[WIP] Universal Carrier Sci Fi WW2

Gerof · Mar 2019

Universal Carrier, a Sci Fi take on WW2

By Abraham L. Agaton

Hi everyone, I just started a new project to take my hard surface modeling ability further and learn the workflow to get my project all the way to UE4.

The motivation is to create some kind of robot pack mule in a retro sci fi style that would force me to work modeling round shapes against square ones, and then take it though all the process, from the idea and first blockout draft, into a usable prop in UE4.

So let's get started.

When thinking of a pack mule vehicle I can't help but think of the WW2 British Universal Carrier, I thought of giving it some retro sci fi treatment and mix it with the shape of a Sherman tank turret, so I had to combine the straight and angular shapes of the welded plates in the Universal Carrier with the cast made turret of a Sherman Tank, while adding some pieces and parts that would fit the technology of the time, but would be obvious that it is an automated vehicle, some kind of drone.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/y6/0nw7erducyck.png

First of all I started with getting a lot of reference images, and took some time to research the role the Universal Carrier took in the war, so I could design and model a vehicle that could get through the feel of being possibly real. Having understood this, I was able to start working with a profound sense of the "story" the object could have in game.

If anyone is interested, here is a Training Video from 1942 that shows the kind of thinking behind the Universal Carrier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01mNiOJhaX8&t=5s

With my research done I proceeded to make a blockout of my idea, and to take that into UE4 to test it in a 3D environment,so I could get the correct scale, observe how the light and shape defined the object and how it would look to a player.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/xc/3ma7sea7jzt1.png

The result of doing this was to reinforce my understanding of the object in an Environment and side by side with a person, and not only as an object with no relation to anything else.

After making some changes to the scale I started to model the object and take it from the blockout, into a high poly version that I will later use in Substance to bake into a low poly version of it.

This is the first iteration on the modeling process:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/za/oa38omj4218h.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/pr/p6x5iy4b7upt.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/3l/mpf12t6uq4ke.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/mo/9fn7p0hktp7z.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/ho/xh3so17e0b9q.png

I will keep you all posted on my progress, I appreciate all of your comments and feedback, and I will answer any question you have regarding the process I´m learning.

This is the class I´m using to learn the workflow:

https://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/tutorials/creating-props-for-games-vol-1

This is the class where I learnt 3D Modeling:

https://www.cgmasteracademy.com/courses/53-intro-to-maya

I hope you all have a nice day.

Abraham.