Chapter 4: Checklists & Review Gates

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Checklists & Review Gates for Prop Concept Artists: Dimensions, Standards, and Practical Reference

Great props survive because the teams that touch them agree on what “done” means—at sketch, at ortho, at handoff. Checklists and review gates turn that agreement into a repeatable pipeline. For concept artists, they keep scale, measurement, and callouts honest under tight deadlines. For production artists, they prevent downstream surprises by ensuring the right information ships with the asset. This article proposes a pragmatic system of checklists and review gates, tuned for both concept and production, with an emphasis on dimensions, standards, and reference.

Why Checklists Work

A checklist is a memory prosthetic and a social contract. It captures non‑negotiables (units, scale anchors, callout style) and highlights judgment calls (texel budgets, tolerance intent). Review gates enforce cadence: no asset advances without passing its current gate’s criteria. Together they reduce redo loops, protect clarity, and create an audit trail when schedules compress.

Gate 0: Brief Intake & Scope Alignment

Intent & Constraints. Confirm the prop’s purpose, interaction verbs, and shots (hero, mid, background). Record platforms, FOV ranges, and target texel density. Note any standards to echo (19″ rack, 25 mm grids, DIN rails, ISO pallets).

Scale Baseline. Choose default units (metric preferred unless fiction requires imperial). Write one line in the brief: “All dimensions in millimeters unless noted.” Select recurring scale anchors for the project (100 mm bar, AA cell, credit card silhouette, hand percentile).

Success Criteria. Define what each deliverable must include (orthos, exploded, BOM, decals, size cheats). Agree on the acceptance test (print at A3, check micro‑type at X px cap height, verify fit with component kit).

Gate 0 Checklist — Purpose and usage verbs captured. — Platforms/FOV/TD documented. — Units declared; scale anchors selected. — Referenced standards listed. — Deliverables & acceptance tests agreed.

Gate 1: Block‑In & Silhouette Truth

Scale Sanity. Add a 100 mm bar to the page and one everyday object (AA cell, coin) near an interaction zone. If handheld, place a 50th‑percentile hand silhouette in one view.

Ergonomics First. Check grip OD (28–35 mm bare; 35–45 mm gloved), finger clearance under handles (≥22 mm bare; ≥30 mm gloved), and reach assumptions. Mark any edges that violate comfort.

Process Plausibility. Rough in wall thickness by process (ABS 2–3 mm, sheet Al 1.5–3 mm). Add fastener scale (M3–M5 handheld; M4–M6 panels).

Gate 1 Checklist — 100 mm scale bar present; anchor object present. — Hand silhouette included for handhelds. — Grips/clearances within ranges. — First‑pass walls and fasteners plausible. — Units noted on page.

Gate 2: Orthos, Dimensions & Datum Strategy

View Discipline. Lock orthographic views (front, side, top) and a single three‑quarter hero at known camera.

Datum & Stack. Establish primary datums (A/B/C) and dimension to centers/features, not paint edges. Group dimensions by functional zones.

Callout Style. Set text height (≥2.5 mm cap at print), arrow style, and leader logic (45°/90°). Add notes for tolerance intent in plain language (e.g., “Flush within ±0.3 mm”).

Standard Echoes. Call out pitch grids (10/12.5/25 mm), rack widths, port families, hose sizes, where used.

Gate 2 Checklist — Orthos locked; camera/FOV noted. — Datums defined; dimensions to features. — Text/leader styles consistent. — Standards cited explicitly. — Scale bar on every sheet.

Gate 3: Exploded View, BOM & Sequence

Explode Logic. Choose a single explode axis; stage small hardware farther. Add ghost of assembled silhouette and rails from pins to sockets.

BOM Discipline. Balloon numbers consecutive; BOM lists Item, Qty, Part, Material/Finish, Spec (e.g., M4×10 BHCS), Notes (torque, thread‑lock). Fastener counts match balloons.

Sequences. Torque patterns for rings; adhesives and gaskets annotated; wire lengths indicated to datum.

Gate 3 Checklist — One explode axis; rails and phantom present. — BOM complete; quantities correct. — Torque/adhesive/service steps annotated. — Material/finish shorthand present.

Gate 4: Graphics, Labels & Measurement Callouts

Hierarchy & Read. Primary/secondary/tertiary labels sized to survival thresholds (e.g., 3.0–4.0 mm caps for critical legends). Icon strokes match text optical weight.

