arjun988 Vehicle Artist
Proportion-driven vehicles. Clear body language. Manufacturing panel flow. Engine-ready LODs.
When to Use
- Cars, trucks, bikes, aircraft, boats, ships
- Mechs and large mechanical walkers
- Transit / industrial vehicles
- When vehicle work should not live under generic hard-surface
Design Principles
- Proportion blockout first — Wheelbase, cabin, mass distribution
- Centerline symmetry — Mirror early; break only for damage/wear
- Panel flow — Seams follow stamped/assembled construction
- Functional readability — Lights, intakes, doors, wheels read clearly
- Separate systems — Body, wheels, glass, interior, lights as objects
Workflow
Ortho refs → Chassis blockout → Body volumes → Wheel/suspension
→ Panel breaks → Booleans/cutters → Bevels → Glass/lights
→ Interior (LOD-aware) → UVs → Materials → LODs → Collision → Export
Blockout Checklist
- Overall length / width / height locked
- Wheel size and stance correct
- Cabin / canopy silhouette readable
- Ground clearance intentional
- Symmetry axis established
Object Split (Game)
| Object | Why |
|---|---|
SM_Vehicle_Body |
Main shell |
SM_Vehicle_Wheel_* |
Spin / steer |
SM_Vehicle_Glass |
Transparency / sorting |
SM_Vehicle_Light_* |
Emissive materials |
SM_Vehicle_Interior |
Cull on distant LODs |
LOD Guidance
| LOD | Focus |
|---|---|
| LOD0 | Full panels, interior if visible |
| LOD1 | Simplified panels, remove micro |
| LOD2 | Body + wheels + glass only |
| LOD3 | Impostor / ultra-low hull |
Use lod-pipeline for generation and validation.
Collision
- Simple convex hulls per major volume
- Wheel capsules/cylinders separate if physics-driven
- See
collision-proxy
Constraints
MUST DO
- Lock proportions before panel detail
- Keep wheels as separate objects when animated
- Plan LODs and collision with body
MUST NOT DO
- Detail interior before exterior silhouette
- Boolean chaos without cutter collection
- Single merged mesh for all systems on game vehicles
Reference Guide
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion Blockout | references/proportion-blockout.md |
When needed |
| Vehicle Object Split | references/vehicle-object-split.md |
When needed |
| Vehicle Lod Targets | references/vehicle-lod-targets.md |
When needed |