Learn to Make Retro Space Blaster Toy in 3D from Vedant Tripathi

Introduction

Hello readers, I’m Vedant Tripathi, a self-taught, freelance 3D artist from India.
Though to say purely self-taught would be an injustice to those who helped me along the way.

Early on, when I decided to get into the game development industry, I spent months navigating the unknowns, but I was fortunate to find two great mentors not too long after. They helped me correct and build my foundation, and from then on, it was just trial and error, my own little Dark Souls campaign against game art.

And this whole campaign started with a pause I took years ago.

I didn’t start in this world. I graduated in Computer Science and worked in the industry for a couple of years. Eventually, I took a break to reassess where I was headed and what was missing, and it was drive.

I won’t go too deep into the why and how, but that break, uncomfortable as it was, gave me clarity. And once I picked a direction, the campaign truly began.

And, of course, for a while... I died a lot (figuratively). But it all eventually led me here. I’m still learning, still growing, but now I’m walking with purpose. And I’m glad to share a piece of that journey here.

But why art? Why 3D art? Why game art?

Ever since I was a little kid, watching Dragon Ball Z after school and playing Road Rash in the evening, I’ve loved sketching in my notebook. (And if you’re wondering what I could possibly sketch from Road Rash, then you’re forgetting about the main menu artwork, those caricatures were amazing.)

After my career break, I decided to go back to art. But by then, I’d been away from sketching for so long, it had sort of… left me. That’s when I decided to dig into 3D, with Blender tutorials helping me out. The idea of building whole worlds, environments, and levels fascinated me.

And it all starts with a prop.

My love for games has always been constant. Counter-Strike, Road Rash, Prince of Persia, Witcher, Sleeping Dogs, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Snow Bros, Worms, I don’t even know how many I could list. So many genres, so many eras.

But the thing is: games have always been there. Through every phase of life, even at my lowest, games never stopped being a source of joy. They cheered me on.

So in many ways, this has been a “better late than never”, a “meant to be” journey.  A bit delayed, a bit messy, but honest.

But for now, I’ve got something to show for it, a little prop that came out of this ongoing campaign. In this breakdown, I’ll be walking you through the making of Space Blaster, my attempt at combining nostalgic inspiration with grounded, real-world workflows. From ideation to rendering, I’ll try to share what went right, what didn’t, and everything in between.

Let’s get into it.

Space Blaster

I was working on an environment for my portfolio. I was midway through it, but there was still some time before it could be completed. It had also been over a year since I last posted anything on my portfolio or made something that wasn’t tied to work. So I figured maybe it was time to do just that, create something for myself, something I’d enjoy. And taking a short break from the environment project could actually be a good breather. So I started.

But I didn’t want to overcommit either; I had other projects lined up, and the last thing I wanted was to overload myself and burn out. So I wanted to keep it a quick study, like how traditional artists do quick sketches and paint. That’s when I remembered a cute little toy tucked away in my Pinterest saves, something I’d always wanted to create. It reminded me of my childhood, the kind of toy gun I’d play pretend with. It even gave off The Jetsons vibes, which only added to the nostalgia. It was light, fun, and full of memories.

What could be a better breather? And it had a distinct artwork on it, which would allow me to hand-paint stuff once again.

After my last portfolio piece, I realized my presentation game needed work. So while collecting references for this project, I kept a broader picture in mind, a rough vision of how I’d present the final piece. It wasn’t set in stone, setups can still change, scenes can shift, but planning ahead with some direction really helps the process stay focused. It gives direction to the process, even if things evolve.

Initially, it was mostly packaging references, but as I got deeper into the texturing phase, more ideas came up. That’s when I added some hand references too, to explore additional possibilities for the shots.

Blocking

Even though these were relatively simple props, I still began with a proper blockout. It helps establish scale and proportions early and is a good habit to maintain.

I imported a human-scale player mesh from Unreal Engine into Blender. I use this across all my projects to keep proportions consistent. The main reference was already divided into two parts, the toy and the box. I scaled it to roughly match the player mesh’s hand size, since both props are handheld.

