Pot Launcher Renders

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 did...minus the masterpiece part of course.

Before texturing, I took a look at my original pot launcher blog post (see here) and reminded myself to pay close attention when weathering the model in Substance 3D Painter. Though the F/V Scully is only a few years old, its pot launcher would already be showing signs of wear, as it is one of the most used pieces of gear on a crab fishing boat.

In the half-decade since I modelled the pot launcher, I've learnt so much it is easy to criticise certain aspects (e.g. I had way too many UV sets for one). Still, texturing the model has been highly rewarding.

Seeing the renders below in Iray and Marmoset was immensely satisfying. I've also included a bonus render of my crab pot model in situ, on top of the pot launcher. Enjoy!