Chapter 2: Deliverable Types

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Deliverable Types for Weapon Concept Artists — Silhouettes, Orthos, Exploded/Cutaway, Callouts, Paintovers, Skins

Weapon concept art is a relay race. Each deliverable hands clarity to the next discipline so fantasy, role, and readability survive contact with production. Whether you work in an indie team wearing multiple hats or in a AAA pipeline with deep specialization, these deliverables—silhouettes, orthos, exploded/cutaway diagrams, callouts, paintovers, and skins—form your core toolkit. This article explains what each deliverable solves, how to build it well, where it fits in the collaboration map, and how scopes differ between indie and AAA. It serves both concepting‑side artists who explore direction and production‑side artists who manufacture handoff clarity.

Why deliverables matter: fantasy → role → readability → build

Good weapon concepts translate player fantasy into role‑coherent forms that read in combat and can be built. Deliverables are the language of this translation. Silhouettes create fast alignment on role, orthos supply build truth, exploded/cutaway diagrams teach motion and maintenance, callouts remove ambiguity, paintovers align visuals with gameplay and VFX, and skins extend the system for live‑ops without breaking readability. When each deliverable is healthy, teams iterate quickly with less rework.

Silhouettes — the fast contract on identity and role

Silhouette sheets exist to decide “what it is” before detail distracts. For weapons, focus on outer shape, negative space, and the placement of the interaction focal point—edge, muzzle, emitter, or focus crystal. The goal is instant role readability at thumbnail: burst vs sustain, single‑target vs crowd control, precision vs brawl. For first‑person titles, test fore‑grip and hand placement masses; for third‑person, exaggerate focal cues so they hold at distance. Produce breadth in waves (15–20 minutes per wave), circle candidates, then run proportion tests on the best two or three. In indie, the silhouette sheet may also include quick texture/value notes to help a generalist block the asset. In AAA, silhouettes are often paired with a role statement and constraints so downstream reviews have shared criteria.

Collaboration map: Narrative and design react to fantasy and role; UI references silhouettes for pickup icons; animation gauges handling promises; VFX spots emitter anchors early. Silhouette success reduces later churn.

Orthographic turnarounds — build truth and scale fidelity

Orthos convert promising shapes into measurable, buildable forms. Provide front, side, top, and a key section view if height or asymmetry matters. Include a metric scale bar, unit labels, and consistent naming. Keep major dimensions indicated (overall length, grip spacing, magazine length, blade span) and maintain perspective‑neutral linework. For first‑person weapons, include a “hands overlay” guide—neutral grip spacing and wrist angles—to protect animation and rigging. In indie, orthos may be simplified and paired with a proxy 3D block‑in. In AAA, orthos must be precise, layered cleanly, and versioned predictably for outsourcing.

Collaboration map: Modeling derives base mesh; rigging confirms joint spacing; tech art checks shader budgets and emissive zones; QA later uses orthos for bug triage. Clear orthos accelerate everyone.

Exploded and cutaway diagrams — assembly, motion, and service logic

Exploded views expose part relationships, fasteners, springs, latches, battery couplings, coolant lines, and string paths. Cutaways reveal interior cavities, recoil paths, charge reservoirs, and locking mechanisms. These diagrams prevent animation dead ends and help audio design materialize believable mechanical sounds. Keep arrows unobtrusive, part names consistent, and align the “pull” direction with how a real technician would disassemble the item. In indie, a hybrid sheet—ortho with selective cutaways—often suffices. In AAA, expect separate, clean plates for exploded and cutaway passes with numbered legends.

Collaboration map: Animation plans wind‑up, recoil, reloads, and jams; VFX maps vents and charge channels; audio identifies clacks, springs, hiss, and resonance. Production uses part IDs to plan LOD swaps or destruction states.

Callout sheets — decisions made visible

Callouts are where you externalize the why. Label materials (tempered spine, case‑hardened teeth, ceramic heat shield), edge intent (primary vs sacrificial edge), tolerances, and safety features (sheath, chamber flag, sight guard). Annotate attachment interfaces (rails, sockets, bayonet lugs), unit orientation, and clearance arcs. Use a small legend for material swatches, edge symbols, and emissive notes. Keep the text crisp and design‑agnostic so it survives translation and outsourcing. In indie, callouts may be short overlays directly on a paintover. In AAA, callouts typically live on a clean orthographic plate with a consistent annotation system.

Collaboration map: Modeling, surfacing, and tech art rely on callouts for shader choices and wear patterns; QA uses them to verify state transitions; design references them when tweaking handling or progression.

