Chhatrapati | Prop Asset : KATYAR

KATYAR – Benchmark Prop | Final Major Project (MA Games Art and Design)

Here’s a sneak peek at my Final Major Project for the MA in Games Art and Design. I'm developing a game-ready character based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire in 17th-century India.
This dagger (Katyar) is one of the weapons historically associated with Shivaji Maharaj and serves as the benchmark asset for my project, setting the visual and technical quality bar for the rest of the character and supporting assets.
The dagger’s relatively compact size and variety of material definition made it a good fit for the benchmark. I focused mainly on achieving realism through texturing in Substance Painter.

Software packages:
* Blender for modelling and UV unwrapping
* Substance Painter for texturing
* Marvelous Designer for cloth simulation

To create dynamic threads, I utilised Array and Curve modifiers in Blender, implementing a low-poly cylinder with seamless texture detail and a non-destructive workflow. This technique enabled direct adjustment of the thread shape with curves, making the process more efficient during iteration.

I’ll be documenting the full character development in future blog posts and will continue updating this portfolio as the project progresses.