LVOA-C

Goal

My goal is to improve my texturing and modeling skills, so I challenge myself to create a complex project, and when my friend mentioned this gun, I looked up some images of it and its attachments, and I decided that it had everything I needed and looked great, so I made it.

Software

• 3DS Max
• ZBrush
• RizomUV
• Marmoset Toolbag
• Substance Painter

References

This is an important step, so take your time and search for good references. Get all the angles if possible and gather all perspectives, as well as a close-up, until you feel like it’s enough and you know exactly what you want to do.

Mostly, I watch YouTube videos showing how the gun operates, fires, and reloads, and if I see any details on the gun or attachments, I just screenshot them and put them together with the references I gather to Pureref.

Modelling & Blockout

I start by placing an image reference on the plane, and then I begin to block it out with a simple form. Typically, I start with a cylinder shape first because I think it’s the easy one, and then I use the box to find the right proportion.

I believe the purpose of blockout is to create accurate and correct proportions for the model, so take your time until you get the correct proportions.

High poly

Once the blockout is complete, I can begin building the gun, starting with the largest parts, such as the base and handguard, then the medium ones, such as the grip and magazine, and finally the small ones, such as the trigger and safety.

For the technique, I just followed the references and used Boolean operations in 3ds Max to create the detail.

After I’m happy with the result, I clean up the edge and vertex. Usually, I use the following script: https://shiva3d.gumroad.com/l/eFJXg to remove the excess vertex and then “turn to poly” to connect the edge more quickly.

Then I’ll create smoothing groups for each component. A smoothing group can be used to create UV, and I’ll need UV later to make a smooth edge in Zbrush.

(When creating a smoothing group, you can check this option, so it shows the line and makes it easier to work with.)

After creating the smoothing group, I just click “Unwrap UVW”, “Open UV Editor”, “Select all” then “Flatten by smoothing group” to get the UV that I need, which I can then process in Zbrush.

After everything is completed, I export it to Zbrush, but for simple parts, I only use Chamfer and turbosmooth.

For the Zbrush, after I import it, I click “Auto group with UV” to automatically group based on the UV that I created previously, “Split to Parts” if I have more than one part, “Dynamesh it”, “Polish by Features” to make it smooth, if I want to make a specific area smoother, I just mask it so the other isn’t affected, “Maskbyfeature(Groups)” to get the edge masked, then grow and sharpen it. After I think it’s enough, I simply blur it and “Polish” to smooth out the edge.

More information can be found in this tutorial, which describes the full process.

https://simonfuchs.gumroad.com/l/BsasQ

Then I decimated it to make the size smaller before exporting and reimporting it into 3ds Max.

Lowpoly

For the lowpoly, I simply copy the highpoly that I prepared for the Zbush, then I remove some edges, remove the little details like a hole or screw, and merge several pieces together to make it more optimized to get a good lowpoly version of the gun.

(After finishing this project, I noticed I could do some little details like holes using Zbrush Live Boolean much faster than in 3ds Max).

Sometimes I get these bad shaders, so I use IFWNormals to repair them. https://cattomic.gumroad.com/l/auqXp.

UV Unwrapping

Because I already had the UV, I simply exported it to RizomUV using 3ds Max Bridge https://www.rizom-lab.com/bridges/. After that, I straighten the UV islands, and then I use UV-Packer to pack the UV faster https://www.uv-packer.com/.

I recommend using Map Checker to check the UV. For me, I’m using this one. https://3dlab.bg/en/uv-map-checker/.

Baking

I believe we all know why we should bake with marmoset. Marmoset is a great tool for baking because it displays the result right away, so you can double-check your render and ensure everything is correct. Here’s my bake setting.

Texturing

Texturing is, in my opinion, the most difficult step because I need to get it right without being boring. To begin, I import my model and usually set it up as shown below.

So, I can see the texture from various angles, then I set up an environment map to Studio Tomoco and set tone mapping to ACES, and then I create a scene in Marmoset to see the texture there.

For the layer, I use this as the reference: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/v1r6Jx.

So, I begin with the base one; I usually use red, blue, and yellow to create a good variant, and then I add more detail, such as grain or anything.

For decal text, I like to add a small bump outside the text to add a little detail.

To create interesting wear detail, I took a photo from Pureref and made an alpha from it using Photoshop.

To create a sticker or something similar, I use this technique from https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nYdvZK. It creates a nice detail for the sticker.

The rest is just a matter of following your references and how you want the gun to look. I also use Megascan Imperfections: https://quixel.com/megascans/home?category=imperfection. to create a small detail like a bump, small wear, and dust.

Also, if you’re looking for texturing videos, I recommend this channel: https://www.twitch.tv/killton007/videos

Rendering

I used Marmoset Toolbag 4 for rendering. I set up a simple setup with lighting from the left, right, up, and front. I choose a gray background; for the HDRI, I use the same as substance painter; and sometimes I experiment with the focus settings.

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Keep in mind that I’ve never been in the 3D industry before, so maybe there is some unnecessary step or there is a faster technique to reach the same results that I’m unaware of, so just take this as a reference.

Special thanks to Wardog (https://discord.gg/vj8y9u5), TWR (https://discord.gg/Pzakk3Kvrr), and DinustyEmpire (https://www.dinustyempire.com/) for sharing some cool tips and tricks.

And a big thank you to GamesArtist for this opportunity; seeing my work recognized motivates me to keep improving more and more, Thank you.