Prop Modeling

This Pirate Cutlass was created for an MMORPG, dubbed Project Darkwater, that I am developing with a volunteer team of 21. The project is currently in pre-production, so this prop is not yet featured in any in-game scenes. However, it serves as a great example of the type of high-quality, game-ready assets I am capable of creating for use in real-time applications.

My Process

I blocked out the blade and grip proportions in Maya, then sculpted the edge wear and grip detail in ZBrush. After retopologizing to a game-ready low poly and laying out UVs, I baked the high-poly detail down and built the albedo, normal, roughness, and metalness maps in Substance Painter.

Interactive 3D Viewer

Technical Breakdown

Wireframe

High Poly Sculpt

Textured

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

Detail Shots

Detail Area 1

Detail Area 2

Detail Area 3

A sword and shield styled after peppermint candy, made for an art challenge where it won 3rd place. The shield has a swirled red and white face edged in black, rusted metal, and the sword has a candy cane grip and a gold crossguard. The sword is 637 polys and the shield is 1,325 polys, and both took about 10 hours. All images were rendered in Unreal Engine.

My Process

I started with the shield, building its basic structure before moving on to the sword, then refined both to match my vision. After subdividing the meshes, I sculpted finer detail in ZBrush. I decimated the sculpts and aligned the high-poly and low-poly meshes in Maya, UV mapped the models, and textured them in Substance Painter with folders, layers, masks, and generators before rendering in Unreal Engine.

Interactive 3D Viewer

Technical Breakdown

Wireframe

Untextured

Textured

Wireframe, Alternate View

Untextured, Alternate View

Textured, Alternate View

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

In-Engine Renders

In-Engine Render 1

In-Engine Render 2

Credits: Won 3rd place in the art challenge it was made for.

A set of rusted Norse-style armor made for Light Reforged: three helms, three bracers, and two pauldrons, with a total of 14,849 polys. It took about 14 hours. The breakdown renders were made at 1920 by 1080 with the Arnold renderer, and the in-engine screenshots were captured in Unreal Engine.

My Process

I gathered reference images of traditional Norse and Viking armor, modeled the pieces, and added finer detail. I placed the helms, bracers, and pauldrons on separate UDIMs, which gave three material sets. I sculpted dents and scratches in ZBrush, transferred the sculpted detail to the low-poly meshes in Substance 3D Painter, and applied colors, masks, and generators. Last, I imported the models and textures into Unreal Engine and set up materials so the pieces were ready for the designers to use.

Interactive 3D Viewer

Technical Breakdown

Helms Wireframe (7,215 polys)

Helms Untextured

Helms Textured

Bracers Wireframe (2,690 polys)

Bracers Untextured

Bracers Textured

Pauldrons Wireframe (6,282 polys)

Pauldrons Untextured

Pauldrons Textured

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

In-Engine Screenshots

In-Engine Screenshot 1

In-Engine Screenshot 2

A stylized magic potion bottle made for the May 2025 Art Challenge and completed on May 30, 2025. It has a teal glazed body, a glowing yellow liquid, a leather and rope wrap at the neck, and a stone tag. The model is 16,434 quads (32,884 triangles), and the renders were made in Unreal Engine and Substance Painter.

My Process

Working from Yuri Chuchmay's concept art, I modeled the bottle, neck wrap, and stone tag in Maya, then moved into Substance Painter to build up the glazed ceramic look and the leather and rope textures. I used an emissive mask to drive the glowing liquid, then brought the model and materials into Unreal Engine for the final renders.

Preview

Interactive 3D Viewer

Technical Breakdown

Untextured

Textured

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

Renders

Studio Render

In-Engine Render

Detail Shots

Neck and Tag

Full Bottle

In a Scene

Credits: Concept art by Yuri Chuchmay.

A stone totem of Thor made for Light Reforged. It features a helmeted, bearded face, carved knotwork across the body, and a hammer at its base, with weathered white stone and red staining near the foot. The model is game-ready at 14,954 triangles with a single 2K PBR texture set.

My Process

I sculpted the totem's form and knotwork directly in ZBrush, then retopologized it into a clean game-ready mesh and unwrapped the UVs. I baked the high-poly detail onto the low poly and built the base color, normal, roughness, and height maps in Substance 3D Painter, finishing with renders in Blender Cycles and an import pass into Unreal Engine 5.

Technical Breakdown

Wireframe

High Poly Sculpt

Textured

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

Detail Shots

Face and Helmet

Body Carving and Base

Rear View

A steampunk scooter prop made for Light Reforged, with riveted yellow panels, a padded red seat, a round headlamp, and a rear torpedo-shaped tank. Chipped paint and worn rubber give it a used look. The model is game-ready at 23,851 triangles and uses a 2K texture set with packed occlusion, roughness, and metallic maps.

My Process

I built the scooter's body and mechanical details in Maya with beveled edges for a clean hard-surface look, then unwrapped the UVs and textured it in Substance 3D Painter, using masks and generators to add the chipped paint and worn rubber before baking a packed occlusion-roughness-metallic map. I rendered the breakdown in Blender Cycles and brought the finished asset into Unreal Engine 5.

Technical Breakdown

Wireframe

Untextured

Textured

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

Detail Shots

Headlamp and Seat

Wheel and Tank

Rear View

A steampunk carriage prop made for Light Reforged, with a quilted red seat, a curved roof, brass lamps, exposed pipework, and a horizontal tank across the hood. The model is game-ready at 33,948 triangles and uses a 4K texture set that includes an emissive map.

My Process

I modeled the carriage's body, roof, and pipework in Maya, keeping the hard-surface edges clean for baking. In Substance 3D Painter I textured the panels with masks and generators for wear, and added an emissive map for the brass lamps, before rendering the breakdown in Blender Cycles and bringing the finished asset into Unreal Engine 5.

Technical Breakdown

Wireframe

Untextured

Textured

Texture Maps Base Color / Normal / ORM, click to enlarge

Detail Shots

Seat and Roof

Pipework and Wheel

Rear View

Props made for the minigames in Pandora's Party Box, including the Shot Guesser chalices and cocktail shaker, the Leopard Tug collection crate, the Grape Stomp wine crate and grape basin, the Hera Chase power-ups, and the playing cards and chips for Casino Olympus. I made about half of the props in Hera Chase and a few in Grape Stomp. I also made the poisoned chalice icon.

My Process

Each prop went through the same pipeline: block out proportions and silhouette in Maya, sculpt detail where needed in ZBrush, then unwrap and texture in Substance 3D Painter before importing into Unity. Working across a batch like this meant keeping shared texture sets and modular pieces wherever I could, so the props stayed consistent and fit the project's budget.

Props

Shot Chalices

Poisoned Chalice Icon

Cocktail Shaker

Collection and Wine Crates

Grape Basin

Hera Chase Power-Ups

Lounge Couch

Barrels

Table with Lamp

Marble Table

Casino Chips

Face Cards

Card Deck

Playing Cards

Wanted Poster

Bar Bottles, Set 1

Bar Bottles, Set 2

Iron Fence

Wall Torch

Long Bar Table

Bar Bench

Tankard

Marble Pillar

Credits: Face card artwork by Katelynn Reyes.