I blocked the toy directly in the viewport over the reference. Once it felt right, I used it as a guide to block out the box around it, adjusting as needed for a believable fit. The plastic packaging bag was left out at this stage, since I planned to simulate it later in Marvelous Designer.

Modeling

Box

Everything for this project was modeled in Blender except the bag. There were three parts I needed to model: the toy, the packaging bag, and the box. I started with the box.

It looked like a single folded unit, not the typical two-piece box with a separate lid and base. That seemed accurate for the time period. In the 70s, it would have been more cost-efficient to produce a folded one-piece box in bulk, so I leaned into that logic for authenticity.

To build it, I referred to a few packaging templates and recreated one for representation using UVs.

I modeled the box as a flat plane and unwrapped it before folding it into shape. This helped keep the UVs clean and made texturing much smoother later.

Once folded, I added subtle deformation to break symmetry and give it a slightly worn feel.

To finish, I used a simple modifier stack. I applied Solidify for thickness and Subdivision Surface to soften the edges. To control sharpness, I used a mix of crease values and support loops, depending on what felt right for the form.

Toy

The toy’s form developed naturally from the blockout. I began with a base cylinder and shaped it into the fins and grip, matching the silhouette. A quick glance at the reference showed soft curves and bold shapes, nothing overly complex but full of character.

To avoid a hollow front, I added an inner barrel tucked inside. I also included a seam detail seen in the reference, likely where plastic halves joined during manufacturing. It became part of the toy’s identity.

I added a rim around the body for a smooth and slightly thick edge, using the Solidify modifier (only rim) after subdivision to avoid extra cleanup.

I modeled only one side of the toy and kept it that way for flexibility. The plan was to unwrap first, then mirror after UVs were finalized. The goal was to keep it light, playful, and nostalgic, like something you could immediately connect with.

Bag

One of the earliest presentation ideas I had was to show the toy in its packaging. That shaped how I approached the final look.

I imported the complete toy into Marvelous Designer and created a simple 2D pattern to simulate a soft plastic bag around it. I had previously experimented with Marmoset Toolbag’s bubble wrap material and really liked how it distorted and diffused the surface beneath, so I planned from the start to use that material instead of plain plastic.

There was a specific insight behind this choice. I wanted the toy to feel slightly used, with a bit of wear. But when placed inside the bubble wrap shader, it still appeared clean and intact from the outside. That gave me a nice balance, I could introduce wear without making the render feel off. The wrap was obscured just enough to keep it believable.

Once the simulation looked right, I exported the bag to Blender and added a small paper seal on top and a small pin just like in the reference. A small detail, but it helped anchor the piece in reality.

UV & Baking

Since this was a personal project, I prioritized presentation and texture quality over strict optimization. The topology was kept clean and simple, focused on smooth shading and clean bakes. I planned to assign separate texture sets for the toy and the box, so I laid out their UVs individually. After applying the Solidify modifier to the box, I had to revisit its UVs to avoid baking issues from stacked shells. Thankfully, I had unwrapped it early on, which made it easier to isolate and separate those areas quickly.

For the toy, I baked everything first, then mirrored and stacked the UVs afterward for faster results.

Since this was a simple prop, I baked directly in Substance 3D Painter instead of Marmoset Toolbag. Painter allowed me to switch between baking and texturing quickly, which made the iteration process smooth. Once baking was done, I re-imported the final toy with stacked UVs. The stage was set for texturing.

Texturing

General Approach

Texturing was the part I was most looking forward to because I get to paint stuff, and this also served as a trial run for when I create my own skin for CS2. My approach was to stay close to the reference and preserve its toy-like charm without being too literal.

I begin by creating the base material, building how the object would look if it were relatively new. That starts with matching the base color as accurately as possible. From there, I enable roughness, metallic, normal, and height channels to introduce surface variation, followed by general damage that’s clearly visible in the reference, like edge wear, scratches, and color damage, all done with the intent to replicate what is visible in the reference and what makes sense.

Next, I add localized storytelling details like fingerprints, grime, anything that adds personality. This stage is mostly manual, using stencils and hand painting. Once that is done, I add broader, overall effects based on reference or instinct, then tweak everything to taste. I also try to keep layers and folders named clearly for better organization.

