single modeling hard-surface

Modeling Weapons for a First Person Shooter

Instructor:

Jonathan Lampel

Beautiful, Functional, and Efficient

Learn how to build weapons that are low in polygons, high in detail, and feel great for a first person player to use.

To build a first person shooter, we’re going to need some guns.

Modeling weapons is awesome not just because they look cool, but because in an FPS each gun is its own character. They become an extension of the player reaching into your game, so it’s super important that they have personality, look good from all the correct angles, and are completely functional.

In this course, I’ll be taking you through how to build a first person pistol from scratch, including high poly modeling, low poly modeling, normal map baking, and all the way to exporting.

There are a lot of tricks to modeling

specifically for first person, so what may make for a technically realistic gun or even a good third person gun is not going to cut it here. It’s an advanced topic so a basic knowledge of how to model is expected before taking this course. This allows us to dive a bit deeper into the theory behind what we’re doing, so you can apply these skills to any first person design.

Before watching this course, it's recommended that you know the basics of creating game models. If this topic is new to you, please review the Introduction to Normal Map Modeling for Games course.

Trailer music by CDK

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Awarded upon completion:

100xp + Modeling Weapons for a First Person Shooter Badge

Course Curriculum

1. Blocking the Pistol
To start out, we'll take our concept art and translate it into a simple 3D model to see if the design holds up in first person view.
- Blocking the Main Body
  Playing Free 15 min
- Blocking the Frame
  Playing 12 min
- Blocking the Remaining Parts
  Playing 11 min
2. Refining the Pistol
Once all the pieces are in place, we'll need to adjust the design so that it is as appealing as possible for the player.
- Setting Up the First Person Perspective
  Playing 4 min
- Refining the Slide pt. I
  Playing 10 min
- Refining the Slide pt. II
  Playing 9 min
- Refining the Frame pt. I
  Playing 9 min
- Refining the Frame pt. II
  Playing 9 min
- Refining the Grip
  Playing 5 min
- Refining the Front
  Playing 15 min
- Refining the Sights
  Playing 13 min
- Refining the Top
  Playing 12 min
- Blocking and Refining
  Playing 5 questions
3. High Poly Detailing
Make your gun stand out in-game by adding bevels, normal decals, and structural details.
- Adding Bevels pt. I
  Playing 5 min
- Adding Bevels pt. II
  Playing 9 min
- Adding Detail Objects
  Playing 11 min
- Adding Creases and Insets
  Playing 8 min
- Adding Normal Decals
  Playing 16 min
- High Poly Detailing
  Playing 4 questions
4. Low Poly Modeling
After adding all the details, we create a duplicate low-poly version that can be used in-game.
- Low Poly Conversion pt. I
  Playing 10 min
- Low Poly Conversion pt. II
  Playing 14 min
- Low Poly Conversion
  Playing 4 questions
5. UV Mapping
Create a near-perfect UV layout by placing seams and playing a little Blender Tetris.
- UV Unwrapping pt. I
  Playing 8 min
- UV Unwrapping pt. II
  Playing 12 min
- UV Layout pt. I
  Playing 15 min
- UV Layout pt. II
  Playing 21 min
- UV Layout pt. III
  Playing 8 min
- UV Mapping
  Playing 4 questions
6. Baking Normals
Transfer the high poly details onto the low poly model with normal map baking.
- Organizing Objects for Baking
  Playing 9 min
- Baking Normals pt. I
  Playing 13 min
- Baking Normals pt. II
  Playing 13 min
7. Wrapping Up
Congrats on finishing the course! In the final lesson we'll export the pistol to Unity and make a few last adjustments.
- Export and Final Polish
  Playing 9 min
- Baking and Exporting
  Playing 4 questions
- Model a First Person Weapon
  Playing

In playlist: TRACK: Modeling in Blender - 101

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