Introduction Hello everyone! My name is Daryna, and I’m an 18-year-old 3D prop artist from Kharkiv, Ukraine. I began my journey into the world of 3D art in 2022.Before transitioning to 3D, I spent two years studying classical art, focusing on academic drawing and painting. My passion for game development and the idea of contributing to immersive, interactive worlds led me to explore 3D modeling. From the very beginning, I gravitated toward creating realistic game-ready assets.I've been self-taught so far, learning through online resources and courses, always striving to improve with each new project. Although I’m still early in my journey, I treat every piece as an opportunity to grow and refine my skills.Over the past year, I’ve worked on several projects, including the one I’ll be breaking down today: The Mad Science Gun.For this piece, I used a variety of tools: Maya, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer, RizomUV, Marmoset Toolbag, Unreal Engine 5, and Adobe Photoshop.Let’s dive into the process!Mad Science GunSince I’m always looking to push my skills further, I had a clear vision for my next project. I wanted to focus on metallic surfaces, explore cloth simulation in Marvelous Designer, and experiment with glass shaders in Unreal Engine 5.While browsing for inspiration, I came across a concept by Bruce Yu that immediately caught my attention. It had the perfect combination of materials, interesting shapes, and just the right level of complexity to challenge me, so I chose it as the foundation for my project.Once I found the concept, I started gathering real-world references for specific parts of the model. My goal was to better understand the design elements that weren’t fully detailed in the concept art. I collected everything I needed for the modeling stage, focusing on form and construction details.As always, I organized all the references in PureRef, grouping them to make the navigation easier throughout the process. These kinds of small workflow optimizations end up being huge time savers and help keep my pipeline efficient and focused.Once I had all my references in place, the next step was to create a simple blockout and establish the correct scale inside my modeling software. I use Autodesk Maya, and for this project, it was especially helpful to start modeling in the orthographic side view, using the main concept art placed on a plane as a visual guide.To set this up, I created a separate display layer in the Channel Box, added my reference plane to it, and toggled it to "R" mode, which keeps the plane visible but unselectable. This helps prevent accidentally moving or editing the reference during modeling.Throughout the process, I adjusted the transparency of the mesh material as needed to better see the concept art behind the geometry. This simple technique helps maintain accuracy and alignment during the early stages of the model.While the image below shows a more refined version of the model, it still demonstrates how I aligned the shapes early on using the concept art as a guide. By overlaying the reference in the orthographic view, I was able to keep proportions and silhouettes accurate from the very beginning.High Poly ModelingRight after, I moved on to creating the high poly model, refining the geometry in preparation for sculpting in ZBrush.I primarily work in Autodesk Maya, and I genuinely enjoy spending time in it—it’s where I feel really comfortable. For certain parts of the model, I used a subdivision workflow, which felt more intuitive and efficient for achieving the smooth, detailed shapes I wanted before moving into the sculpting phase.Sculpting Damages in ZBrushWith the high poly base mesh ready, it was time to bring the model into ZBrush and add surface details and damage.Even though not every component required sculpting, I imported the entire model to get a better sense of how everything worked together visually. To prepare the mesh for sculpting, I ran a DynaMesh pass, followed by Polish by Features, which gave me a clean, smoothed base to work from.From there, I started sculpting subtle damages, adding another layer of realism to the piece.Metal Damage SculptTo add realistic damage to the metal surfaces, I use the Morph Target brush in ZBrush quite often. After making sure the polycount and subdivision level were suitable for sculpting, I stored a morph target. This step is crucial – morph targets only work properly when stored at the correct subdivision level, so it’s important to do this before starting any sculpting.With the morph target saved, I could sculpt freely, knowing I could revert specific areas back to their original state using the Morph brush. This technique was especially helpful for cleaning up edges or dialing back intensity in certain spots.To create the actual damage, I used the Clay Buildup and Trim Smooth Border brushes to roughen up corners and edges. Then, using the Morph brush, I refined the sharpness of chipped or dented areas, subtly reducing excessive height to enhance realism.At this stage, I also gathered additional references – both from real-life objects and from the work of professional artists. This helped me ensure the damage placement was logical and grounded in reality, rather than randomly applied. I also stayed mindful of the original concept art to avoid straying too far from the intended look.Duct Tape in Marvelous DesignerOnce I wrapped up the hard-surface modeling, I jumped intoMarvelous Designerto simulate a duct tape element. I followed a helpful tutorial by Dmytro Mykhailykon ArtStation, which offered a clear step-by-step guide. You can check it outhere.In short:I imported my model into Marvelous Designer and created a rectangle.Attached one end of the rectangle to the avatar, then wrapped it around gradually, extending the fabric as needed.Tweaked settings like Pressure, Collision, and Strengthen, and used pins to create folds and creases.While Marvelous Designer handled the base simulation well, I wanted more detail, so I brought the mesh into ZBrush and sculpted additional folds manually for a more refined and realistic result.Grey Tape SculptFor the final detail pass, I sculpted an additional grey tape entirely in ZBrush, using a combination of basic fabric alphas and manual adjustments. Most of the detail came from a fantastic free brush pack – Cloth Folds by Seán Forsyth – which you can find here.Once the sculpting was complete, I assigned temporary materials to the high poly mesh in preparation for baking the ID map later on.Mid Poly ModelingSince I already had fully optimized models in my portfolio (for instance, the Game Boy project), I decided to go with a higher polycount for this project, just to explore and enjoy the process more. I even added additional bevels to make surfaces appear smoother, especially from the side view.That said, I still kept optimization in mind and followed a high-to-mid poly workflow, which is commonly used in game production. I treated