I think of material development as a balance between consistency and intentional inconsistency, or you could say, consistently inconsistent.

I start with a uniform, consistent material and then break it by introducing inconsistency. That broken version becomes the new “normal” and I repeat the process, layering in controlled shifts while making sure nothing feels too procedural, monotonous, or out of place. And always break it in the end. Throughout the process, I keep a Marmoset render view open to compare and catch flaws early.

Here are some of the settings that I use in Substance 3D Painter:

Cardboard Box Texture

Base Material

Texturing the cardboard box was pretty straightforward. I began by creating the base material, starting with the base color. Instead of using a color picker, I like to place the reference beside the material, so the overlap helps match by eye. PureRef is great for that and gives a more intuitive feel.

I picked the dominant color from the reference and layered a cardboard texture on top, intentionally going with a rougher look to match the old box vibe.

Once the base was set, I projected the label and stain from the reference. Using anchor points and passthrough, I gave the sticker some height and added a shallow depression where it was torn. I also refined the roughness and micro height of the cardboard base through the same process.

Time to add some depth to the material after the base has been created. At this stage, I added the colored noise, which was visible in the ref. There is an interesting article on noise by Malte Resenberger-Loosmann on ArtStation, which developed my knowledge about it, and I try to make use of it in my works.

I used a Fractal Sum Base (colored) node directly in the base color channel. It worked beautifully, generating a nice colorful breakup while slightly desaturating the material naturally.

From there, added variation (introduced inconsistency): darker, low value color variation, rosy/toasty variation, both on low tiling and subtle enough. Added blackheads, whiteheads (spots which are found on cardboard boxes), scratches, and scruffs to simulate rough handling or contact with gritty surfaces, dirt buildup around contours, around edges, but not the edges because they will have edge wear, scraping. Added some fake creases on the box and damage to the corner as well.

Toy Texture

Base Material – Paint

For the toy’s paint, I started by choosing a mid-range color from the reference. Since the original had quite a bit of visible noise and breakup, I decided to lean into that and create my color variation procedurally. I layered higher and lower values using noise to strike a good balance. Also, I added slight warmth in the form of noise, which is visible in the ref.

At this point, I also worked on roughness to create that initial breakup, which will become the foundation for when I do more roughness and light breakup. I also hand-painted the artwork at this stage, and I intentionally let the paint flow out to increase a level of authenticity.

Effects

To add depth to the material, I started by scraping the paint and introducing rust. This was done in moderation, with the intent to only expose wear on the hardest edges, areas most likely to experience damage through handling or friction. 

I sparingly added scratches over the paint, white scratches. It was a mix of both procedural and stencil work. At this stage, I also added paint bubbles, but very low in frequency.

And then I did the light/reflection breakup, roughness variation. I did it by adding scruffs, scratches, fingerprints, dust, edge scruff, but this was all done in a roughness channel; it was the inconsistency I was looking for. It created a really good balance and depth to the material.

Scratches and scruffs were added with intent, focused on areas of the body that would experience more contact, like protruding curves or surfaces that stick out. These parts are naturally more prone to wear from handling or environmental contact.

After that, I topped it off with some final garnishes, like Salt Bae, but instead of salt, it was stains and grime. Just enough to break the consistency a little more and make the surface feel alive.

Base Material – Metal

For the metal, I pulled out my creative liberty card. I wasn’t really feeling the reference material, so I went with something inspired by early memories from my childhood. I remembered those old plastic toys with cheap, thin metal parts, a kind of galvanized tin. Not very polished, slightly reflective, and with just enough charm to feel nostalgic. Some even had a thin protective coating to prevent rust, but that coating also dulled the shine, which I didn’t want to lose completely.

So for this project, I aimed for something in between, not brand new, not fully rusted, just gently aged. A balance that felt believable without being too clean or too broken down. I trusted my instincts and went with it, using my card. My creative liberty card, that is.

I started giving the metal base that cheap thin galvanized feel like using one of the finish filters for metal, without making it look rough.

