers named properly so you always know which layer you’re referencing. That can be tricky, and I remember struggling a bit with a few layers, but I figured it out at the end. Please, name your layers!

I especially enjoyed adding scratches that stripped off the top painted layer of the wood – I created a second, lighter wood material underneath to make it look raw and exposed, like the surface had been worn through over time (or maybe hit by the person using it a bit too much).

For the decals, I used the text tool in Painter with a font I liked. I painted the labels using fill layers and paint layers as masks, then added subtle grunge masks to make the text feel slightly chipped and worn from regular use. Later (after I realized that I needed a cartridge to make this device work), I also made the front and back texture for it – I found some textures/images online that fit the style, tweaked them in Photoshop, and brought them into Painter for projection. And yes, I see that I wrote Synhrron on the timelapse, I corrected it later. No idea why I didn’t see that before.)

Time-lapse of texturing the cartridge:

I usually add the overall dirt and dust layer toward the end of the texturing process to make everything feel cohesive and tied together. This time, I added a bit more staining and grime around the keys since they’re the most frequently touched part of the device. I imagined some nice renders with cozy lighting and tried to make it interesting.

That’s better:

When it comes to tips, the most important thing for me is to tell a story through the surface. I want every scratch, smudge, or dusty edge to hint that this little device has seen things. Maybe it got knocked off a desk during a calculating session, maybe someone spilled coffee on it while switching radio stations, or maybe – just maybe – it’s been secretly used for gaming during work hours. It’s been handled, pressed, and dropped. That’s the kind of wear I like to capture.

And to get that look, I don’t just throw on a generator and call it a day. I use them as a base, but I always mix in hand-painted details, break up the patterns, and add imperfections where it makes sense. That’s what makes it feel like a real object, not something that came out of a “perfect devices” factory.

For nice renders, I exported 4k textures, but I also have the 2k version for use in the engine someday (maybe it will happen).

Synthron textures:

Cartridge textures:

Lighting & Rendering

For the presentation, I always start by playing with the camera. I move it around the scene until I find the angles that feel right. I like to include a mix of wider shots to show the overall shape and silhouette, and some closeups to highlight the details I spent the most time on. Once I’m happy with the framing, I start thinking about the lighting, since the lights are often built around the shots themselves.

I usually go with a neutral studio HDRI to keep the base lighting soft and color-accurate, then add additional lights depending on the camera angles. I use an add-on called Light Wrangler to quickly set up textured area lights. It lets me easily adjust strength, size, and distance without too much back-and-forth. The lights come with presets, so it’s a big time-saver and helps me stay focused on the overall look rather than technical tweaks (but yes, you can build the light like that from scratch; you need a texture that you can plug into the light).

Basic light setup:

Before I found the Render Raw add-on, I used Blender’s compositor for post-processing, and it did the job well. But Render Raw made it even easier, with options that feel a lot like photo editing in Photoshop. I usually add a touch of contrast, sharpness, and texture detail - nothing too flashy. I like the final renders to feel realistic rather than overly retouched. That said, a little bit of bloom always sneaks in, just enough to give it that extra “something.”

Before and after Render Raw:

I’m usually rendering everything on a transparent background and then adding it in Photoshop. It’s optional, because I can also add it in Blender, I just like to be able to change the background later. All images were rendered with 300 samples and denoising.

Conclusion

This project actually didn’t take that much time. I worked on it mostly during off-hours, and overall, it took me just a few days. The main challenge was keeping the triangle count relatively low. I was aiming for a low-to-mid poly asset, but one that could still lean toward being a hero prop.

I definitely enjoyed working on the small details the most, and then texturing, that’s where the storytelling happens. It’s such a satisfying part of the process, where you can visualize everything you had in mind and bring it to life.

What did I learn? That my concept and blockout looked fine at first... until I changed it five times. And that’s okay, because it’s part of the process. I also learned that sometimes, when you're going through a tiny existential crisis because your maps *won’t bake properly*, the best thing to do is take a break, breathe, and come back later with fresh eyes and a new cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever gets you through the day).

So that’s definitely my advice. Maybe not as strict as Master Yoda’s “Do or do not, there is no try,” but I’d say – practice, experiment, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Eventually, the hard parts become easier, and you’re left with the fun part: pure joy of bringing things to life (but in 3D).

It's working, it's workiiing!

Ewa Wierbik-Ziąbka, Senior 3D Artist / 3D Generalist