Planning:
Feedback was based on the previous crate.
Special thanks to my mentor, Stephen Honegger, for guiding me and marking up things that needed to be adjusted.
After receiving this feedback and the markups from Stephen Honegger, I knew for a fact that I really needed to delete everything and simply start again. I collected references in PureRef from Battlefield Battlepacks, renders, and cinematic shots from games such as Call of Duty, along with the one-to-one reference that I was aiming for in this project.
I gathered more references this time, as shown below, and ensured they matched the one-to-one approach I mentioned. The form and textures had to be spot-on. The crate measures 25 x 9.5 x 6, and assuming these were inches, I needed to get the scale right. I've also been obsessed with plugins lately, so I wanted to find something that would make the scaling experience fun and visually better for the UI.
Feedback was based on the previous crate.
Special thanks to my mentor, Stephen Honegger, for guiding me and marking up things that needed to be adjusted.
After receiving this feedback and the markups from Stephen Honegger, I knew for a fact that I really needed to delete everything and simply start again. I collected references in PureRef from Battlefield Battlepacks, renders, and cinematic shots from games such as Call of Duty, along with the one-to-one reference that I was aiming for in this project.
I gathered more references this time, as shown below, and ensured they matched the one-to-one approach I mentioned. The form and textures had to be spot-on. The crate measures 25 x 9.5 x 6, and assuming these were inches, I needed to get the scale right. I've also been obsessed with plugins lately, so I wanted to find something that would make the scaling experience fun and visually better for the UI.
Texturing:
All texturing was done using Substance Painter, with Source used for the wood texture. The stamps were created in Photoshop from the original references, with photo retouching applied before converting them into alphas. I used masking for most of my process, knowing I was limited to only two texture sets. I began with a 2K workflow, utilizing masks, stencils, and layering to achieve a worn look. Additional realism was added with stains, scratches, and spray paint stamps.
Once everything was completed, I baked all the maps at 8K with anti-aliasing and subsampling set to 8x8, then exported them at 4K to retain the detail from the masking and textures.
Tweaking:
After understanding how the textures would interact with the rope, I brought the rope into ZBrush to apply Inflate and SBend adjustments. The initial version didn’t include SBend, but I eventually leaned toward settings of 0.2 for Inflate, -20 for SBend, and 3.0 for the rope, as this closely matched the reference.
Lighting / Rendering:
The lighting was set up using one spotlight and a shadow catcher. Multiple cameras were added to simplify the rendering process, allowing me to avoid excessive movement and panning. All of this was done in the Marmoset Toolbag. Once everything was prepared, I created additional outputs, such as a turntable and an exploded view, for enhanced viewing options.
Post Process:
The final step before posting anything online is SEO. I know not many people take it this far, but I make it a point to keyword everything I do—images and video content—even if it’s for 3D. It’s a habit I carried over from my photography days, and it truly helps. The 3D industry is challenging enough as it is, so I highly recommend it. Taking the extra mile to research and implement SEO can boost your traffic significantly.
It also saves time because when you post to your portfolio, whether on ArtStation or elsewhere, the tags will already be there. With a system like mine, you can reuse and filter tags efficiently. It’s a must. While this can save time, it doesn’t replace the need to create outstanding work—your art still has to be top-notch.
The final step before posting anything online is SEO. I know not many people take it this far, but I make it a point to keyword everything I do—images and video content—even if it’s for 3D. It’s a habit I carried over from my photography days, and it truly helps. The 3D industry is challenging enough as it is, so I highly recommend it. Taking the extra mile to research and implement SEO can boost your traffic significantly.
It also saves time because when you post to your portfolio, whether on ArtStation or elsewhere, the tags will already be there. With a system like mine, you can reuse and filter tags efficiently. It’s a must. While this can save time, it doesn’t replace the need to create outstanding work—your art still has to be top-notch.
Final Result:
The final results show variations, all angles and an exploded view for more detail for look dev.
The Original U.S. WWII Wood Box for MK1A1 Grenades | Prop
Can be found at the following links.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/B11yq9
https://calvincropley.com/projects/B11yq9?album_id=1735814
Special thanks to Stephen Honegger for mentoring and guiding me on through this process.
https://www.artstation.com/playdoh