Chapter 2: Armor, Slope & Silhouette Breakups

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Armor, Slope & Silhouette Breakups for Vehicle Concept Artists — Land Vehicles: Tracked & Articulated

Armor shapes how tracked and articulated vehicles meet threats, traps heat, and telegraph purpose. Slope determines whether a hit glances or bites; silhouette breakups decide what reads first at distance and how additions—skirt tiles, stowage, tools, and mission kits—fit without noise. For vehicle concept artists on both the concepting and production sides—across combat, utility, and construction—understanding armor logic and visual breakup is how you produce machines that look inevitable and hand off cleanly to modeling, rigging, physics, VFX, and lighting.

What “armor” means across roles

Combat vehicles carry ballistic and blast protection as a primary design driver. Exterior armor may be rolled or cast homogenous steel, composite/ceramic sandwiches, non‑explosive reactive armor (NERA), or explosive reactive armor (ERA). Interior structures include spall liners, energy‑attenuating seats, and overpressure/filtration systems.

Utility vehicles rarely carry ballistic armor but still use protection concepts: guard plates for drivelines, radiator cages, operator cabins with ROPS/FOPS (roll‑over/falling‑object protection), and belly armor for rock strikes.

Construction vehicles depend on abrasion‑resistant steels, replaceable wear edges, track guards, and belly pans. Their “armor” is about durability and uptime.

Your silhouettes should reveal which class you’re building: turret cheeks and spaced side skirts scream combat; roll‑cage geometry and mesh guards read utility; belly pans and wear plates read construction.

Slope, angling, and mass economy

Sloped armor increases effective thickness and encourages ricochet. In side view, a glacis (upper front hull) raked 55–70° from vertical projects projectile‑deflecting intent; a shallow nose with little slope reads antiquated or utility‑first. Turret faces with compound curves or faceted cheeks deflect better than flat slabs; roof angles manage top‑attack threats and rain/snow shedding. Spaced armor (outer plate separated from main armor) defeats shaped charges and doubles as a visual rhythm along flanks. In utility/construction, slope is functional: grille guards slant to shed branches and debris; roof plates angle to shed snow; belly pans chamfer to slide over obstacles.

When you push slope visually, back it with plausible thickness elsewhere. A thin, hyper‑sloped glacis still needs credible side thickness at the sponsons; a faceted turret needs believable joint and weld geometry. Cutaways should show laminates or ribs; callouts should note nominal vs. effective thickness and stand‑off distances for spaced systems.

Armor systems you can draw and build

Rolled/Cast Base Armor. Large plates or cast shells form primary hull and turret. Visual tells: weld beads along seams; cast surface subtle orange‑peel; heat‑affected zones near welds. Production notes: plate thickness bands, weld types (fillet, butt), allowable radii for cast features.

Composite/ceramic arrays. Sandwich stacks behind face plates. Visual tells: thicker cheek housings, access panels for tile replacements. Production: module sizes, bolt circles, seal gaskets, lift eyes.

NERA (non‑explosive reactive armor). Elastomer/metal sandwiches flex to disrupt jets. Visual tells: thick tiles with compression frames. Production: tile dimensions, clamp bar logic, replacement order.

ERA (explosive reactive armor). Boxes anchored to strong subplates. Visual tells: arrayed brick pattern with standoff; wiring or safe‑arm markers. Production: bolt patterns, “no‑mount” zones (near hatches/sensors), blast clearances, crate labels for ethics and fiction.

Spaced/skirt armor. Hanging plates/tiles over tracks. Visual tells: skirt rhythm, hinge/latch families, removable sections over road wheel stations. Production: hinge types, retention pins, allowable swing, tire chain clearance for snow kits.

Belly armor & V‑hulls. Chamfers or V‑sections to deflect mines/blasts. Visual tells: pronounced keel or trapezoidal pans; raised seats inside. Production: ground clearance, breakover angle, jack points, drain plugs, fastener access.

Grilles, cages, and guards. Utility/construction: radiator cages, light guards, cylinder rod protectors. Visual tells: bar spacing tuned for debris, not ballistics. Production: section sizes, weld symbols, replaceable panels.

Cab armour/ROPS/FOPS. Utility: cages and laminated glass. Visual tells: certified labels, thick pillars, external bolt‑on guards. Production: sightline cones, wiper arcs, door hinge loads.

Silhouette breakup: reading class and purpose at speed

A clear silhouette carries three priority masses: hull, turret/superstructure, and mobility unit (tracks/rollers/bogies). Break up each with rhythms that reinforce purpose:

  • Hull: Use a few large facets/curves (glacis, side plates) punctuated by service panels and skirt rhythm. Avoid micro‑greeble along the silhouette edge; preserve long lines for readability and LOD survival.
  • Turret/superstructure: Strong cheek volumes, a crisp roof edge, and a distinct bustle or casemate. Place hatches and periscopes off silhouette where possible; reserve silhouette edge for armor statements.
  • Mobility: Side skirt tiles form a readable cadence; leave visible track/bogie daylight where class expects it (combat/utility). Construction skirts can be shorter, exposing roller frames.

