Chapter 4: Final Packages

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Final Packages for Mecha: What to Include for 3D, Rigging, Physics, VFX, Audio & UI

A “final” mecha concept is not a single beautiful painting. A final is a handoff package that lets downstream teams build the asset without guessing what you meant. If your package is strong, 3D can model quickly, rigging can set up joints without fighting the design, physics and gameplay can make interactions predictable, VFX can hook into the right emitters, audio can design a consistent sound identity, and UI can build readable telemetry and targeting feedback. If your package is weak, each department will invent missing answers, and the mecha will drift away from your intent.

The key idea is that different teams need different “truths.” Modeling needs spatial truth. Rigging needs kinematic truth. Physics needs collision and mass truth. VFX needs emitter and state truth. Audio needs source and material truth. UI needs readability and state truth. Your job as a mecha concept artist is to provide enough information to establish those truths, without drowning the team in noise.

This article is written equally for mecha concept artists on the concepting side and the production side. Concepting-side artists build the first complete packages and set the standard. Production-side artists maintain and update packages as requirements change, and they ensure that variants, skins, and outsourced work stay aligned.

How “final package” fits in the pipeline

In ideation, you are solving direction: silhouette families, role read, and genre/faction dialect. You may produce a hero view and rough notes, but you avoid overcommitting.

In iteration, you are solving feasibility: proportions, mechanics, mounts, clearances, and state logic. This is where you begin building the package structure.

In finals, you are solving production truth: orthos, material zones, callouts, and state sheets are clean, consistent, and explicit.

In handoff, you are solving communication: files are organized, naming is clear, non-negotiables are stated, and teams know what to trust.

A good final package is the end result of iteration discipline. If you skip iteration, your final package becomes a patchwork of guesses.

The mindset: build a package around “states”

Mecha are stateful assets. They have idle states, movement states, combat states, damaged states, overheated states, transformed states, and sometimes stealth or powered-down states. Final packages work best when they are organized around what changes.

Instead of only documenting the “normal look,” you document how the mecha communicates state changes: lights shift, vents open, panels move, weapons deploy, audio sources change, UI markers appear, and VFX emitters activate. This is what makes the design feel alive and what makes it readable in gameplay.

Even if the game doesn’t implement every state, documenting state logic early gives teams a coherent plan.

The core deliverables almost every mecha package should include

Most production pipelines benefit from a consistent baseline set.

You typically include a hero three-quarter view that sells the mood and materials. You include orthographic views for buildability. You include a material/finish zone sheet. You include callouts for joints, mounts, and function. You include a scale reference. You include a simple “do not change” note that protects silhouette spine and key ratios.

If the mecha transforms, you include a transformation sequence sheet. If interior matters, you include a cutaway or cockpit layout.

This baseline is your universal package. The department-specific add-ons are what elevate it from “good concept art” to “production-ready documentation.”

What to include for 3D modeling

3D needs spatial clarity, construction logic, and repeatable rules.

Orthos are the first requirement, but the useful part is consistency: panel breaks that align, clear indication of symmetry/asymmetry, and clean silhouette spines. If your orthos contradict each other, 3D will either slow down to ask questions or will make assumptions that drift the design.

3D also benefits from a form language map. This is a short visual explanation of the primary forms and secondary forms. For example: “Main armor plates are large, slightly convex shells; secondary plates are beveled inserts; tertiary details are gaskets and fasteners.” This prevents modelers from interpreting every plane as flat or every edge as sharp.

A module and kit logic sheet is valuable when the roster is large. If parts are shared across units—arms, legs, shoulder packs, weapon pods—show the interfaces. It saves time and preserves faction identity.

3D also benefits from a scale and thickness guide. How thick are armor plates? How deep are panel gaps? Are edges chamfered? These do not need to be exact in millimeters, but relative thickness classes matter.

Finally, call out hero areas versus cheap areas. If the camera never sees the underside of a backpack, 3D can simplify there. If the head is always in close-up, it needs higher fidelity.

What to include for rigging and animation

Rigging needs kinematic truth: pivot points, joint types, ranges, and collision considerations.

A rig-friendly package includes a joint map. You show major joints and their intended axes: shoulder yaw/pitch, elbow hinge, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, torso twist, head pan/tilt. You also identify whether joints are exposed, shrouded, sliding, or telescoping.