Then I used a galvanised map to give the metal a larger organic patch of alternating roughness variation, and also used an overall noise over the roughness channel on top of it. I made the edges and their adjacent curvature look dirty, giving it a yellowish tint.

At this point, the base looked okay to work with; it needed more breakup. So I started adding surface detail: slight scratches and subtle edge damage on the roughness channel. This helped break the surface with small disruptions, giving it a worn-in look. I even added some fingerprints to bring in that human touch.

Still, something could be done better. So I got up, stepped away from the screen for a bit. And right there in the kitchen, I saw it, a large container made from a similar kind of metal. Cheap, galvanized, thin, old, but clearly cared for. It had small rust spots, subtle signs of oxidation, and Eureka! 

I brought those observations back into my material, adding oxidized patches, tiny rust spots across the surface, and buildup in the occluded areas. Mixing in dirt/dust with it. It finally felt right. By the way, those white stains were totally something out of a mistake, I liked it, so I kept it. 

Now, there was still something missing on the surface. I tried something, a noise map, very visible, came into the clutch like a night sky full of stars guiding to the north pole. I literally named the layer something.

This thought of trying something with the noise wasn’t random; it was inspired by the references. After this, there was only one thing left: breaking the highlight. I did that by adding directional/anisotropy on the areas where the highlight was strong, and curvature around the hard edges.

Rendering

I began with product shots to experiment with lighting and HDRI setups, using Studio Tomoco HDRI. My general approach was to set the HDRI sky between 0.7 and 1, rotate it to get the preferred highlight angle, and add a rim light to accentuate the toy’s curves. I preferred adjusting the exposure rather than sky brightness, since pushing the latter too far tends to blow out highlights. Exposure gave me more control. For some shots, I used the ACES profile, and for some, I used Heiji, which gave me grounded results.

Once I was comfortable with the lighting setup, I moved on to small storytelling scenes featuring the toy inside its packaging, placed on top of the box, or held in a hand. The setups were simple, but I tried to give each one a specific feeling. For example, the hand poses were meant to convey some expression or familiarity, something that hints at nostalgia or ownership.

I kept the hero asset front and center in most shots, using elements like the hand and the box as supporting actors to guide the viewer’s eye. The hand especially helped add a sense of scale and that nostalgic human connection. I didn’t follow strict composition rules, but I aimed to keep things clean, nothing too awkward or cluttered.

In one scene, during post work in Photoshop, I added noise to mimic distant stars in space. I even considered using a retro overlay to push the vintage ad feel but held back. Tangents are good, but only if you are steering them. This one would have taken more time than I could spare, so I let it go. There was also a happy accident, a frame with the toy cradled between both hands. It stood out from the rest, and it somewhat reminded me of that famous painting. Of course, I won’t compare this to a masterpiece, but it was a pleasant surprise. Completely unplanned, and sometimes, that is the magic.

And for the final presentation on ArtStation, I began with the cinematic shots and followed them with the product shots at the end. I used the box as the thumbnail and led with the image of the toy placed on top of it, to give the feeling of an unboxing. It was a small detail, but I liked the narrative it created. A visual cue that suggested, “Here it is, just out of the box,” setting the tone for everything that followed.

Conclusion

This project started as a breather, a break to refresh myself. It was about reconnecting with simpler times and rediscovering the joy of creating purely for its own sake. Looking back, there are definitely things I could have pushed further, a bit more love on the textures and presentation, maybe some alternate paint variants for the toy, but I had to be disciplined with my time.

This project also helped me learn a lot about rendering and presentation through experimentation. This project also gave me valuable hands-on practice with hand-painting workflows. It will serve as a great stepping stone for the day I create my CS2 skin, and I hope that day comes soon.

I am genuinely grateful to 80lv for giving me the opportunity to share not just a project, but a part of myself. It allowed me to pause, reflect, and reconnect, and I know this will be a valuable boost to my growth as an artist.

Thanks for reading. I hope someone out there finds this both insightful and inspiring.

Vedant Tripathi, 3D Prop Artist

Interview conducted by Amber Rutherford