Chapter 4 – Final Package: What to Include and Label for 3D Rigging

Chapter 4: Final Packages: What to Include and Label for 3D / Rigging

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Final Packages: What to Include and Label for 3D & Rigging

From Brief to Package: The Vehicle Concept Pipeline

A final concept package is a contract between design intent and production reality. For vehicles, that contract must feed modeling, surfacing, rigging, physics, and gameplay without ambiguity. This article outlines exactly what to include and how to label it so both concept‑side and production‑side artists can move cleanly from Ideation → Iteration → Finals → Handoff.

1) Purpose of the final package

The package is a single source of truth—dimensions, articulation logic, materials intent, interface callouts, and risks. It should answer five questions without a meeting: What is it? How big is it? How does it move? How is it built? What remains undecided? When assembled, the package prevents silent reinterpretation that breaks gameplay metrics or studio brand language.

2) What evolves across Ideation → Iteration → Finals → Handoff

Ideation contributes proportion targets, role statements, and early keep‑out volumes (crew, power, payload, gear/arm). Label these rough truths and avoid numerical precision. Iteration hardens hardpoints: wheelbase, track/span, ride height, fuselage fineness, turret arcs, canopy hinge axes, thruster diameters, radiator cross‑sections. Begin an articulation table and a materials intention sheet. Finals freeze governing dimensions, silhouette read, part break strategy, and rig joint list with ranges. Handoff bundles clean orthos, sections/cutaways, exploded views, the rig spec, file hygiene data, and a concise risks/open‑items note.

3) The master overview page (plate 00)

Start every package with a single “read me” plate that a new teammate can parse in one minute. Include: project + vehicle code name, one‑sentence role, hero 3/4 view, scale bar, unit system (metric or imperial), projection symbol, silhouette callouts for signature lines that must survive optimization, and a QR/short link to the source folder. Add a short status table—Approved (date/by), Blocked (item), Pending (item)—so receivers know whether they are seeing a locked artifact or a WIP boundary.

4) Orthos set: the dimensional truth

Provide front, rear, side, plan (and bottom if needed), all at the same scale. Dimension: • Governing: overall L/W/H, wheelbase/track (or span/rotor diameter), ground clearance, approach/departure/breakover angles.
• Kinematic envelopes: wheel steer sweeps, landing gear retraction volumes, rotor or prop disk, turret recoil arcs, hatch swing paths, gimbal spheres.
• Interface planes: mount rails, docking rings, tow points, cargo floor datum, seat H‑points, eye ellipse.
• Safety zones: muzzle clearance, blast keep‑out, FOD ingestion cones, thermal keep‑out near exhausts/radiators.
Use consistent datums: G ground, CL centerline, FP firewall plane, BP bulkhead plane. Declare axis conventions (e.g., +X forward, +Y right, +Z up).

5) Sections, cutaways, and exploded views: proving the inside

Include at least one section through the cabin/crew, a power/thermal section, and any critical structure section. Cutaways should show major masses (crew, power, payload), routing (cooling, wiring, hydraulics), and service logic (filter access, magazine swaps). Exploded views communicate panelization and assembly order. Each plate must carry a legend for hatch styles—structure, tanks/batteries, void/air—and numbered callouts that remain consistent across plates.

6) Rig specification: joints, pivots, and constraints

The rig spec is the heart of animation readiness. Provide a dedicated plate plus a CSV/JSON table in the package folder.

6.1 Joint list (canonical names)
Name joints function‑first and avoid slang: root, chassis, susp.FL, susp.FR, susp.RL, susp.RR, steer.FL, steer.FR, turret.base, turret.yaw, turret.pitch, weapon.recoil, canopy.hinge.L, ramp.hinge, gear.FL.upDown, gear.FL.door, thruster.L.gimbalPitch, thruster.L.gimbalYaw, vect.nozzle, fan.tilt.L, fan.tilt.R, etc. Include hierarchy tree as an indented list.

6.2 Pivots & axes
For each joint, specify: • Pivot position: world coordinates at 1:1 scale.
• Axis orientation: unit vector or Euler axis (e.g., yaw around Z).
• Rotation/translation limits: min/max (deg/mm), default pose, soft/ hard limits.
• Couplings/constraints: e.g., fan.tilt.L mirrors .R, gear.FL.door must be open >45° before gear.FL.upDown begins, turret.pitch disabled when turret.yaw within ±5° of sensor mast.
• Driver parameters: wheel steer linked to speed; nozzle vector linked to throttle; recoil duration.

6.3 Animation states
Provide a state matrix with named clips: Idle, Deploy Gear, Retract Gear, Enter/Exit, Aim, Fire, Reload, Fold/Unfold, Landing, Damage React, Destroyed. List which joints animate per state and timing notes (blocking beats in seconds/frames). If gameplay requires synchronized vfx or sfx triggers, place numbered event markers.

6.4 Deformation and no‑deform zones
Mark rigid vs. deforming areas. For rubber gaiters, fabric hoses, or soft boots, supply simple proxy geometry and a shader note. Label no‑deform parts (armor plates, glass) to prevent skinning.

