Description
My friends asked me to help make 3D assets for a game inspired by Vampire Survivors. The game has a top-down view with the player's ship in the middle while enemy ships come toward the player.
My task was to create 3D low-poly models of various spaceships in different styles. Three main styles may be described as Classic, Robotic, and Alien. I had a lot of freedom in creating and interpreting concepts in this project, therefore I translated the meaning of those styles as follows:
Classic
Standard spaceships that come to mind when first imagining one. Those designs are inspired by existing spaceships or spaceships made by humankind from sci-fi movies.
Robotic
Those designs are inspired by mechanical gadgets and electronic appliances. Usually have hard lines and sharp edges.
Alien
Inspired by crystal growths and gems. Combine sharpness and smooth form.
Process
Depending on the style I would look for references and combine them to a mood board.
After the initial block-out, I refine and add details to the model. I use Blender software to make most of my models.
When the model is ready, I unwrap it in RizomUV. I find it much more convenient to use this software for this kind of work. For a set of ships that have variants, I combine them into one file and overlap relevant UV shells for better optimization and quality.
To make the next step easier I paint parts of the model in vertex paint to create an ID map. Then I export the model in FBX format.
Finally, the last step in creating the model is to paint it. I bake ID and Ambient Occlusion maps in Substance Painter. Then I proceed painting the model by assigning materials to parts by using an ID map.
future development
As mentioned before this project is still a work in progress. I plan to add more models to existing styles and expand the variety to five styles in total. In addition, I will add models for pick-ups and upgrades.