Learn How to Visualize Lifelike Wood and Metal in a Unique Rifle Model

Introduction

Hello. My name is Caique Baltazar. I am a 3D Artist specializing in hard-surfaces, props, and weapons, with four years of experience in the gaming industry. And I'm happy to have recently joined the Globant gaming team.

Since childhood, I have always been fascinated by video games, which quickly turned into a desire to work on developing what I loved so much. In 2009, when I was only nine years old, I won my first computer in a drawing contest at my school. A few years later, I started exploring game development software and made my first contact with Blender and Unity. 

At fifteen, I graduated from a two-year technical course in Game Design. Although the course was comprehensive and focused on game development in general, I only acquired a few 3D modeling skills during that period. However, this experience motivated me to pursue a game career and sparked a particular interest in 3D modeling. 

After many ups and downs in my studies, in 2018, after finishing high school, I focused on 3D modeling in my free time. I dedicated countless hours to practicing and studying in front of the computer, improving my skills, and receiving valuable feedback from friends I met in 3D modeling study channels on Discord. 

In 2020, I started my career as a freelancer, and in 2021, I joined the studio GarageB14. Shortly after, I was hired by the indie developer Exodus Developer to work on an FPS called Ground Zero. This project was a real turning point in my career. I am a fan of shooters like Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield, and it was enjoyable and rewarding to create my own weapon designs and test them in-game with the development team. 

Ground Zero has undoubtedly been the project from which I've learned the most so far. I played a vital role in the artistic part, especially in creating the game's weapons, props, and vehicles, from the initial design to implementing the models in Unreal Engine. This project also allowed me to give my first lecture along with an incredible artist and mentor I admire, Marcos Brito. On this occasion, the lecture was about the art of Ground Zero. The lecture occurred at Latin America's most significant indie game event, the BIG Festival, now known as gamescom latam.

More than anything, this project allowed me to meet and work with experienced people who gave me fantastic feedback that I carry to this day. I want to express my deep gratitude to Guila Marti, who played a significant role in my learning and growth in game art before I joined this project. I am eternally thankful to him and all my colleagues and friends who have been part of my journey. 

About the Reffited Rifle Project

First, I would like to credit this project to the amazing concept artist Alex Jessup. He created this fantastic design by mixing old improvised pieces with semi-futuristic ones. Without him, this 3D model wouldn't exist.

When I found this concept, I was amazed by the design. I was looking for a weapon model with wooden parts because I wanted something with that material in my portfolio. Still, I tried to avoid making any standard or old weapons.  

The desire to do something different from the usual motivated me to seek conceptual art instead of photographs of real weapons. This further increased the challenge for the modeling and designing part, mainly because the other side of the gun did not exist in the main concept, and I would have to create it from scratch. 

After deciding that this conceptual art would be my primary reference, I started looking for other references and pieces that could add to the overall design and help me create the design for the other side of the weapon.  
 
I usually use image search on Yandex, Google, and ArtStation to find the references and images that assist me throughout the process. It's worth mentioning a piece of advice I've learned about seeking images on ArtStation: avoid using only references from other artists' work. Always look for actual photos of the material you want to texture. If you only use references from other artworks, like in the famous "telephone game," you may end up repeating the same mistakes of different artists, who might have made mistakes from someone else, and so on. Using images of authentic pieces can help you avoid this kind of situation. 

Being inspired by other artists' work and using them as a reference is great for visualizing what can be improved in your work and helping to improve your observation of details and layers. However, if you seek references on ArtStation, choose works from more experienced artists or those with solid and consistent work, especially those you already follow and are inspired by. Some of my inspirations, which I follow on other networks besides ArtStation, are Dan Kenton, Dmytro Mykhailyk, and Thomas Pilgrim (Art of Pilgrim), among other incredible and professional artists. 

