Tutorial: Creating a Laser Sword for Games
The Gnomon Workshop has released Creating a Laser Sword for Games, a guide to creating hard-surface assets, recorded by Bungie’s Dylan Mellott.
The workshop provides just under three hours of video training in 3ds Max, ZBrush, RizomUV, Substance 3D Painter and Marmoset Toolbag.
The training is aimed at artists with basic knowledge of the tools used, and who are interested in blending hard-surface poly modeling with organic sculpting in their asset-creation process.
Discover how to model and texture hard-surface assets suitable for use in AAA games
In the workshop, Mellott shares his complete workflow for creating AAA-quality hard-surface game assets.
He begins by blocking out the 3D model – the laser sword of the title – in 3ds Max, then sculpting the organic elements of the concept, like the skull on the sword hilt, in ZBrush.
He then returns to 3ds Max for retopology, using RizomUV for UV unwrapping, before tackling map baking using Marmoset Toolbag and texturing in Substance 3D Painter.
As well as the technical details of his workflow, Mellott shares his personal reflections on the game art process and the role of a modern hard-surface artist within it.
Viewers of the workshop can also download project files including Mellott’s complete 3ds Max, ZBrush, Marmoset Toolbag and Substance 3D Painter scenes, the high- and low-poly FBX models, and the rendered scene.
About the artist
Dylan Mellott is a Senior 3D Hard Surface Artist at Bungie, where he has worked on new seasons and expansions for online first-person shooter Destiny 2.
He previously worked for DICE LA on the Battlefield franchise, and has over eight years of experience as a hard surface artist for AAA games.
Pricing and availability
Creating a Laser Sword for Games is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $54/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.
Read more about Creating a Laser Sword for Games on The Gnomon Workshop’s website
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