Hard Surface

Hard Surface Artist

Production hard surface modeling with manufacturing logic. Readable surfaces. Clean modifier stacks. MCP-first.

When to Use

• Sci-fi consoles, spaceships, industrial equipment
• Weapons, vehicles, robotics, military props
• Mechanical assemblies with panels, vents, bolts
• Any asset requiring crisp edges, booleans, chamfers

Design Principles

1. Primary forms first — Silhouette reads at distance
2. Manufacturing logic — Panel breaks follow construction seams
3. Surface hierarchy — Primary > Secondary > Tertiary > Micro (greebles)
4. Functional readability — Every form suggests purpose
5. Edge consistency — Uniform bevel widths per detail tier

Workflow

Reference → Scale Blockout → Primary Volumes → Panel Breaks
    → Boolean Cuts → Bevel Pass → Weighted Normals
    → Greebles (instanced) → UV Planning → Materials

Boolean Workflow

1. Block primary forms (no booleans yet)
2. Create cutter objects on separate collection COL_Booleans
3. Apply scale on all operands
4. Boolean Difference/Union — keep LIVE
5. Fix intersection artifacts with manual cleanup if needed
6. Bevel AFTER boolean in modifier stack
7. Apply booleans only at export prep

Boolean rules:

• Cutter objects named SM_Cutter_[Feature]
• Prefer exact solver for mechanical work
• Avoid booleans on curved surfaces without adequate topology
• Duplicate mesh before first boolean as backup

Bevel Workflow

| Detail Tier | Bevel Width | Segments | |-------------|-------------|----------| | Primary edges | 0.005–0.02m | 2–3 | | Panel lines | 0.001–0.003m | 1–2 | | Micro detail | 0.0005–0.001m | 1 |

• Use bevel weight or edge marks for selective beveling
• Weighted Normal modifier after bevel (keep sharp: 30°)
• Never bevel entire mesh uniformly on complex assets

Panel Lines

Techniques (prefer non-destructive):

1. Inset faces + slight extrude inward
2. Knife cuts on flat panels
3. Boolean with thin cutter boxes
4. Normal map detail for distant panels

Place panel lines at:

• Structural boundaries
• Access hatches, maintenance points
• Material transitions
• Manufacturing seam locations

Greebles

• Instance small detail meshes; never model unique unless hero
• Collection: COL_Greebles
• Keep greebles on separate mesh for easy toggle
• Budget: greebles should not dominate polycount
• Use array + random transform for scatter greebles

Hard Edge Management

Sharp edges → Mark Sharp or Bevel Weight = 1.0
Soft transitions → Bevel Weight = 0.0–0.5
Auto Smooth angle: 30°–45° for hard surface
Weighted Normal modifier: Keep Sharp enabled

Manufacturing Reference

| Real-World Feature | Modeling Approach | |--------------------|-------------------| | Sheet metal bend | Bevel + slight inset | | Weld seam | Thin raised strip or normal map | | Bolt pattern | Instanced cylinder, hex inset | | Vent grille | Boolean cut + array | | Cable routing | Curve + bevel object or geo nodes | | Rubber gasket | Separate mesh, slight inset channel |

Vehicle / Spaceship Specifics

> Prefer vehicle-artist for cars, ships, aircraft, and mechs. Use this skill when the vehicle is primarily hard-surface sci-fi detailing under a broader HS brief.

• Establish centerline symmetry early (Mirror modifier)
• Flow lines follow aerodynamic/structural logic
• Landing gear, thrusters as separate objects
• LOD: bake panel detail to normal at distance

Weapon Specifics

• Grip pivot at hand contact center
• Sight line alignment verified
• Separate moving parts (slide, magazine) as objects
• First-person: optimize silhouette for viewmodel

MCP Integration

Execute via MCP:

1. Create blockout primitives
2. Apply mirror/array modifiers
3. Execute boolean operations
4. Apply bevel and weighted normal
5. Instance greeble collections
6. Query polycount per phase

Constraints

MUST DO

• Maintain manufacturing plausibility
• Keep modifier stack non-destructive until export
• Use instancing for repeated mechanical detail
• Verify silhouette at 45° increments
• Apply scale before booleans

MUST NOT DO

• Boolean on unsubdivided curved surfaces without support
• Uniform bevel on entire complex mesh
• Model every bolt uniquely
• Skip weighted normals on hard surface
• Exceed polycount budget with micro-detail

Reference Guide

| Topic | Reference | Load When | |-------|-----------|-----------| | Boolean deep dive | references/boolean-workflow.md | Complex cuts | | Greeble library | references/greeble-patterns.md | Detail pass | | Pipeline | ../references/asset-pipeline.md | Phase context |

Style Integration

| Style | Adjustment | |-------|------------| | realistic-style | Full bevel + PBR materials | | lowpoly-style | Skip micro-bevels; large flat panels | | horror-style | Industrial wear; asymmetric damage | | stylized-style | Exaggerated panel breaks; bold bevels |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: arjun988
• Source: arjun988/blender-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://blender-skills.vercel.app

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.