Paintovers — aligning feel, gameplay, and art direction

Paintovers are decision accelerators over block‑ins, greybox meshes, or animation captures. They validate grip comfort, sight lines, and reload choreography; they also establish material palette, wear patterns, and focal hierarchy. Use paintovers to test first‑person readability (UI overlay, reticle, muzzle VFX) and third‑person clarity (emitters, trails, silhouette holds). Keep sequential paintovers labeled by question—“sight occlusion test,” “reload silhouette,” “charge state glow zones”—so reviewers know what you’re asking. In indie, paintovers often double as marketing or pitch assets. In AAA, they are tightly scoped to unblock a specific department.

Collaboration map: Animation and design validate handling; VFX tunes emissives and particles; audio maps call‑and‑response beats; UI checks pickup icons and HUD alignment. Paintovers prevent expensive 3D churn by answering feel questions early.

Skins and variants — extending the system without breaking reads

Skins are visual refreshes; variants alter function. Both must preserve role readability and focal hierarchy. Define “safe zones” for material swaps (grips, plates, trims) and “danger zones” that carry role cues (emitter geometry, blade silhouette, muzzle size). For variants, maintain interface contracts—attachment sockets, magazine geometry, hand placement—so production can reuse rigs and meshes. Family sheets showing base, rare, legendary, and faction treatments help Live‑Ops plan drops without eroding clarity. In indie, skins may be limited and deeply tied to lore; in AAA, skins are a Live‑Ops rhythm and require robust livery rules.

Collaboration map: Live‑Ops and monetization plan releases; brand ensures coherence; modeling and surfacing reuse base kits; QA verifies that skins do not obscure state reads; accessibility reviews confirm contrast and icon legibility.

Indie vs AAA: scope, speed, and contracts

Indie: Fewer people, more hats. Deliverables are often hybrid: a silhouette sheet annotated with role notes, a single page that mixes ortho + callouts + mini‑cutaway, or a paintover that doubles as marketing. Speed and adaptability rule, but you still need naming consistency and scale fidelity. AAA: More people, tighter interfaces. Deliverables are modular and versioned. Orthos, callouts, and exploded views must be unambiguous for outsourcing vendors working across time zones. Expect interface contracts (socket IDs, tolerances), first‑person hand guides, and state charts aligned to gameplay gates.

State charts — the missing deliverable that saves projects

Although not always listed, state charts are pivotal. They show geometry, light, and VFX across idle, ready, fire, reload, jam, overheat, and charged. Include timing beats or frame counts if animation has already explored cadence. State clarity prevents UI confusion and reduces QA bugs. In indie, fold this into a paintover strip. In AAA, provide a dedicated plate that VFX, UI, and audio can reference.

Collaboration map (timeline view)

  1. Pitch/Preproduction: Silhouettes + role statements → design alignment; early paintovers over greybox for handling checks. 2) Direction Lock: Orthos + proportion pass → modeling starts; state chart v1 → VFX/UI plan hooks; callout legend draft. 3) Build & Iterate: Exploded/cutaway plates → animation and audio; callouts v2 with materials; paintovers v2 answering occlusion/readability. 4) Finalization: Orthos v2 after feedback; callouts final; skin rules; portfolio-friendly breakdowns. This cadence keeps decisions cheap early and precise late.

File and annotation hygiene

Deliverables fail when files are messy. Use a predictable folder structure and version on meaningful deltas. Maintain a corner block with scale bar, units, project name, and contact. Keep a material legend and annotation symbols consistent across weapons and updates. When specs change, note the impact scope at the top of the plate so modeling and rigging know where to look. Boring consistency builds trust.

Accessibility and UX considerations inside deliverables

Ensure pickup icons derived from silhouettes hold at small sizes. For color‑blind accessibility, avoid encoding state solely in hue—use geometry shifts, value, and animation cadence. In first‑person paintovers, test HUD overlap and sight occlusion. In skins, maintain sufficient contrast at the focal point so players can track muzzle/emitter in chaos.

Portfolio guidance: showing deliverables like a pro

Curate one weapon and present it as a mini case study: problem statement, silhouette breadth with circled picks, proportion pass, orthos, exploded/cutaway, callouts, state chart, and one or two paintovers for feel. Add a small family/skins sheet to demonstrate system thinking. A single crisp package beats a carousel of random finishes.

Lifelong practice: deliverables as habits

Treat each deliverable as a weekly micro‑habit. One week, practice silhouette breadth on a new role; another, draft a clean ortho with a tighter annotation system; another, dissect a mechanism and draw a small exploded. Over time, your personal templates will strengthen, and your collaboration partners will feel the difference. The art looks better; the team moves faster; you finish with energy left for the next season.

Closing

Deliverables are not bureaucracy—they are your craft made legible to others. When you design silhouettes that promise the right fantasy, orthos that modelers trust, exploded views that animators love, callouts that tech art respects, paintovers that align feel, and skin rules that keep Live‑Ops coherent, you turn individual talent into shared velocity. That is the hallmark of a weapon concept artist who can thrive in both indie agility and AAA scale.