Chapter 1: Head Geometry & Mass Distribution

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Head Geometry & Mass Distribution for Weapon Concept Artists

The “feel” of hafted and blunt weapons—axes, hammers, maces, and polearms—lives in the head. Geometry governs where mass sits, how force travels into the target, and how the user manages recoil. For concept artists, understanding head structure lets you stylize without breaking physics. For production artists, disciplined head proportions translate into predictable swing arcs, damage reads, and collision proxies that behave. This article maps the anatomy, mass strategies, and handoff details you need to design credible heads that hit hard and look right.

Why head geometry is the keystone

Unlike edged swords, hafted weapons rely on concentrated mass and leverage. Small changes in head thickness, cheek angle, or socket depth swing the balance point by centimeters, which is everything for handling. A believable head reads its intention from a distance: penetrative pick, chopping axe, crushing mace, or hybrid halberd. The viewer should infer the moment of inertia from silhouette alone. Build that read first; ornament later.

Common anatomy across families

Eye / socket: The interface that clamps to the haft—slit eye with wedges (axes), tapered socket (polearms), or strapped langets (reinforcement plates).

Bit / blade / beak: The striking edge or penetrator—axe bit with a cutting edge and cheeks; hammer face; war‑pick beak; mace flanges or knobs.

Poll / peen / back: Countermass opposite the primary strike—hammer peen (cross, ball), axe poll, pick counterweight.

Cheeks / webs / bridges: Material between eye and bit that controls stiffness and weight.

Langets / straps / ferrules: Metal bands that run down the haft to resist splitting and add historical legitimacy.

Neck / haft shoulder: The transition zone that decides hand clearance and swing articulation.

Treat these parts as levers in a mass system. Each increases or decreases rotational inertia, durability, and the “sound” of impact (visual and audio).

Mass distribution fundamentals

Think in three dials:

  1. Where is the mass concentrated along the swing radius? Mass placed farther from the hands (longer radius) multiplies striking energy but slows redirection.
  2. How is the mass oriented relative to the strike plane? Wide across the strike plane resists twisting and delivers broad crush; narrow and forward concentrates penetration.
  3. How does the head couple to the haft? A stable eye, long socket, or robust strapping spreads impact loads into the wood or composite and governs survivability.

Use silhouettes to telegraph these choices: a square hammer block signals crush, a beaked pick screams penetration, a broad beard hints bite and hook utility, a deep socket promises control on long poles.

Axes: bits, cheeks, and beards

Bit geometry: A chopping axe favors a thin, keen edge with convex cheeks that widen rapidly, forcing a wedge action to split fibers. A war axe for armor wants slightly thicker edge support and less cheek flare to avoid binding. Keep the edge band visually reinforced by a spine or swell near the eye; paper‑thin edges under thick cheeks read as hollow.

Beard (lower edge extension): Beards shift mass downward and forward, improving bite and enabling hook techniques. Balance the beard with a supportive web so it does not read fragile; a gentle fillet where beard meets cheek sells strength.

Poll and counterweight: A poll stabilizes rotation and offers hammer utility. If you grow it for style, thicken the web at the eye so the handle doesn’t appear to lever out under load.

Eyes and wedges: Slit eyes are wider at the top; wedges spread the haft against the eye walls. Show a metal wedge and, optionally, a transverse wood wedge. Langets can extend below the head to arrest splits; anchor them with visible rivets aligned to grain.

Mass read: Place the center of mass slightly forward of the eye to advertise bite. In profile, a gentle S‑curve from spine through cheek to edge keeps the bit from reading like a plate.

Hammers: faces, peens, and blocks

Faces: Flat faces deliver general crush; slightly crowned faces reduce edge chipping and mis‑strike ring. Cross‑hatching (chequering) prevents glancing on hard surfaces but should be shallow for readability. For stylized pieces, exaggerate the chamfer around the face to signal durability.

Peens: Cross‑peens spread metal laterally; straight‑peens spread longitudinally; ball‑peens focus dimple impact. On warhammers, swap the peen for a beak to punch armor. Keep the beak’s spine thick enough to resist bending; a triangular section sells stiffness better than a flat strap.

Blocks: The block’s thickness along the handle axis is your inertia dial. Too thin and it reads toy‑like; too deep and it becomes sluggish. Use a slight step or collar near the eye to show how the block shoulders impact into the haft.

Anti‑twist cues: Add side cheeks or flanges that wrap the haft corners. Even subtle overhangs make the audience trust the connection.

Maces: flanges, knobs, and cages

Flanged maces bite armor by concentrating load at edges. Keep flanges thick at the hub, thinning toward tips; add fillets at the hub to avoid crack reads. Odd numbers of flanges (5–7) read aggressive; even numbers read ordered.

Knobbed / star maces distribute multiple points; vary knob sizes subtly so speculars dance in motion. A cage mace (reinforced lattice) should present ribs that flow into a stout hub—avoid delicate lattices that would fold.

Mass placement: Maces need weight outboard, but not all at the rim. A heavy hub with medium flanges yields a believable hybrid of crush and bite. Show a solid hub keyed to the haft with pins or a tapered socket.

Polearms: sockets, wings, and hybrids

Polearms extend leverage; their heads must promise control.

Sockets: Long, conical sockets with a visible seam (forge‑weld line) sell construction. A two‑rivet pattern through the socket into the haft prevents rotation; show those fasteners. Add a shouldered stop where socket meets cheek to keep bindings from creeping.