Units & Standards. Voltage (VDC/VAC) with polarity; pressure (bar/kPa/psi) per fiction; date/time formats consistent. Micro‑type not relied upon for gameplay‑critical info if texel budget is low.

Placement & Protection. Labels anchored to geometry; avoid UV seams through words; reserve extra TD at control clusters or use mesh decals.

Gate 4 Checklist — Label sizes meet legibility floors. — Units consistent and declared. — Icons on shared grid, stroke matched. — Decal/UV strategy documented.

Gate 5: Variant States & Service Logic

States. Provide OFF/READY/ARMED/ACTIVE/COOLDOWN/FAULT variants. For each: color/light/geometry changes; label swaps; safety interlocks.

Service. Show access path; captive fasteners; lockout points; seal replacement order.

Damage/Crafted. Failure modes tied to physics; crafted add‑ons use believable fasteners/materials.

Gate 5 Checklist — State chart present; per‑state cues defined. — Service path and lockouts annotated. — Damage/crafted variants plausible.

Gate 6: Texel Density, Mip Survival & Export Readiness

TD Budget. Declare target TD (px/cm). Verify smallest cap height vs. TD. Move tertiary text to decals if below floor.

Temporal Stability. Replace 1 px LEDs with bars/rings; add keylines; test at approach distances under TAA/motion blur.

Packages. Export layered source (FIG/AI/PSD) and flattened PDFs; provide CSV BOM; icon/label atlases; decal masks; camera notes.

Gate 6 Checklist — TD/legibility tests captured (screenshots). — Shimmer mitigations applied. — Deliverable package complete and named.

Gate 7: Cross‑Team Review & Sign‑Off

Design, Production, Tech Art, Audio/VFX, QA sign off only on their lanes: design intent, buildability, shader/UV constraints, state hooks, checklist completeness. Capture open risks with owners and due dates.

Gate 7 Checklist — Stakeholder sign‑offs recorded. — Open risks logged with owners. — Version tagged; archive created.

Red Flags & Fast Fixes

Mixed units on one sheet. Fix: declare one system; add conversions only in notes.

Dimensions to paint edges. Fix: dimension to datums/centers; add note about coating thickness.

Leader spaghetti. Fix: group callouts by zone; reroute at 45°; use detail boxes.

Illegible micro‑type. Fix: increase cap height or convert to micro‑glyph strip; move to mesh decal.

Explode chaos. Fix: single axis; smaller hardware travels further; add trails.

Shimmering LEDs. Fix: convert to bars/rings; add keylines; tweak mip bias.

Reference & Evidence Pack

Every gate promotes artifacts: Gate 1 (scale bar + hand/AA), Gate 2 (orthos with datums), Gate 3 (exploded + BOM), Gate 4 (graphics legibility sheet), Gate 5 (state chart), Gate 6 (TD/mip screenshots). Keep them in a project “/evidence” folder so reviewers can verify claims quickly.

Accessibility & Localization Checks

Color redundancy. State and hazard cues not color‑only. Type coverage. Fallback font available for CJK/RTL; stacked short lines instead of long strings. Number formats. Decimal/thousand separators, 12/24 h time, date order documented for UI surfaces.

Meeting Cadence & Roles

Run 15‑minute gate stand‑ups: the artist presents the checklist; reviewers only flag failures and assign owners. Avoid design debates at gates—those belong in critiques. The output is pass/fail + actions.

A One‑Page Checklist (Pin‑Up)

— Units declared; 100 mm bar on each sheet. — Scale anchors consistent (AA/coin/hand). — Grips/clearances within ergonomic ranges. — Orthos locked; datums defined; dimensions to features. — Standards echoed (25 mm grids, rack, DIN). — Exploded axis consistent; rails/ghost; BOM complete. — Label/icon hierarchy meets legibility floors; units consistent. — States & service path documented. — TD and mip survival tested; shimmer mitigated. — Deliverables packaged (source, PDF, CSV, atlases, masks). — Stakeholder sign‑offs captured; risks assigned.

Checklists and gates are not bureaucracy; they are kindness to your future self and to your collaborators. They move judgment to the right moments and make room for craft where it matters. With a clear set of checks and crisp gates, your props arrive in production as readable machines with numbers that hold still—and every downstream team can work faster because the decisions are already made.