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Taking Up The Slack

R eturning five years later to finally begin completing these models has been interesting. I cleaned up model topology and improved UV maps whilst also adding in some extra detailing, making each piece consistent with a level of detail from the viewer's perspective. One model I added further detailing to before texturing was the Coiling Block. This piece features heavily in gameplay and is centre stage out of all of the mechanical equipment for bringing up crab pots, so it made sense to focus more attention on it. I further reduced the poly count and added hydraulic cables to the back. Something I have always done manually since learning Maya at Uni is wrapping hard surface objects with other objects like cable ties, tape and rope. I always found this a time-consuming and annoying task (even though I have got pretty quick at the steps involved and avoiding intersecting objects). Recently, while looking at rope modelling inspiration, I found a simple tutorial on wrapping objects in ...
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Forepeak Progress

A fresh challenge I have been working on the past few weeks has been the forepeak. The forepeak deck is at the forward-most point of the vessel, situated below the forecastle. This space usually houses bait, gear and a crew rest area. Since 2019, this  section of the model has remained largely unchanged since I first started modelling the F/V Scully. After   I recently completed all the exterior of the hull, I was very eager to blockout the geometry and finally layout all the rooms. The only thing missing again was references! I pored over videos online and without watching every Deadliest Catch episode to find a few seconds of footage, I managed to find two video shorts posted by the crew of the F/V Cornelia Marie last year, featuring a brief tour of the forepeak. Using this footage, alongside my model’s outer hull geometry, I was able to study the structure and replicate key sections I was unsure about; such as stairs and door placement. After all the  adjustments remod...
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Sorting Table Renders

T he  next asset I've got around to texturing is the sorting table, and the renders are now ready to share! Like the pot launcher before, I discovered a few topology issues that bothered me, specifically the wheels and latches (see here ). So, I tidied them all up in Maya,  drastically  reducing the poly count. Booyah. In Substance 3D Painter, I was conscious to keep an eye on scale when texturing. The crab sorting table has quite large surface areas, so I had to constantly be aware of texture scaling to make the object look as convincingly accurate and readable in size as possible. After messing about with basic lighting and  renders in  Iray , I had a fun idea. I opened the sorting table and my king crab model  into a scene in Maya. Using the node-based procedural effects tool MASH, I created a  bunch of king crabs, scattered them using a random node and placed them above the table using a transform node. Next, I distributed the duplicates so no geom...
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Asset Optimization

A bout a year ago I posted my top tips for UV unwrapping  (see here ).  Since then, I’ve FINALLY started working through my backlog of models and texturing them (some of which I created five years ago…where has the time gone?!). While prepping these assets, I spotted some un‑optimised geometry that needed fixing. This then felt like the perfect opportunity to share a few more tips on how to shave off the  poly count. Like UV unwrapping, model  optimization  is a necessary evil. However, unlike UV unwrapping, you can adopt what I like to call the 'polygon janitor' mindset  whilst  you build the model. Here are five tips I've found particularly helpful while mopping as you model: Pre-visualization:  Before you start moving pixels, picture how your asset may look like untextured in wireframe view. Visualize the curves and edges. Is this a hero prop or a background asset? Are there specific areas that need more detail? How close will the viewer/c...
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Pot Launcher Renders

F ive years ago, I shared a post of a key mechanical assetl I finished modelling, the pot launcher. I even mentioned looking forward to weathering it ''at a later date''. Five YEARS later, I've come back around to finally finish and render the thing. Returning  to this piece after  so long has been  one of my strangest personal artistic experiences so far. The artwork was never abandoned...it just sat on my to-do list longer than I expected. Revisiting something  you've invested time and commitment in  brings an oddly  nostalgic,  infused   familiarity. Renaissance masters who spent years on a single work likely felt the same nostalgic déjà vu; while a painting could take years, they rarely devoted themselves to one canvas alone; working on multiple projects, studying, sketching, researching, and refining techniques. When they finally came back to the piece, they brought every lesson learned, ready to apply their findings. Which is exactly what I ...
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Row, Row, Row Your Boat

