Creating realistic clothing and armor for 3D game characters
Koivisto, Riina (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121034276
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121034276
Tiivistelmä
This thesis combines theoretical knowledge with a practical production workflow in order to provide a clear and applicable guide on creating realistic 3D character clothing. The aim of this thesis was to examine and explain the techniques used in the game industry for creating realistic and game-ready 3D character clothing and to explore a potential workflow for creating the clothing assets. The goal was to apply the concepts discussed in the theory chapters into a practical project where a game-ready medieval fantasy armor set is created for a 3D character.
The thesis is divided into a theoretical section where industry standard workflows and methods are discussed, and a practical section where a 3D medieval fantasy armor set is created. The theoretical portion examines the typical stages of 3D clothing creation, including project preparation and concept gathering, modelling methods and pipelines, topology, UV mapping, texturing and deformations through rigging and simulation. In the practical section these methods are applied to create a medieval inspired armor set. The armor set is created from start to finish using Blender, Substance 3D Painter and Unity, incorporating different modelling techniques, realistic PBR materials and real-time cloth simulations.
The outcome of this thesis is a broad and practical theory section on the key principles of creating realistic 3D character clothing, along with an example production pipeline that resulted in a game-ready and visually realistic clothing and armor set. This thesis may be useful for indie developers, hobbyists and game and art students, and supports beginner to intermediate 3D artists in creating clothing assets.
The thesis is divided into a theoretical section where industry standard workflows and methods are discussed, and a practical section where a 3D medieval fantasy armor set is created. The theoretical portion examines the typical stages of 3D clothing creation, including project preparation and concept gathering, modelling methods and pipelines, topology, UV mapping, texturing and deformations through rigging and simulation. In the practical section these methods are applied to create a medieval inspired armor set. The armor set is created from start to finish using Blender, Substance 3D Painter and Unity, incorporating different modelling techniques, realistic PBR materials and real-time cloth simulations.
The outcome of this thesis is a broad and practical theory section on the key principles of creating realistic 3D character clothing, along with an example production pipeline that resulted in a game-ready and visually realistic clothing and armor set. This thesis may be useful for indie developers, hobbyists and game and art students, and supports beginner to intermediate 3D artists in creating clothing assets.