As for references, I collect many images to assist me in modeling and texturing, separating them by parts and materials. In some projects, I also save some references for rendering. Since this model was based on a fictional concept, I looked for references of parts similar to those in the design created by Alex Jessup to get more ideas, mainly to produce the parts not visible in the concept. Ultimately, no part I made for this model resembles any original or existing object or equipment. This was intentional to make it clear that they are fictional pieces, keeping them similar to the concept while being inspired by authentic pieces. 

Modeling

I used a pipeline of Blender and ZBrush to model the high poly. In Blender, I created a model with all the shapes, final details, and well-defined curves, using many booleans to speed up this process. I didn't need to make everything in quads/tris with supports or creases since I would take the model to ZBrush to turn it into a beautiful high poly with more sculpted details and smoothed corners. 

As you can see in the GIFs, using this workflow, we take a basic model with all the details we want to keep without needing a perfect mesh. The apparent problems in these meshes will be fixed in ZBrush during the high poly creation process, saving a lot of time on complex models. For beginners in hard-surface modeling, I recommend skipping this pipeline for now and focusing on mastering the fundamentals and topology, as not all work can be done with the pipeline I used in this project. 

I chose this pipeline because I wanted to include ZBrush more in my workflow, improve my skills with the software, and think it is faster than making all the pieces poly by poly with supports, bevels, creases, and a common topology. In this model's case, I didn't need a full-quad mid poly/high poly mesh for any purpose other than baking.  

To smooth the corners of the object quickly in ZBrush, I used various techniques depending on the pieces and their needs, as not all required complex work. Below, I'll show a quick example of how I made most of the high poly pieces for this project.  

I also took the opportunity to create some damage and wear details on the wooden piece. My goal was not to make an ultra-realistic object, respecting all the rules of how this damage would occur in real life. I wanted more artistic freedom in creating this asset, aiming for a visually appealing result rather than strictly faithful to reality. By thinking this way, I had the freedom to develop these wear details the way I wanted them to be, not how they would happen in reality on such a piece, which positively impacted the final result. Prioritizing appearance over absolute realism is sometimes necessary to make a model even more beautiful and visually appealing, especially in games, due to nearly fixed camera angles or technological limitations. 

Overall, following absolute realism does not always provide the most beautiful artistic result. Generally, art directors and leads ensure this perspective and care in a production. I left most of the wood details to do in Substance 3D Painter, as I find it faster and easier and because I like to test different versions based on my references until I find the one I like best. To create these minor wear and damage details, I used techniques shown in an incredible video by Dmytro Mykhailyk on his YouTube channel, where he shows step by step how the wood was made for one of his beautiful weapon projects and demonstrates very well how to use ZBrush tools to sculpt this type of detail:

There was no secret to making the low poly. I duplicated and edited the initial model I took to ZBrush to fit perfectly with the high poly pieces, which also helped me finish this project much faster. It's worth highlighting that in the low poly in this specific project, I made most of the details directly on the Mesh, even the small ones, instead of baking them into the Normal Map, as I wanted the maximum possible detail in the Mesh. I did this because I wanted more visual quality in this model. I already have other examples of optimized models with details baked into the Normal Map in my portfolio, some even with LODs and collisions manually made by me. I wanted to challenge myself in this project and create something as detailed as possible. 

As mentioned earlier, I wanted to make this project special and visually more detailed. I also made it using more texture sets than I would commonly use for a portfolio piece, as it was also a large piece with many attachments. Six materials were distributed so that the Texel Density was similar for all pieces, including all attachments.  
 
The UVs were done in Blender, which I'm already used to, and there's no trick worth highlighting here. I kept the UV islands that would use linear textures in the same direction and used the UVPackmaster addon to speed up the UV packing part.  
 
After that, I made the necessary adjustments manually, taking the opportunity to slightly increase the Texel of some smaller pieces I wanted to highlight in the renders so they wouldn't lose texture details when shown up close.  

With the UVs ready and working correctly, I complete the baking using Marmoset Toolbag 4, as I like the offset control and normal direction with the Paint Skew tools it offers. 

