3D Art & Design Portfolio

Claptrap (CL4P-TP)

Claptrap (CL4P-TP) 3D Modeling and Material Rework Process

Claptrap is a character in the Borderlands videogame series. I created this 3D model a few years ago. It seemed like it would be a good challenge.

Most of the process images that follow are taken from the initial modeling. The update of this model consisted of some minor cleanup of the geometry and total rework of the materials. I streamed most of the rework process on YouTube: Live Streams | Claptrap (CL4P-TP)

Shape and Proportion Blockout

I used reference images from the game and from a promotional video published by the developer.

The shape and proportion of the character was guessed at and compared to the reference images.

Working on the Details

Using the same reference images, guesswork, and creative license; I started modeling the details.

Creating a Wheel Assembly

The wheel assembly is something I created from imagination as the video game character didn’t have a visible mechanism for the wheel and suspension (apart from the pistons on either side).

I just guessed at what kind of arrangement that would look like it could be feasible in the real-world.

Modeling an Arm that Works

The arm is almost a copy of what I could gather from the reference images. I only had to tweak the elbow joint until it folded without clipping.

The First (Wonky) Rig

I created an IK rig for the arm that worked well enough but was a bit unstable. The rig for the rest of the model was good, but could still use work which I addressed in the update.

The Original Materials

The original materials for this character are based on a color/specular workflow. That is what I knew at the time and it worked out ok, but the result wasn’t great.

I painted the grunge/wear as masks that I combined with the diffuse color image textures using GIMP.

Materials Update Using Adobe Subtance Painter

The material updates were done using Adobe Substance Painter. I like the workflow and the PBR (metalness) textures that it produces are great.

I wanted the wear to have a more organic feel than the original materials had.

A New Rig

This new rig is more stable than the previous one. I stayed away from using an IK setup on the arms and opted for controlling the bones manually.

The wheel now moves when the character is moved forward or back. And the wheel assembly piston setup is more stable than before.

Overall, I am happy with how this updated version turned out.

Interactive Preview

Claptrap-CL4P-TP by Rocz3D on Sketchfab

https://youtu.be/K6myGsMus18

I streamed the process of updating this model for the purpose of showing the workflow and thought process in its raw form.

You can watch the live-stream series for this project on my YouTube channel playlist.

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Claptrap (CL4P-TP) 3D Model Rework