7) Modeling guidance: topology and surfacing intent

Concept should specify surfacing hierarchy—primary crowns, secondary breaks, tertiary detail density—and where curvature continuity matters (keep G2 along shoulder, accept G1 along belly). Add shading IDs or flat color material cards for read grouping. Include: • Topology intent: edge flow arrows across panel crowns; hold loops around openings; recommended minimum fillet radii.
• Seam strategy: gasket types (butt, overlap, Z‑seam), fastener families (flush, captive, DZUS), and access direction.
• Subdivision/retopo notes: whether the hero mesh will be subdivided or modeled hard‑surface, and where control edges should live.
• Texel density targets: e.g., 512 px/m for chassis, 1024 px/m for cockpit, decals authored as trim sheets at 2048 px with UV repeat guidance.
• LOD plan: LOD0 hero, LOD1 −35% triangles, LOD2 −60%, impostor thresholds by distance/FOV.
• Collision volumes: simplified hulls for physics (box/sphere/capsule sets) named to match rig groups.

8) Materials, decals, and livery handoff

Provide a materials intention sheet with swatches and roles: mat_armor_steel, mat_comp_panel, mat_ceramic_brake, mat_glass_canopy, mat_rubber_tire, mat_heat_tile, mat_emissive_navlight. Include roughness/metalness ranges, not just colors. Supply a livery zone map with flat fields sized for typography and insignia, plus a decal list (file paths, pixel sizes, color modes). Mark “no‑wrap” warnings where curvature would distort decals. Indicate emissive channels and intended blinking logic for nav/formation lights.

9) Metrics and gameplay compliance

Restate gameplay metrics on the package: door aperture minimums, stair riser/tread logic, ramp slope limits, cover height reads, camera line‑of‑sight cones, undercarriage clearance, turret dead zones for friendly‑fire prevention, audio occlusion expectations for hatches. If your title has standard vehicle classes, include the class grid and show where this asset lands.

10) Naming, units, and folder structure

Consistency prevents tool breakage. Use a template:
/Vehicles/PROJ_VHC_<role>_<code>/<YYYYMMDD>/
/01_References/ raw brief, mood, competitive refs
/02_Concept/ proportion passes, sketches
/03_Ortho/ orthos, sections, cutaways
/04_RigSpec/ rig plate + CSV/JSON, state matrix
/05_Models/ proxy, blockout, high, game, LODs
/06_Textures/ materials, trim sheets, decals
/07_Exports/ engine‑ready FBX/GLTF, collision, skeleton
File names: PROJ_VHC_<code>_Ortho_Side_v03_2025‑09‑30.png. Declare units once on every plate and in the rig spec. Axis: +X forward, +Y right, +Z up (or your studio standard). Scale: 1 unit = 1 cm (or meters) and never deviate.

11) QA and review plates

Add a one‑page delta overlay comparing last green‑lit silhouette to final silhouette; reviewers can verify you didn’t drift. Include a checklist plate with sign‑off boxes for: dimensions, rig axes/limits, articulation collisions tested, physics proxies, LODs present, texel density validated, materials IDs mapped, livery zones reserved, gameplay metrics verified, naming and units confirmed, risks logged.

12) Risks and open items

Be explicit about unknowns: “Gearbox cooling requires CFD validation,” “Canopy hinge torque TBD,” “ADR light pattern pending platform guidelines.” Categorize as Feasibility, Pipeline, or Brand and propose mitigations: alternative hinge, increased vent area, adjusted panel split.

13) Mini case study: tracked IFV (infantry fighting vehicle)

The brief demands an 8‑troop IFV with remote turret and amphibious kit. Ideation establishes stance and troop box length; Iteration sets turret keep‑outs, roof hatches, and ramp clearance. Finals freeze overall L/W/H, track footprint, and a turret rig with yaw ±180°, pitch −10°/+60°, recoil 120 mm. Handoff includes clean orthos with ramp geometry, a cabin section showing bench spacing and head clearance, a thermal cutaway mapping radiator → plenum → exhaust, an exploded rear assembly, and a rig spec with pivot coordinates. Materials sheet defines armor steel, ERA tiles, and rubber skirts with texel targets. Physics hulls are provided as three capsules and a box. Risks note amphibious freeboard margin pending physics test and possible turret cable chain interference at max elevation; mitigations listed. The modeling team imports the skeleton and hits animation beats without asking for clarifications.

14) Collaboration rituals that keep packages alive

Schedule brief, focused cross‑discipline reviews at each gate: Rig‑Only Review (verify axes and names), Collision & Envelope Review (sweep tests), Materials & Livery Review (readability at camera distance), Gameplay Metrics Review (apertures, slopes, cover). Capture outcomes as PDF stamps on the relevant plates and bump the version. Keep the package truthful: if later changes happen, update the affected plates and the overview status table immediately.

15) Closing thoughts

Great final packages don’t drown teams in detail—they prioritize the truths that keep everyone aligned. When concept declares signature reads, materials intent, and livery zones while production defines joints, limits, and assembly logic, the handoff becomes a glide path. Your vehicle then models cleanly, rigs predictably, reads at game camera, and stays serviceable across updates—exactly what a studio needs to ship with confidence.