MA Games Design - Project 1 - Low Poly P9 Pistol Part 1

 Low Poly P9 Development

    So to begin from my last project I have decided to take the Kahr P9 pistol and model it in a variety of ways, starting with a very stripped down and low poly version, to see what challenges I will face while modelling a fairly detailed weapon in a low poly format. 




Kahr P9

    Above is the main image I will be modelling from purely to get the silhouette and shape down, however I will be collecting various reference of different angles of the pistol, various versions (in order to see the different design choices the manufacturers made with newer models). Etc...


    The first process was to bring the image into maya and begin to model just a base shape/outline in order to further refine into the finished product. I started with the Top Slide as that is one of the main mechanisms of the pistol and is a piece that will be separate from the rest of the body. Starting with a basic cube I stretched and moved the vertices to their require positions to elongate the slide and added in a simple bevel at the back to round of that rear top edge. 



    Following on from the top slide the next major shape to add in is the lower receiver or the body of the pistol. This is the best piece to then model everything else from and start to refine the shape, while being aware of the poly count and trying to keep it as low as possible. Again starting with just a cube I elongated it to match the reference and the top slide, I then extruded some edges downward to fit the shape of the pistol grip.


    Next I decided to move along to the trigger guard, again extruding faces down and around towards the grip in order to connect them into a solid piece again. Since the shape of the trigger guard is so complex it required a few more extrusions/segments than the grip did in order to keep the silhouette true to the reference image. At this point I also refined and pulled some of the vertices of the grip closer to their required points and as I did with the top slide, added in some bevels on the bottom of the grip and the back, above where the thumb would sit, in order to refine the shape further. 

    The first thing I am beginning to realise in this process is that even with something as simple as a low poly version of an object it is still a rather complex task, probably even more so when you have to be considerate of your poly count and where you add in detail to keep the shape design true to what it's supposed to be while leaving out other complex details in order to keep the count down. Nothing is ever as simple as it first appears and I'm sure as I continue this process I will gain a new appreciation and understanding of semi complex low poly modelling and what it takes to get a finished product.





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