H appy New Year! Starting off the year with a thrust in the right direction. Quite literally. I finally finished modelling the propellers of the  F/V  Scully ! Back in late 2018, I  created  a placeholder propeller in Maya with the intention of one day completing the props, rudders and surrounding stern area. Since then, this floating, four-bladed (and completely unattached)  propeller  has just been lurking unfinished beneath the  F/V  Scully's  hull for years. Unitl now. After completely remodelling the boat's decks and exterior, it felt only right to finally give this vessel propulsion and make the propeller and rudder assembly. But wait. Why model a part of the boat that will be submerged in the ocean, inaccesable, and unseen in-game? Well, why not? When life gives you lemons...make lemonade. This game art project wasn't intially about making an actual game, it was about building my portfolio,  learning new techniques and pushing my ...
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Full Frame

H ere are some full-frame Arnold renders of the  F/V  Scully now   more or less externally complete ! After all these years, I could only ever visualise this fishing vessel finished in my head...until now!  Seeing a manifestation from your imagination, brought to life through your hands and tools and captured in a single image, is profoundly satisfying. Words fail to capture the kind of peace/elation I feel after  countless hours, late nights and meticulous hard work.  More than  seven years have now passed since I began construction. The very first thing I modelled was the bow mast (for what was then an unnamed vessel)!  Seeing the 4K renders below brings a true sense of accomplishment and a big ol' smile to my face!  I can just picture a foggy morning in a Seattle boatyard for its maiden launch. Although, I'm not so sure it would be watertight if I were to place my actual 3D model into water! Still, there is a loooooong way to go. UV unwrap...
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Stern Superstructure

T he stern superstructure of the  F/V  Scully has been a deeply gratifying task to model. I've been fortunate to have plenty of references of this aft section (thank goodness) and all the shapes have been relatively easy to form. One of the only real significant challenges this end of the boat, was the integration of the wheelhouse with the stateroom. This took a bit of figuring out, as I had adjusted the general dimensions while modelling the interior (for better gameplay/aesthetics). To fix this, I had to adjust the external geometry using the interior walls for reference points and windows as guides. Here are some progress screenshots, along with a before and after comparison which really shows just how much the aft has evolved! Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Next time, my last post of 2025! Thanks for reading :)
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Forecastle Progress

M odelling the forecastle, especially where the hull curves up to meet the bow top, presented unique topology challenges.  After completing the bow, I was able to use this, in unison with the  original model, as a guide to recreate the forecastle. For those unacquainted, a forecastle is   the forward upper deck of a vessel. Historically, it served in medieval times as a  defensive stronghold and  for archers . Today, it is used for anchor and mooring operations.  On the  F/V  Scully, the   forecastle is just that, an area for the bow mast, anchor winch and mooring bollards. With a sparsity of reference photos, I had to piece together  parts from different crab fishing vessel images in order to complete the section. As this area of the boat is mostly symmetrical, it helped massively speed up the process by mirroring a majority of the assets.  Additionally , t here were visual  aesthetics to consider like  the side scuppers ...
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Boat Bow

U nlike the relatively rectangular mid-section, the curvature of the bow demanded a lot of attention to model correctly. Accuracy of the  F/V  Scully's  bow was paramount, as the front of the boat defines the vessel’s silhouette but also its ability to cleave through the sea. I was determined to get this to feel right and improve upon my first attempt from back in 2019. To achieve this, I scoured hundreds of images of crab boats, just to find at least one with a clear angle in dry dock below the water line  for reference .  I then stumbled upon a couple of images of a boat undergoing repairs with its hull plating partially removed. This was a massive breakthrough, offering a much better understanding of the reinforced internal structure. What’s more, the reference image just so happened to be of the fishing vessel seen in the TV show Deadliest Catch I originally based the F/V  Scully on…the F/V  Kodiak ! Following the reference image, I actually laid o...
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