Texturing feedback - AKM

akshattejas · Dec 2025

Hie!!,
Am trying to texture this handuard for my akm, and i would love to get some feedback on them, as idk it just doesn't feel 'quite there' yet. its an older variant so am trying to sell that military wear and tear.

also would love any substance tips

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/to/pi5v2b8bfgu3.jpg

sacboi · Dec 2025

By "military wear and tear" assume means throughout its service life? Because at the moment as someone that had trained for years with similar grade ordnance + manufactured using the same materials which from my experience, can't recall seeing anything close to the level of damage applied, especially to those metal components on the receiver assembly, as well.

To start with, I'd recommend more research e.g processes how these weapons were made - their materials - environments where deployed and primarily routine maintenance either in the field or otherwise.

poopipe · Dec 2025

That sort of research/thinking is key to getting a believable look.
if this is an 'in service' weapon for an actual military I don't think it would be allowed to get into this state - you'd revarnish or replace parts before it happened and I'm positive you wouldn't let anything get rusty (rusty bits stop gun shooting). If we're talking about some sort of scrappy insurgents that scavenged the equipment and hide it in the woods that's a different matter entirely though.

Agree with Sacboi on the metals - spend a bit of time watching forgotten weapons videos on AK derivatives and you'll learn all sorts of stuff about how they were made and get some insights onto what flaws there are in the design - this is all food for decision making when trying to represent the materials.

The below picture is an ak74 I googled in what I would assume is acceptable condition for military use.
I've called out some of the interesting wear and importantly the materials it's made of which have a significant effect on how wear patterns develop
These things are painted, not blued/parkerised/whatever which is important.
The receiver is primarly made of thin, cheap stamped steel which is pretty soft - it will take scratches pretty readily but tend to lose paint less easily than harder surfaces
The harder steels used for rivets/charging rod and trunion will scratch much less easily and as you can see the paint will tend to wear or flake off long before any change happens to the underlying surface

it's interesting to see how crude the surface machining is on the harder parts and that they simply painted over it

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/kf/vt46rapy5a5p.png

On a positive note the varnish wear effect on your lower handguard wood looks really nice - if that amount of wear was allowed to happen I'd expect the underlying wood to have gotten dirty/greasy and be a darker tone and i feel like the wear in the middle (hand holdy bit) is overdone but you've done a great job on the transition between materials.

akshattejas · Dec 2025

sacboi said:

By "military wear and tear" assume means throughout its service life? Because at the moment as someone that had trained for years with similar grade ordnance + manufactured using the same materials which from my experience, can't recall seeing anything close to the level of damage applied, especially to those metal components on the receiver assembly, as well.

To start with, I'd recommend more research e.g processes how these weapons were made - their materials - environments where deployed and primarily routine maintenance either in the field or otherwise.

poopipe said:

That sort of research/thinking is key to getting a believable look.
if this is an 'in service' weapon for an actual military I don't think it would be allowed to get into this state - you'd revarnish or replace parts before it happened and I'm positive you wouldn't let anything get rusty (rusty bits stop gun shooting). If we're talking about some sort of scrappy insurgents that scavenged the equipment and hide it in the woods that's a different matter entirely though.

Agree with Sacboi on the metals - spend a bit of time watching forgotten weapons videos on AK derivatives and you'll learn all sorts of stuff about how they were made and get some insights onto what flaws there are in the design - this is all food for decision making when trying to represent the materials.

The below picture is an ak74 I googled in what I would assume is acceptable condition for military use.
I've called out some of the interesting wear and importantly the materials it's made of which have a significant effect on how wear patterns develop
These things are painted, not blued/parkerised/whatever which is important.
The receiver is primarly made of thin, cheap stamped steel which is pretty soft - it will take scratches pretty readily but tend to lose paint less easily than harder surfaces
The harder steels used for rivets/charging rod and trunion will scratch much less easily and as you can see the paint will tend to wear or flake off long before any change happens to the underlying surface

it's interesting to see how crude the surface machining is on the harder parts and that they simply painted over it

On a positive note the varnish wear effect on your lower handguard wood looks really nice - if that amount of wear was allowed to happen I'd expect the underlying wood to have gotten dirty/greasy and be a darker tone and i feel like the wear in the middle (hand holdy bit) is overdone but you've done a great job on the transition between materials.

hiee, thanku so much for these very insightful and detailed feedbacks!!, i just used parkerised steel for the entire gun but now i think am understanding the importance of material separation, even if it looks kinda same at the surface,

also about the story, so this is supposed to be a vigilante's weapon, in this alternate universe that am making, basically a mechanical rifle that is immune to ai and viruses used as a resistance against corrupt govts, passed on from generation to generation, something that would be found with someone in an organisation like the taliban, like seized weapons after the soviets left,

this is the kind of maintenance that I am going after ...

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/zy/4snth9v4pr3z.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/g8/l372y9z8uqsu.jpg

That being said, the thing u said about rust makes so much sense and i will definitely polish those parts more

poopipe · Dec 2025

If that's what you're aiming for then I think you've mostly nailed the wood.

I'm fairly confident in saying that an AKM would be painted - I think only the milled receiver guns would have been blued . You should double check that though cos I'm also confident in saying that the various soviet aligned states that produced AKs all produced them differently.

itsakshaydilip · Dec 2025

Hi Akshat, Akshay here I genuinely think its looking good but yes you need to refine the use of generator in Substance basically the curvature and Dirt-Generators that you have used. Im terrible with words but let me show you an image and a few techniques I use to polish things. Hope that helps. Dont get stressed just listen to your heart and create a story.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/m5/74idyx6bhb01.png

1 - You see you need to learn to adjust the the normal depth using levels, i'e levels in the mask. The screw hole wouldn't be as worn out unless the operator has fidgety shivering hands. Add a paint layer to your mask and layer the mask with Alphas more importantly better brushes. (Provided below)

2 - The part that has the most action going will have wear and tear, I did see your reference but you want to pop out on art-station you want your art to be seen so adjust the normal's there again and chip on the dirt. I know the Alpha you are using but wear doesn't happen just at the very tippy edge of the part. Tip ( Use roughness, isolate the layer with just roughness and only roughness and project thumbprints ). Let that area pop.

3 - Use a generator invert the mask and try this as your rust color (7b400b). If you place a piece of painted metal, something I have noticed in painted metals is that the expand and the metals paint starts to crack which then breaks down revealing the rust underneath as rust wont affect paint. And the joint looks brand new it doesn't tango with the wood.

4 - Here again the normal is in depth, even if it were dissembled and dropped it wouldn't create a straight line of wear and tear. Use the dirt alpha here and chip away. Use dirt 1 or the dirt1 brush.

5 - Thumb prints as the left hand gropes that part use the use scratches 4 dynamic stroke and adjust the levels for the normal's and reduce opacity on color it will pop.

6 - Jagged edges

7 - This part will have more wear and dirt around the edges. The part the finger touches will have wear and the parts the area of the hand cant will have dirt.

8 - No damage in the inside because that part doesn't really rub against the other joints.

9 - Rivot / screw - if its a screw you have the wear in the center, If its a rivet which I think its not will have oxidized damage and you would be right.

10 - Well Done - scope rubs back and forth and you have wear with exact level of normal's. Love that.

11 - Excellence

12 - Normal's too deep scatter the scratches a bit

13 - Straight line damage.

Something that got me interested - Roughness at Play. Dust and Dirt.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/1u/hoq7u1gfhw82.jpg

Look at the detail. let your Imagination run wild let tell a story, add your touch.

Merry Christmas - Much Love - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ALHUcECWS-TGm0x9hej24tKIaZKBR24a/view?usp=sharing

akshattejas · Dec 2025

itsakshaydilip said:

Hi Akshat, Akshay here I genuinely think its looking good but yes you need to refine the use of generator in Substance basically the curvature and Dirt-Generators that you have used. Im terrible with words but let me show you an image and a few techniques I use to polish things. Hope that helps. Dont get stressed just listen to your heart and create a story.

1 - You see you need to learn to adjust the the normal depth using levels, i'e levels in the mask. The screw hole wouldn't be as worn out unless the operator has fidgety shivering hands. Add a paint layer to your mask and layer the mask with Alphas more importantly better brushes. (Provided below)

2 - The part that has the most action going will have wear and tear, I did see your reference but you want to pop out on art-station you want your art to be seen so adjust the normal's there again and chip on the dirt. I know the Alpha you are using but wear doesn't happen just at the very tippy edge of the part. Tip ( Use roughness, isolate the layer with just roughness and only roughness and project thumbprints ). Let that area pop.

3 - Use a generator invert the mask and try this as your rust color (7b400b). If you place a piece of painted metal, something I have noticed in painted metals is that the expand and the metals paint starts to crack which then breaks down revealing the rust underneath as rust wont affect paint. And the joint looks brand new it doesn't tango with the wood.

4 - Here again the normal is in depth, even if it were dissembled and dropped it wouldn't create a straight line of wear and tear. Use the dirt alpha here and chip away. Use dirt 1 or the dirt1 brush.

5 - Thumb prints as the left hand gropes that part use the use scratches 4 dynamic stroke and adjust the levels for the normal's and reduce opacity on color it will pop.

6 - Jagged edges

7 - This part will have more wear and dirt around the edges. The part the finger touches will have wear and the parts the area of the hand cant will have dirt.

8 - No damage in the inside because that part doesn't really rub against the other joints.

9 - Rivot / screw - if its a screw you have the wear in the center, If its a rivet which I think its not will have oxidized damage and you would be right.

10 - Well Done - scope rubs back and forth and you have wear with exact level of normal's. Love that.

11 - Excellence

12 - Normal's too deep scatter the scratches a bit

13 - Straight line damage.

Something that got me interested - Roughness at Play. Dust and Dirt.

Look at the detail. let your Imagination run wild let tell a story, add your touch.

Merry Christmas - Much Love - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ALHUcECWS-TGm0x9hej24tKIaZKBR24a/view?usp=sharing

OMG, I cannot thank you enough for the thorough feedback, and those brushes, also if u dont mind, can i have your artstation please

akshattejas · Dec 2025

I for my part have been refining the textures lately based on the earlier feedbacks, ill admit the progress has been slow because of the holidays. This is how its looking so far, I still have to work on some of Akshay's points though

Texturing feedback - AKM

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