Secondary breakup—stowage bins, pioneer tools, fuel/water cans, spare track links—should create clusters, not clutter. Group by function and align with armor rhythms. On utility/construction, toolboxes and handrails form the cadence; keep handholds inside silhouette when possible to prevent “furry” reads.

Attachments, sensors, and not breaking the promise

Combat kits: smoke grenade launchers, APS (active protection) radars/launchers, RCWS/crew‑served weapons, laser warners. Place these on reinforced flats with cable routing that respects slope and drainage. Don’t let late‑stage APS pods ruin the roof edge or obstruct hatch arcs—solve placement in concept with clearance callouts.

Utility/construction kits: winches, tow hooks, steps, mirrors, beacon lights, work lights, fire extinguishers. Keep worklight constellations on corners for night readability; route handrails and anti‑slip paths along non‑silhouette edges where possible.

Damage, wear, and ethics in depiction

Armor wear reads at edges, bolt heads, lift eyes, and high‑traffic surfaces. Spall liners appear inside, not outside. Avoid glamorizing ERA detonation or depicting real explosive internals in proprietary detail—use abstracted tile labels and mounting logic. Show repair logic: removable skirt tiles, spare track links, weld patches with heat tinting, swapped composite modules. For utility/construction, depict replaceable cutting edges, bolt‑on corner guards, and quick‑change pins.

Packaging, service, and drainage (believability details)

Armor adds mass and heat. Provide vent and grille logic that cannot be faked later: inlets sized by role, outlets that do not cook optics or crew, and baffles that keep splash out. Include drain points under panels and at low hull corners; avoid bathtub geometries. Draw lift eyes, jack points, tie‑downs, and panel seams that a mechanic could use. On ERA/NERA arrays, call out replacement sequence and safe handling marks; on skirts, show quick‑release pins and stow positions.

Camera reads, lighting, and VFX

At far range, the player must parse class silhouette (MBT vs. IFV vs. dozer), slope intent (raked glacis, faceted turret), and skirt rhythm. At mid range, they should read tile cadence (ERA/NERA vs. plain), hatch/port layout, and guard cages. Near, they should see welds, bolt patterns, anti‑slip textures, and edge wear. Lighting should place emissives at corner landmarks (head/tail, turret perimeters, ladder tops) and avoid continuous LED strips on silhouette edges that erase armor shape with bloom. VFX for hits and debris must respect slope: ricochet angles, spark plumes that slide along facets, dust that sheds off skirts and belly pans instead of filling negative space.

Concept → production deliverables

  • Metrics & protection sheet: Plate thickness bands (nominal/effective), slope angles (glacis, cheeks, roof), stand‑off distances for spaced armor, belly V angles, skirt coverage extents, ROPS/FOPS certification envelopes.
  • Orthos (measured): Side/front/rear/top with armor plate outlines, weld seams, skirt panels and hinges, hatch arcs, APS/sensor mounts, guard rails. Include track path so skirt length and daylight are honest.
  • Cutaway: Armor stack sections (base + composite/ceramic/NERA), spall liners, seat mounts, blast mats, belly pans with structural ties; for utility/construction: ROPS cage nodes, guard mounts, belly pan drains.
  • Exploded views: ERA/NERA tile module, side skirt module, turret cheek module, hatch and hinge assemblies, grille/guard module with fasteners; utility: cage panel, radiator guard, step/handrail kit; construction: wear edge kit, corner guard, belly pan.
  • Callouts: Effective vs. nominal thickness, weld types/sizes, tile bolt patterns and torque, skirt hinge pin diameters, hatch open angles and latching, APS keep‑out zones, drainage points, anti‑slip pattern specs, lighting positions and candela targets for night ID.
  • Camera‑read boards: Far/mid/near day/night/dust/snow; annotations: “what must read” (glacis rake, skirt rhythm, turret facet).
  • Change log & kit list: Faction‑standard skirt tiles, cheek module sizes, hatch families, cage profiles, handrail and step standards, ROPS/FOPS kits.

Indie vs. AAA cadence

Indie: one evolving armor board per vehicle—silhouette with slopes, a side ortho with plate bands and skirt rhythm, a compact cutaway of stack logic, and a paintover for APS/sensors and lighting placements—validated with greybox screenshots under dust/night presets. AAA: gated packages—protection metrics lock, module kit lock, orthos/callouts for modeling, rig & FX check (hatch arcs, skirt swing, ERA placement, tracer ricochet behavior), camera‑read sign‑off, and livery/wear pass—supported by a shared armor kit for tiles, skirts, cheeks, cages, and handrail families.

Concept vs. production mindset

Concept guards clarity and purpose: slope and breakup should tell class, threat model, and doctrine before detail. Production guards specification and service: numbers for thickness and angles, hinge sizes, bolt circles, drainage, and replacement logic that survive optimization and skins. Both protect readability at distance and under effects.

Closing

Armor, slope, and silhouette breakup are not garnish—they are the vehicle’s thesis made visible. When your glacis angles, cheek facets, skirts, cages, and wear plates align with mission and environment—and when you encode those choices as measured, replaceable modules—your tracked and articulated fleets will feel engineered, readable, and true under fire, in the quarry, or on the ice.