Psychic Machine

Psychic Machine – Game Ready Prop
This project is one of two portfolio pieces I completed during my first semester in the MA Games Art and Design course at the University of Hertfordshire. I decided to create a prop based on concept art, and I chose "Synthesis" by Lloyd Drake-Brockman— a stunning concept art piece that offered a strong challenge in design complexity and has good texture details.

Concept Art: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/JvALlz

I chose this concept to push my hard surface modeling skills and test my understanding of various modeling workflows. The project spanned four weeks, and from the beginning, I knew I wanted to work on a high-fidelity model with an emphasis on fine detail and game-ready optimization.

Workflow:
I started with a high-poly model in Blender, blocking out the main forms before moving into detailed work.
The high-poly was built using a combination of bevel modifiers, Subdivision , and Booleans, which were later cleaned for optimized topology.
My initial plan was to use Nanite in UE5, so I built it as a high-poly model. However, I later decided to create a low-poly version to support more traditional game-ready workflows.

For rendering the high poly, I used Blender’s shader nodes to create realistic materials and textures. Decals such as text and stickers were designed separately and textured in Substance 3D Painter.

Challenges & Learnings:
This was one of the more complex models I’ve worked on. Managing clean topology, especially on curved and reflective surfaces, was crucial to avoid shading artifacts. I also applied the guide mesh technique I learned during a previous car modeling project to maintain consistent shading.

Once I pivoted away from Nanite, I:
*Created the low-poly version in Blender.
*UV unwrapped the model into 3 Material sets:
1 Painted surfaces
2 Secondary detail elements
3 Glass parts (base color + roughness only)
*Baked utility maps in Marmoset Toolbag
*Completed final texturing in Substance 3D Painter
*Rendered using multiple engines for comparison and presentation.

This project was a valuable learning experience that pushed my technical and artistic skills.
Special thanks to Professor Neil Gallagher for his continuous guidance and constructive feedback throughout the process.
-https://www.artstation.com/gallagher