Gothic plate armour sallet and bevor front view — clay render of 15th-century hard-surface modelling study
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MEDIEVAL 3D CASE STUDY — GOTHIC PLATE ARMOUR

Hard-Surface Modelling · Blender · Substance Painter · Historical Research

WORK IN PROGRESS

An Autonomy project designed as a direct test of hard-surface modelling proficiency. The subject is a full suit of 15th-century Gothic plate armour based on the collection at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Chosen for the complexity of its compound curves, articulation points, and surface detail. The project scope covers the complete armour set: sallet, bevor, pauldrons, cuirass, plackart, rerebrace, couter, vambrace, faulds, gauntlets, cuisses, greaves, poleyn, sabatons, and a longsword. Each component is being modelled individually in Blender from photographic reference and historical documentation, with the intention of texturing in Substance Painter to develop material authoring skills alongside the modelling work.

This is an ongoing project. The sallet and bevor are complete; remaining components are in progress.

YEAR

2025–2026 (ongoing)

TOOLS

Blender, Substance Painter (planned)

ROLE

Sole artist

CONTEXT

University — Autonomy Project

STATUS

Work in Progress

PROCESS

Royal Armouries reference photo — 15th-century sallet and bevor front view, primary modelling reference

01

RESEARCH

Primary reference gathered from the Royal Armouries collection in Leeds, supplemented by historical documentation of 15th-century Gothic plate armour construction. Each component was studied for its functional articulation, material thickness, and surface finishing before modelling began. The Gothic style was selected for its compound curves and fluted surfaces — the most technically demanding variant of medieval plate armour.

Sallet and bevor side profile clay render — showing compound curves and articulation of the Gothic plate armour

02

MODELLING

Hard-surface modelling in Blender, working component by component. The sallet and bevor were completed first as they represent the most complex compound curves in the set. Topology is being managed for subdivision surface compatibility, with edge flow following the structural logic of the real metalwork — rivet lines, articulation edges, and fluting ridges defining the mesh structure.

Substance Painter texturing — planned for completed components

03

MATERIALS (PLANNED)

Substance Painter texturing planned for completed components. The material pipeline will cover forged steel with wear patterns, leather strapping, brass fittings, and padded lining. The goal is to develop material authoring skills that complement the modelling work — understanding how surface detail reads at render time, not just in the viewport.

Final presentation — turntable renders and reference comparisons planned

04

PRESENTATION

Final presentation will include turntable renders of the complete armour set, detail close-ups of key components, and comparison shots against the Royal Armouries reference. The project documentation will cover the full pipeline from reference to final render, demonstrating research methodology alongside technical execution.

OUTCOME

Sallet and bevor front clay render — completed hard-surface model of 15th-century Gothic headpiece
Sallet and bevor side profile clay render — showing bevor articulation and compound curves
Royal Armouries reference — sallet side view with hinge detail, for model-vs-reference comparison
Royal Armouries reference — sallet front detail showing eye slit and metalwork the model is based on
Topology render — wireframe overlay showing subdivision surface mesh structure and edge flow
UV layout — unwrapped UVs for the sallet showing texture space distribution

This project exists to prove that modelling skill is earned through patient study of real objects, not approximated through procedural shortcuts. The Gothic plate armour was chosen because it cannot be faked — every curve, every rivet, every articulation point has a functional reason that the model must respect. Work in progress — the full set will be completed as part of the Autonomy module.