Ram Mace - Game Ready Prop
This project is a game-ready weapon prop completed in 5 days. The production breakdown was 3 days sculpting, 1 day UV mapping and baking, and 1 day texturing. The goal was to create a detailed yet optimized weapon asset suitable for real-time use.
Beauty Shot
Breakdown
Sculpting – ZBrush
The high poly sculpt was created in ZBrush. I focused on giving the ram head visible dents and impact marks to suggest it has been used in battle.
Initially, the ram head was sculpted asymmetrically to achieve a more natural look. However, for optimization purposes, the final version was adjusted to be symmetrical to support mirroring in the low poly stage.
Retopology – Maya
The low poly model was retopologized in Maya with a target of staying under 6K tris.
The final asset reached 5,300 tris, keeping it efficient while maintaining the silhouette and key details.
UV Mapping
The UVs were laid out to maximize texture space efficiency. The handle was stretched strategically to optimize UV coverage while maintaining consistent texel density across the asset.
This approach helped reduce wasted space and maintain texture clarity.
Baking – Marmoset Toolbag
The high poly was baked to the low poly using Marmoset Toolbag.
The ram head was mirrored as planned to optimize texture usage. A cavity map was also baked, which later became very useful during the texturing phase to enhance surface details and edge definition.
Texturing – Substance Painter
The asset was textured in Substance Painter with a focus on clear material separation between wood, metal, and leather. For the metal, I introduced natural coloration inspired by hammered metal to achieve realistic look. Edge wear, cavity highlights, and roughness variation were added to reinforce the battle-used feel while keeping it suitable for real-time rendering.