Texturing

Regarding textures, I use Substance 3D Painter and usually start by applying some basic colors and adding levels of Roughness and Metallic. This gives me a quick overall view of the model and helps me make artistic decisions that influence the final result. I also take the opportunity to set up a render scene in Marmoset Toolbag, where I update the textures throughout the process and evaluate the materials, identifying potential improvements. Below is an example of the initial material setup and pre-configuration in Marmoset Toolbag. 

To create the wood texture, I began by developing masks to define the directions of the details and mark the wear and peeling details I did in high poly. These masks were organized in a folder below the other layers and applied above through anchor points. In some areas, I used a technique described in this article by artist Simon Mercuzot but made manual adjustments to adapt the shapes and directions to my model. 

With the base masks ready, I looked for real wood images to quickly achieve a more realistic result. This helped create a more realistic base and obtain more natural color variations for the wood overall. Below you can find a GIF and a video showing how I used these masks to create the material base and how the actual images were incorporated.

As mentioned above, I used an image of natural wood to create the base and adjust the color variation. However, the image I liked the most was not seamless, so I manually corrected the seams instead of using an alternative seamless texture. Although it was quicker to find a seamless texture, I put in a bit more manual work to achieve a result that satisfied me more and that I found much more interesting than the others I had tested.

Below is an example of how I corrected the seams in the image using the Clone tool in Substance 3D Painter. To do this, I added a Paint Layer above the layers I wanted to correct, adjusted the blend mode to Passthrough, and then used the Clone tool, pressing the V key to mark the position to be copied and paint where needed. 

For the other materials, I spent much time on texturing to ensure a detailed result by adding layers and masks to create variations in Base Color and Roughness that made sense. I also used Stencil and Brushes manually to ensure that no area appeared empty or disconnected from adjacent parts and to give even more life to the model, mainly adding “storytelling” details. 

The fabric was modeled as a plane, wrapping around the wood. The damage and tear details were done with Transparency and manually painted to create an Alpha Texture. Below, I show the Base Color and Opacity of this piece. 

I also save screenshots on my PureRef board during texturing to record ideas for improvements and corrections before finalizing the textures.

Above are some screenshots I saved while texturing and viewing the model in Marmoset Toolbag. Doing this helps me remember details and things that are still not satisfying me, parts I can improve, add, or potential corrections I find during rendering. Doing these renders during the process also helps me get some great feedback from other incredible professionals who sometimes notice things I might not see on my own. That said, I recommend all beginners seek valuable feedback, which always helps us evolve, especially when just starting! 

Rendering

This is the part that will define your presentation. Texturing is extremely important for creating a quality asset, but it can be ruined by a render that doesn't showcase it well. Rendering can either enhance a simple model or diminish one that could have had an exceptional result. Keeping this in mind, I maximize the value of my modeling and texturing by highlighting important and complex points with the angle of my camera and accentuating texture details with lighting. 

Understanding at least the basics of how a camera works will help you create amazing renders. It allows you to define the FOV/Focal Length and Depth of Field better and choose the best framing. Learning more about photography can further elevate the quality of your renders beyond the aspects I mentioned, and this is one of the points I wish to improve and study in the coming months.

Besides the final model, I always have some assets that help create the environment for the renders, such as a "studio background", a box with rounded corners, and sometimes a glass stand that I make according to the model in question. This speeds up my work in setting up the scenes. 

To start the renders, I import my model into Marmoset Toolbag, change the HDRI to Tomoco Studio (which I love and works well for most of my projects), set up the camera, and look for framing and camera angles before beginning the scene lighting. 
 
I like to add an HDRI to obtain more natural reflections and light bounces. I use the manually added lights to enhance my texture, define the silhouette (in some cases), and highlight points of the model that the HDRI wouldn't naturally reach. I recommend studying the three-point lighting setup, which is a classic three-point lighting technique: the key light, the fill light, and the backlight. Although I don't exclusively use this technique, it helps me to achieve a good initial result. 