this project as a learning opportunity and a way to keep refining my approach to real-time asset creation.To optimize the model, I removed hidden polygons, deleted unnecessary edge loops, and modeled in some of the larger damaged areas that I had previously sculpted in ZBrush, where they made sense topologically.For a bit of extra fun and challenge, I also modeled the inner structure of the diodes. I'd never worked with such small details before, so it was a great chance to experiment and learn something new.UV EditingFor UV unwrapping, I used RizomUV, which I find especially effective for precise control and a clean layout. I chose to work with a UDIM workflow, deliberately making the model unique and non-repeating to give myself more freedom during the texturing phase.While most parts of the model were deliberately made unique, I still applied some optimization techniques: straightened the UV shells wherever possible, resized less visible shells, and only stacked repeatable elements, like the diodes and their interior parts. The textures were planned to be 2K.BakingNext came baking, and fortunately, Marmoset Toolbag 5 makes this step fast and intuitive with UDIM support.I adjusted the settings to match my UDIM setup, painted skew maps where necessary, tweaked the cage, and baked the model.TexturingIn Substance 3D Painter, I worked with a PBR metallic roughness workflow. I began the texturing process by setting up base folders for each material type. I find that having an organized structure from the start makes it much easier to stay focused. I also added a layer above all others with a slightly visible curvature map plugged into the base color. This gives the model a subtle sense of form and depth right away, even before diving into fine details.I prefer to work on each channel separately, starting with the base color to introduce tonal variation, then moving on to roughness. Ideally, each color variation is supported by a corresponding change in roughness to keep the surface interesting.Often, I’ll start with a smart material as a base, deleting layers I don’t need, and then tweak the rest to suit my model. I move gradually across the asset, switching between areas instead of fixating on one part. This helps me maintain a cohesive look across the entire model.The most exciting part of the texturing process for me is adding dust, damages, and micro variations. At this stage, having a large number of references is essential. I use generators and anchor points to lay down initial damage and dirt layers, then go in manually to add hand-painted details.Lastly, I quickly modeled a few simple curved shapes for the lighting effects in the final scene and added an emissive pass in Substance 3D Painter to boost the atmosphere even more. This small touch helped tie everything together and gave the render that extra spark of visual interest.Lighting & RenderingAs I mentioned earlier, all final renders were done in Unreal Engine. One of the trickiest aspects of the scene was making the glass look good while integrating the emissive materials. I found videos by William Faucher incredibly helpful in solving this – clear, concise, and packed with great tips:Raytraced Glass, Translucency, & Refraction (UE4)Lumen Explained – Important Tips for UE5 (is also useful for general understanding)This time, I wanted to experiment more with rendering, so I created two separate scenes in Unreal Engine. Let’s start with the first one.Scene 1: Hero Lighting SetupI began by establishing the basic lighting setup: key light (Directional Light), fill light (Sky Light), and back light. After locking in the main camera angles, I added support lights to draw attention to specific areas and bring out nice highlights across the surface.I also used Exponential Height Fog and a Post Process Volume to fine-tune the atmosphere and overall tone. For color theory, I stuck to my usual preference – complementary lighting with blue and yellow tones. The model’s emissive elements helped guide the viewer’s eye and naturally fit into this color scheme.Since emissive materialsoften lack enough intensity on their own, I placed static lights directly over some emissive areas to better mimic glow and enhance their visual impact.And finally, white cubes under the model were added for better reflection on the light bulb.Scene 2: Cinematic EnvironmentFor the second setup, I placed the model in a more environmental context to give it a narrative tone. I downloaded rock and cliff assets from Quixel Megascans, arranging them to suit specific camera angles. My goal was to create a natural vignette around the model, helping viewers immediately recognize the prop as the focal point.The lighting setup was similar to the first scene, but I adjusted the camera lenses to give the composition a more cinematic feel. I also used simple planes to fake cast shadows from off-camera objects, adding extra depth and realism to the frame.Final Adjustments & Technical RendersBefore wrapping up the project, I made a few final adjustments in Photoshop – mainly fine-tuning colors, contrast, and sharpness to give the renders a finished look. I also created several technical renders to showcase the model.Feedback ImportanceI’d like to give a huge thank you to Niels Couvreur and Gerben Pasjes for their valuable feedback and guidance throughout the project! Their input helped me see things from new perspectives and pushed the quality of the work further.And this is a great reminder of how important it is to seek outside feedback. It’s a step in the creative process that should never be underestimated.ConclusionThis project took around two to three months, working during my free time. Along the way, I tried to implement new techniques and continue expanding my skill set. It was both a creative and technical challenge – and a rewarding one!If I had to pinpoint my biggest area for growth, it would still be texturing. I plan to continue focusing on this aspect in future projects, refining my workflow and aiming for even more realism and storytelling in my textures.ChecklistOne small tip I would like to mention that’s made a big impact on my workflow: I always use a personal checklist to stay organized throughout each stage of the project. It might seem like going back to fix things like pivot points or triangulating a mesh doesn’t take much time, but those little steps add up.A checklist helps catch those tasks before they’re forgotten, saving a lot of time and frustration. I highly recommend creating your own!Final NotesI’d like to thank 80 Level for the opportunity to share this breakdown with the community. It’s been an amazing experience to reflect on my process!I can be found on ArtStation and LinkedIn, where I share my projects and communicate with everyone. Thanks for reading! I hope this breakdown gave you some useful insights and maybe even a bit of inspiration for your next project.Daryna Kurhan, 3D Prop ArtistInterview conducted by Amber Rutherford