Tag: substance painter

  • Heart-Shaped Candy Box

    Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates by simfreak on Sketchfab

    Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates PBR
    PBR
    Wireframe Front
    Wireframe Front
    Base Color
    Base Color
    UVMap
    UVMap
    Wireframe Top
    Wireframe Top
    Colorways
    Colorways

    This heart shaped chocolate box was created as a game asset for Proxi, an unshipped title from Gallium Studios. The goal was to make a prop that reads clearly at game distance, holds up in close ups, and stays efficient for real time use.

    Modeling and UVs

    The model was built in Maya. UVs were handled across Maya and Blender during iteration, which kept the layout flexible while I refined the mesh and texture targets.

    Texturing and Graphic Work

    Most of the visual identity comes from the decorative lid treatment and the paper elements. I recreated the lid scrollwork in Adobe Photoshop using vector artwork to keep the curves crisp, then brought it into Adobe Substance Painter for final texturing. I also created the heart graphics in Photoshop and applied them as alpha channels in Substance Painter for consistent placement and sharp edges. Each layer stacks with ability to toggle cutouts for the cutouts for them on the layers stacked below to avoid any overlapping normals.especially where scrollwork is used.

    The model is baked for AO and supporting maps, then refined with curvature driven layers to enhance definition. The wave detail on the paper cups was created using a curvature based layer with an alpha texture to form the repeating ridges without adding heavy geometry.

    Optimization Choices

    The paper cups have no bottoms to save polygons. To preserve the look of separate cup bases, I painted the cup bottoms directly onto the box surface in an additional Substance Painter layer, which also allowed independent material control without increasing mesh complexity.

    Tools used

    • Maya (modeling)
    • Maya and Blender (UV mapping and iteration)
    • Adobe Photoshop (vector scrollwork, heart graphics)
    • Adobe Substance Painter (bakes, alphas, curvature detail, layered texturing)
  • Mahjong Set

    Mahjong Set

    Mahjong Set by simfreak on Sketchfab

    Stylized Mahjong Set
    Albedo
    Alpha Vectors
    Normal
    AO
    Metallic/Smoothness
    Wireframe
    Stylized Mahjong Set
    UVMap

    This mahjong set was recreated as a stylized, game-ready asset with a focus on traditional craftsmanship, clean vector illustration, and efficient PBR texturing. The project began with individually modeled tiles, each built as its own tall box to preserve the dimensional look of real carved bone or resin pieces. Every character, flower, and suit symbol was designed as a custom vector in Photoshop, allowing for crisp line variation and consistent stroke profiles across the entire set. These vectors were imported into Substance Painter as alpha shapes and applied using a combination of precise Path Tool strokes for controlled linework and brush-based detailing for the circular dot patterns.

    Zoom in Individual Images for Detail

    The case itself was built to reflect the proportions and hinge structure of physical mahjong travel boxes, including layered wood panels, reinforced corners, and small metal fasteners placed flush with the surface. Substance Painter was used to create the interior fabric lining, which was constructed from a blend of patterned alphas and procedural masks to simulate woven material without introducing a tiled texture. The exterior lacquered wood finish, gold trim, and metal hardware were all hand-painted with stylized albedo work, emphasizing shape readability and controlled saturation while keeping the roughness variations subtle for a cohesive look.

    Zoom in Individual Images for Detail

    UVs were laid out using ZenUV and UVPackmaster Pro for clean, predictable organization. Tile shells were arranged in a structured grid to streamline texture work, while the case components were unfolded into straight, easy-to-paint islands with minimal distortion. The exported maps include albedo, normal, AO, and metallic/smoothness, all baked within Substance Painter. The normal map incorporates subtle bevels around tile edges and recessed grooves along the wood seams, adding tactile depth without increasing the triangle count.

    Zoom in Individual Images for Detail

    Although stylized, the set maintains a grounded sense of material layering: lacquered wood, brushed metal, fabric lining, and painted tile surfaces. The final asset is optimized for real-time performance with efficient geometry and carefully packed UVs, blending vector-based design, controlled hand-painting, and practical PBR workflow choices into a polished hero prop that reads well both close-up and in gameplay.