Animated 3D game prop of a weathered wooden chest, modeled and rigged in Maya, textured in Substance Painter, and rendered in Unreal Engine. The chest features detailed wood, metal, and rope elements, with a smooth lid animation and responsive in-game trigger. This project showcases my growth in 3d modeling and animation, as well as my ability to create interactive, high-quality assets suitable for cinematic or game environments.
Old Wooden Chest – 3D Modeling and Animation
Software Used: Autodesk Maya, Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Unreal Engine
Project Type: Animated Game Prop
This project features an animated wooden chest built in Maya and reworked from my very first 3D model. I added more detail, improved the textures, and gave it simple animation to make it feel more realistic and polished. The final model includes a working lid, a custom padlock, and rope handles that move slightly when the chest opens.
I used Substance Painter to texture the wood and metal, adding scratches, wear, and other small details to show age and use. I added joints and bones to key parts like the handles and padlock so they react naturally when the lid moves. The model was then imported into Unreal Engine, where I created a Blueprint trigger so the lid opens when a character walks near the chest. This helped bring the prop to life in a game-ready scene.
The polygon count is a bit high for gameplay use, so this version is better for cinematic scenes or animation. A lower poly version would be a better fit for most game engines, and I plan to create one in the future.
This started as a class project with open instructions, but I later reworked almost everything to improve it for my portfolio. It became one of my most time-consuming pieces because I kept pausing to research how to improve each part. I used multiple lighting setups to highlight different materials and made sure the model looked clean and detailed from every angle.
This project shows my ability to:
- Model, rig, and animate a working prop in Maya
- Create detailed and realistic textures in Substance Painter
- Import and set up interactive objects in Unreal Engine
- Use feedback and research to improve my work
- Combine design, movement, and storytelling in a single prop
The Old Wooden Chest reflects how far I’ve come since starting 3D modeling and shows my growing skill in creating animated, interactive assets.