
Unwrap the tread and components with Maya's UV editor, export as OBJ files. Import into Roadkill, then scale, arrange, and pack UVs to form a tight texture sheet.
Explore model prep techniques for a hard surface tank, adjusting treads and pipes, reducing poly counts, and planning texture sets with unwrapping, the outliner, and grouped textures.
Export the chassis, turret, tracks, and guns to roadkill, then unwrap and weld edges to create clean UV maps, adjusting back-face visibility as needed.
Unwrap the guns in maya by selecting edges, using world view, and applying the unwrap to produce clean edge seams and a fully unwrapped model.
Learn to unwrap the missile launcher by placing seams, welding edges, and hiding back faces, then save and prepare the model for texturing in Maya.
Place seams on the interior of the pipes to optimize visibility, unwrap with Maya, and separate pipes from hinge and ground points for a time-saving, smart workflow.
Weld first to assemble the plasma cannon, then square components. Verify the setup is functional, delivering a quick game-ready hard surface asset.
Unwrap the track support by following edge lines to create clean seams and strategic cuts, then use wireframe, back-face cleanup, and welds to optimize texture mapping.
In maya, unwrap and organize UVs for a hard surface vehicle by importing parts, grouping them into chassis and launcher assemblies, and preparing the track and turret components. Learn to pack UVs densely in the UV editor, adjust scale and placement, and save progress as you arrange components like plasma cannon, missiles, guns, and wheels.
Arrange the uv layout for the chassis by scaling, rotating, and spacing parts like the plasma cannon and pipes, then align and merge related pieces.
Explore UV layout for a hard surface vehicle, packing launcher and missile textures, separating exterior and interior pieces, and adjusting scale and placement to fit texture sheets.
Arrange the vehicle’s UVs by placing parts in available space, then scale, move, and rotate to fit the atlas, planning three large textures and a 2k for launcher and treads.
Master uv layout for hard-surface vehicle detailing by arranging texture space for track units, chassis, and turret. Learn unwrap editor basics and prepare for NexGen detail stamps.
Leverage polygroups in zbrush using the subt master multi-band workflow to separate chassis, turret, and plasma cannon into distinct UV groups and poly groups for targeted detailing and subdivision.
Master polygroups with auto groups, group visible, and control shift click to split and reorganize subtools for precise hard-surface vehicle detailing.
Learn to craft simple alphas for sci‑fi stencils using masking, invert, inflate, and smoothing, then transfer to 3d alpha, test on a sphere, and save rounds for reuse.
Scale a simple cylinder along the z axis to lengthen it, apply masking and crease edges, then deform and smooth to create a pipe connected to a plane 3d.
Explore building and refining alphas through masking in Photoshop, importing, saving variants, and layering z-sub and sub textures to detail a hard surface sci-fi tank for games.
Learn to sculpt a hard-surface barrel in ZBrush using subdivision, projection master, masking, and line tools to create ridges and bolt details on exterior and interior sections.
Learn to sculpt the barrel in a vehicle workflow by applying crease and pitch shifts, subdividing, managing poly groups, hiding interiors, and using projection master with alpha masks for details.
Detail the turret shielding on a hard surface vehicle using masking and projection master, refining symmetry and creases, then save and preview with a bpr render.
Sculpt and detail the front machine guns for a hard surface vehicle, starting with the plasma gun, refining with projection master, poly groups, and orthogonal projection to add lines, ridges.
Sculpt the side weapons using projection master and orthographic projection. Apply masking and subdivision to add bolts, edges, and subtle detailing.
Develop and refine mechanical details using projection master, masking, and polygroup workflows to add lines, screws, bolts, and subtle wear to a hard surface vehicle model.
master sculpting a hatch by masking edges, projecting details with projection master, adjusting subdivisions, creating a central circular piece, and managing symmetry and polygroups settings for a clean hard-surface result.
Master the main turret armor by applying controlled projections with projection master, masking and inverting masks, smoothing edges, and using symmetry to refine shells and piping for game-ready hard-surface detail.
Sculpt a futuristic vehicle chassis using projection master, masking, and alpha textures. Add subtle bolts, vents, and edge details that read clearly from distance for hard-surface game vehicles.
Apply a base olive drab color to the tank model using polypainting. Use masking, color fill, and color sampling to add color variation and dirt layers, then prepare for decals.
Learn polypainting for hard surface vehicles by layering color and painting highlights and shadows on flats. Use cavity masks and symmetry, then bake layers to add wear and decals.
Master poly painting for game textures, using edge highlights, shadowing, and layered alphas with dirt to add depth while keeping details readable in game.
Master poly painting to build believability through wear, color variation, and controlled asymmetry, using masking, texturing, previews, and baking to iteratively refine game vehicle textures.
Add dirt and grime to track unit components using masking and cavity workflows to create subtle edge wear and varied shading.
Add rust textures to hard-surface vehicle models by painting rust details with layers, opacity, and cavity masking for realistic edge wear.
Apply subtle rust and weathering to decals on a hard-surface vehicle by sampling colors, painting on layers, masking, and adjusting intensity for realistic, readable texture.
Apply rust textures with spotlight and mask by cavity to edges around the chassis and track components, keeping weathering cohesive.
Apply a darkening pass to heighten contrast and grunge on key areas, then render and bake maps with a multi map exporter for rust overlays in Photoshop.
Texture and assemble a vehicle in marmoset toolbag by creating chassis and turret materials with diffuse, normal, and spec maps, then fine-tune lighting and decals for a grungy, realistic render.
In this course, instructor Stephen Wells will be taking us through the process of refining the final model of this Hard Surface Tank. Starting with our basic blockout model, we'll go indepth by covering the UVW unwrapping process using Roadkill. Next, we'll dive into detailing our mesh as we open ZBrush and cover the sculpting process. In ZBrush, we'll learn to create custom alphas and sculpt much more of the extra details not covered in the original blockout phase - including weapons, turrets, machine guns, armor, and more.
Using ZBrush, we'll also learn to create our custom textures and materials as we learn polypainting, as well as adding details such as rust and grime. Lastly, well cover the final presentation of the model as we learn to render and present the tank model while utilizing Maya, ZBrush and the Marmoset Toolbag.
(Students - please look under Section 1 / Lecture 1 downloads for the source files associated with the lesson.)
More about the Instructor:
Stephen Wells is an expert 3D modeler for characters, props, vehicles, weapons and environments and have created both high and low polygon assets for game productions. He has over 20 years experience in creating a variety of game assets for several different genres (fantasy, sci-fi, combat, superheroes, horror, etc) using 3ds Max, Maya, Photoshop, ZBrush, Mudbox, Topogun, and XNormal. As an enthusiastic instructor, he loves creating video tutorials on a wide variety of subjects to help students better their skillsets.