I usually use Directional Lights and sometimes – Omni Lights. Although I frequently use lights added directly to the sky by clicking on the HDRI, I only utilize them when manually adjusting brightness, color, diameter, and rotation. Placing the light directly in your sky works well because it lets you quickly rotate the light setup to render from different angles. Still, it's important to edit these lights to achieve the best possible result rather than just using them as they are.

I post-process the renders using image editing software. For the camera and post-processing settings in the renderer, I keep everything simple, as follows: 

Some important points to consider: I only use Depth of Field in some cases to create more cinematic effects and close-up shots, as I don't like losing some texture details due to blur, especially in broader renders.
 
I also work with ACES tone mapping, but the settings for Exposure, Contrast, etc., can vary depending on the model and lighting. Lastly, the FOV/focal length is not fixed and can be adjusted to achieve better and more sensible framing.

I always strive to find the best look for each render I capture. A technique that helps me a lot is creating the lighting based on the camera framing without losing sight of the final image. For this, I find the angle and pieces I want to frame and lock the camera. In another window, I make the necessary adjustments to the lighting, viewing in real-time how the lights I'm adjusting manually affect the render without changing the camera position. This helps highlight and enhance the right points of the texture, avoiding losing rough details that stand out in the render by accidentally moving the camera. 

To give the tritium on the iron sights (small tubes with a glowing color) a unique touch in a simple way, I created an inverted face around it, slightly larger than the original meshes, and set it up in Marmoset Toolbag, so it doesn't cast shadows and hides the back faces.  
 
This little detail has a positive visual impact and will look even better if you work more on the original Tritium Textures and use a bit of Emissive.

Finally, to finish my images, I do a bit of post-processing using external image editing software. It's not complex. I like to edit images as if I were editing an actual photograph, adjusting colors, exposure, and contrast, and adding Grain or Vignette effects, depending on the lighting and style of each image.

Conclusion

I would like to thank Gloria Levine from 80 Level for the opportunity to detail the creation of this project in an interview. I was thrilled about this! Creating this asset was a great learning experience for me, considering the complexity of the model and the fact that it was based on a concept with only one side. Despite the challenges, seeing the final result was very fun and rewarding.

My advice for beginners is based on my experience, which helped me evolve into where I am today and will undoubtedly help me continue to grow. Place great value on the fundamentals, texturing, and rendering processes. In the beginning, many, including myself, needed to give more importance to the complete workflow, such as doing the UVs correctly, and sometimes even skipped the baking step, thinking it was unnecessary. However, I can affirm that learning and practicing the basics is essential. For example, creating a high-level texture without baking is almost impossible, especially for beginners, so it is worth investing time in this aspect.

Dedicate much time to the texturing process to create high-quality textures. Don't rely solely on automatic masks and generators. Use your creativity to tell a story through your model, with unique details added manually. For instance, areas with a lot of hand contact can have fingerprint marks, or a scratch on the metal near a screw might indicate a screwdriver slipped there. These manually added details significantly contribute to an excellent final result you will be proud of. So, give more time and attention to texturing because it, along with rendering, can transform a simple model into something impressive.

For those starting, a good tip is to try to replicate what you see in your references without comparing yourself to other artists. Copying will help you refine your eye for details and variations and reproduce them in your work. However, avoid comparing yourself to more experienced artists, as everyone has their own path and evolves at their own pace. You will reach the level you desire! Practice a lot and don't skip steps or rush the process because quality is more important than quantity. Finally, seek feedback from more experienced people, accept it, and apply it to your models. This was fundamental for my learning and will undoubtedly help you, too.

I hope this article has been helpful and that you have learned something new. Thank you very much for reading this far. If you have any questions, feel free to message me via ArtStation or LinkedIn. I always respond to everyone when I'm available. And remember: before being a good professional, be a good person because that matters a lot. 
 
Special thanks to Adriano Lopes, Anderson Alves, Antonio Ribeiro, Douglas de Castro, Guila Marti, Pedro Teruaki, Marcos Brito, Thiago Scheiner, and Gustavo Silvério.

Caique Baltazar, 3D Modeler & Texture Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine