Texturing Realistic Burnt Metal & Worn Wood in 3D For a Soviet-Era Bedon

Introduction

Hello! My name is Muhammad Abduhalilov and I am a self-taught 3D Artist from Uzbekistan. At the moment, I am working as a 3D Artist at Valko Games Studios. Mostly, I specialize in creating props and environment assets.

The original purpose of the Babushkin Bedon project was to challenge myself. Take the time to study real-life textures and objects to better understand how they are constructed and experiment with different tools and techniques. This will allow me to develop observation skills and creativity.

Software used:

Maya – Modeling and UV Unwrapping
ZBrush – Detailing
Marmoset – Rendering and Baking
Substance 3D Painter – Texturing
PureRef – Reference Board
Photoshop

Reference Gathering

I created a list of references that I collected so far and there were a lot of ideas. But I decided to stop at the Russian bedon. It is simple but has an attractive shape and interesting details. So, I started gathering high-quality references from multiple angles and specific elements. They will help me maintain proper proportions, details, and overall fidelity to the real-life object. Also, it is important to keep reference images organized by separating them into groups. Here, you can see my reference board: 

Modeling

For modeling, I usually use Maya. The modeling process wasn’t that difficult, since it has very simple shapes. I used the subdivision modeling technique. 

Before starting any subdivision modeling project, it is important to have a clear plan in mind. Consider the overall shape, details, and proportions of the model you want to create. I always try to keep it simple — start with basic shapes and gradually add details as needed. Avoid adding too many edge loops or vertices, as this can make the model difficult to work with and lead to a loss of control over the shape.

Practice and experiment! Subdivision modeling is a skill that takes time and practice to master. Experiment with different techniques, tools, and approaches to discover what works best for you and refine your skills over time. Practice is key to becoming proficient in subdivision modeling. The final model looks like this:

High Poly

I used ZBrush to detail the high poly model. Damaging the surface was my personal decision and it was done for the purpose of adding some interest to the model. But in real life, it could be really difficult to damage the container, since it has a strong material surface. Additionally, it is from the Soviet Union. The detailing involved brushes like TrimDynamic, ClayTubes, some custom wood vein brushes for wood, and extra damage alphas for damage.

Low Poly

Since this project was done for different purposes, the perfect optimized topology was not the main goal. The main objective was to enhance my texturing skills for my portfolio, without limiting the polycount. In this case, I didn’t worry about topology or polycount. Just double subdivision levels were enough to get a decent result. Here you can see the model before and after applying the smooth tool:

UVs & Baking

UV was done in Maya. For this model, I have one 4k texture set. I packed everything inside Maya. In my previous article, I talked about my baking process and showcased all settings in detail. You can also check it out here.

Texturing

Texturing is one of my favorite and most enjoyable parts. I wanted to spend more time and put all my effort into this stage. I was planning to make it look like someone used this bedon to boil milk and soups and didn’t clean it. It was a bit difficult to find the exact reference that I wanted, so I tried to mix a bunch of interesting references.

Before jumping to Substance 3D Painter, I made custom stencils and material masks in Photoshop. If you do not know how to convert texture images into masks, I recommend you check out the tutorial on YouTube from Artruism.

Material Masks

Extra Alphas

Before I imported my model into Substance 3D Painter, I quickly duplicated and flipped the mesh to different angles, so we could texture it correctly under the light.

Base Material & Flower Painting

For the base material, I used a simple fill layer with a white color and adjusted the roughness value a bit.

To Paint the flower, I used this technique from FastTrack. It’s a very powerful method that I use in my daily workflow to paint stickers and decals. I strongly recommend you check it out.

So, I brought my material masks over to Substance 3D Painter as a texture mask. I created a simple layer and turned on the projection mode, then dragged the texture to the base color channel and the alpha mask to the paint layer. Then, I started painting.

However, there is one important thing that we should know: we can not control the roughness or other channels after painting. So, in order to do that, we need anchor points. After finishing the painting, I removed the unnecessary parts and added a level to add more contrast to the base color, and also adjusted the roughness value by using anchor points.

Gradient

For the gradient, I used a position generator and duplicated it a few times to make different variations:

Color Variations

Next, I added a fill layer to make color variations. In this case, cloud grunge was the perfect choice:

Rusty Edge Wear

For Rust, I found really cool material on Quixel library:

After importing the material, I adjusted the normal intensity. Then, I used a custom scratched generator to get a burned-out look:

I also made some clean-ups:

Extra Details

I added some extra details, using different custom stencils and material masks that I prepared in Photoshop. I used the same method to paint them that I showed above.

After painting, I added some color and contrast filters to the base color and changed the blending modes of the layers, both in the base color channel and roughness channels throughout the process. Here is the result:

Some Scratches

Another good thing was adding fine scratches:

Inside

In the next step, I added rust material from Quixel and broke it with a mask generator and grunge. I used different layering methods, like multiplying and subtracting to get a worn-out look:

Detailing

The last thing was detailing the surface. I layered up dirt, leakages, and water drops to get a realistic result. Megascans library was my go-to for high-quality grunge, which added a unique touch to my project with its imperfection maps. The objective here was to achieve abundant roughness variation.

After achieving the desired look, we can start working with wood.

Wood

Wood is one of the most satisfying materials to create and the hardest as well. For wood, I used a smart material that I made while watching a tutorial.

I added an anchor point to the base wood layer, and then, adjusted roughness and height by using it. Then, I added some small height details and color variations by changing blending modes to get a better result.

Detailing the Wood

Next, I added positions to the left and right sides to get a burned look. Then, I used different generators and filters (metal edge, curvature, sharpen, warp, dirt, and position). I broke them with grunge and used different layering methods like screen, overlay, and multiply.

Rendering

I use the Marmoset Toolbag for rendering. For the first scene, I created a simple plane in Maya, unwrapped and exported it to Marmoset to apply material later. Next, I got some materials and assets from the Quixel library and then, made a simple scene inside the Marmoset Toolbag. For lighting, I used only HDRI, no more additional lights.

First scene:

Camera settings:

Render settings:

Second Scene

For other scenes, I changed the HDRI and added extra additional Omni lights:

I made the other rendered scenes using the same scene and HDRI. I just applied different textures to the plane.

Final Touches

To finish, I adjusted exposure, contrast, and clarity using the Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop. The reason why I always leave it to Photoshop is because you will have more control and you don’t have to worry in the rendering process. Then, I imported a few dust textures, changed the blending mode to Soft Light and Difference, and also decreased the opacity value.

Conclusion

Practice Consistently! Like any skill, 3D art requires consistent practice to improve. Set aside dedicated time each day to work on your projects and experiment with different techniques.

Experiment and Explore! Don't be afraid to experiment with different tools and techniques in your 3D software. Trying new things can help you discover your unique style and improve your skills. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe you learned something for yourself. Thank you all for reading about my process! 

Muhammad Abduhalilov, Environment Prop and Asset Artist

Interview conducted by Theodore McKenzie