Head types:

  • Halberd: Axe bit + top spike + rear hook (beak). The bit should sit slightly below the top spike to keep thrusts centered. The rear hook aligns with the shaft to pull cavalry or disarm.
  • Glaive: Broad single‑edged blade on a socket; keep a midrib or thick spine so the large silhouette doesn’t read sheet‑metal thin.
  • Bardiche / dane‑axe: Large crescent bit mounted via straps; reinforce with twin clamps and through‑rivets.
  • Polehammer: Small square face + long beak; ensure the beak aligns with the shaft axis for precise thrust cues.

Mass logic: On long poles, shift mass closer to the socket to prevent tip‑whip in animation. Use geometry to imply; e.g., thicker hub, slightly shorter beak, fuller in the blade to pull weight inboard.

Cross‑sections and stiffness cues

Section choice broadcasts strength.

  • Axe bits: convex (appleseed) edges into thick cheeks; add a central web thickening for big heads.
  • Hammers: rectangular or square sections with eased corners; collars at the eye to show load transfer.
  • Maces: T‑ or L‑flange sections at the hub that taper toward the rim.
  • Spears/glaives: diamond or lenticular with a midrib for thrust alignment.

Provide three section stamps (base/mid/tip) on your callout sheet; production needs them for baking and LODs.

Balance point, nodes, and handling reads

A good read places the balance point (CoM) forward of the lead hand for authority but not so far that recovery dies. For one‑hand axes/hammers, a CoM at ~1/5–1/4 of overall length from the head is a believable visual cue. For polearms, push CoM closer to the socket so spins and guards seem possible. Indicate vibration nodes by subtle wrap placement or rivet bands; viewers intuit that hands land on quiet spots.

Coupling to the haft: believable interfaces

Axe eyes: Show taper (narrower bottom) so the head locks as the wedge expands the top. Add a metal or rawhide washer beneath the wedge for material storytelling.

Sockets: Give walls believable thickness; a razor‑thin socket reads like tin. Add a slight flare at the mouth so the haft shoulders seat. Pins/rivets should be perpendicular to grain for strength.

Straps/langets: If your world is brutal, run langets down the grain with a cap at the butt to resist splitting. Keep fastener spacing even; drifting rivets telegraph kitbash sloppiness.

Animation and choreography considerations

Big heads need longer anticipations and follow‑throughs. Design silhouettes that keep the head visible past the hands in wind‑ups. Avoid head shapes that occlude the face in over‑the‑shoulder cameras (e.g., massive flat hammers parallel to camera); chamfer corners to catch highlights and break outlines. Provide a clean “moment of impact” plane—flat faces or flange tips—so VFX can anchor sparks, dust, or gore. On polearms, ensure thrust tips clear the ground in idle sway by setting socket angle and overall length with the rig in mind.

Collision proxies, metrics, and LOD strategy

Supply two collision sets: a broad swing capsule for navigation states and a tight head proxy for combat traces. Mark the impact plane normals so gameplay can align hit reactions. In LODs, preserve: 1) head silhouette (face chamfers, flange tips), 2) eye/socket geometry, 3) beak/edge termination. Let micro‑engraving and rivet heads collapse early. Bake a cavity/curvature pass that emphasizes head mass even when polygon count drops.

Material reads and wear logic

Heavy heads tell stories through wear. Hammer faces mushroom and polish at edges; axe bits brighten on the forward third; maces polish on flange tips; sockets show rub where bindings contact. Add heat tint near forge welds, oil stains under sockets, and wood crush beneath wedges. For fantasy alloys, define chip behavior—crystalline fractures on picks, elastic scuffs on enchanted metals—so damage VFX and textures agree.

Stylization that keeps physics intact

Push style along safe axes: silhouette exaggeration that keeps section thick at the root, larger chamfers instead of razor corners, longer hubs rather than paper‑thin flanges. If you elongate a beak, thicken its base and add a subtle I‑beam rib. If you balloon a mace head, carve deep grooves that leave structural ribs. Always show how the head grips the haft—no floating gems unless you declare a field emitter and show it coupling.

Faction language via head architecture

Anchor factions with structural signatures: square‑peen hammers with stepped collars; crescent axes with double wedges and fish‑tail chapes; maces with seven‑flange asymmetry and spiral ribs; polearms with riveted twin sockets and winged lugs. Freeze these as build rules so variants share handling DNA while ornament and finishes tell rank, region, or unit.

Ortho & callout checklist for production

  • Profile and plan of the head with overall length/width/thickness.
  • Eye or socket section with wall thickness and taper direction.
  • Three cross‑section stamps along the striking element.
  • Balance point location relative to the hand index mark.
  • Attachment scheme (wedge diagram, pin locations, langet length).
  • Collision proxies (swing capsule + impact volume) with intended usage.
  • Material IDs and roughness notes (face vs flange vs socket vs haft wrap).

Closing thoughts

Credible head geometry turns a stick with metal into a persuasive tool of force. Place mass where the motion wants it, support edges with sections that can carry load, and couple heads to hafts with interfaces that advertise durability. Do this, and your axes, hammers, maces, and polearms will read like they can work—whether they’re gritty field tools, ornate parade pieces, or fantastical artifacts—and they’ll perform cleanly across rigs, cameras, and gameplay.