You include range-of-motion notes. These can be simple: “knee bends to 120 degrees,” “shoulder can raise to horizontal,” “torso twist limited,” “ankle has stabilizer pistons.” The point is to set expectations.

You include clearance callouts. If armor overlaps in a way that will collide, note which plates should slide, which should separate, and where “cheat gaps” are allowed. If you can provide a quick sketch of a plate sliding under another, that saves weeks.

You also include pose targets. Even a small sheet of three or four key poses communicates attitude: idle, walk readiness, braced firing, and landing. Poses help rigging understand where you expect weight and where you expect compression.

If the mecha transforms, rigging needs a sequence plan with lock states. Provide hinge axes, slide directions, and what must stay recognizable.

What to include for physics and gameplay collision

Physics and gameplay teams need the mecha to behave predictably. They care about mass impression, collision volumes, ground contact, and detachable parts.

A useful package includes a collision intent sheet. You don’t need to design actual collision hulls, but you can indicate what areas should be treated as solid, what areas are “soft” (antennas, thin fins), and what areas are likely to clip and should be designed with clearance.

Provide a center-of-mass assumption. This can be a simple dot on the side view. It helps teams understand whether the mecha should feel top-heavy, stable, or agile.

If the mecha uses recoil, show recoil paths and bracing. This informs both animation and physics reactions.

If parts are detachable, destructible, or swappable, state it explicitly. “Shoulder armor can be blown off,” “left arm is modular,” “backpack is mission kit.” These decisions affect physics and gameplay states.

Ground contact matters. Foot size, heel-to-toe roll, and stabilizers affect how the mecha can land, turn, and stop. Even a note like “feet must read as stable; avoid toe-only contact” is valuable.

What to include for VFX

VFX needs hook points and state logic. They need to know where effects can originate, how they should behave, and when they should turn on.

A good package includes an emitter map. You label thrusters, vents, heat sinks, muzzle points, beam apertures, missile ports, flare dispensers, and exhausts. You identify which emitters are always on (idle glow, navigation lights) and which are state-based (overheat venting, charge-up glow, damage sparks).

VFX also benefits from a thermal and airflow logic note. Where does heat go? Where does dust blow? Where would contrails appear? These notes help VFX feel grounded.

Provide damage VFX zones. Where do sparks come from? Where do fluids leak? Where does smoke vent? If the design has a power core, define how it “fails”: arc, pulse, flicker, then vent.

If the mecha has shields or energy fields, define their visual boundary and how they interact with armor edges. Even a simple silhouette overlay of shield coverage helps.

Finally, clarify any no-effect zones. For example: “Avoid VFX on face silhouette landmark; it must remain readable.” This protects readability.

What to include for audio

Audio needs implied mechanisms and material identity. They also need consistent “sound sources” to make the mecha feel physically present.

You can support audio by including a mechanism map: where are the servos, where are the pistons, where are the rotating fans, where are the hydraulic lines, where are the gearboxes. Even if these parts are not literally modeled, they guide sound placement.

Provide a material map that distinguishes metal, composite, rubber seals, and any cloth or bio tissue. Different materials suggest different footsteps, impacts, and rattles.

Audio also benefits from visual verbs and state language. If the faction is “clank and hiss,” say so. If a unit is “hum and whirr,” say so. If Bio-Mech is “pulse and wet-click,” say so. These notes align audio identity with visual identity.

If the mecha has signature weapons, define the weapon “character.” Is it a bark, a snap, a scream, a thump, a ring? These are not final audio specs, but they anchor the intended feel.

Also call out quiet zones. If the design is stealth or elite, you can note that actuators should feel damped. If it’s industrial, you can note constant thrum.

What to include for UI and readability systems

UI needs consistent anchor points and state reads. They need to know where to attach markers and what visual information should be emphasized.

A useful package includes a targeting and telemetry hook map. Where is the head sensor? Where are weak points? Where are weapons? Where are thrusters? UI often attaches indicators to these areas.

Provide a state readability plan. What changes visually when the mecha is overheating, charging, low health, or disabled? Does it flash lights, vent steam, flicker sensors, or open vents? This allows UI to reinforce the state rather than inventing a new language.

If the game uses hit markers or damage direction indicators, define what parts are intended as “armor,” “frame,” “core,” and “weapon.” The clearer your intended component breakdown, the easier it is for UI and gameplay to communicate.

In some games, silhouettes are used in HUD icons. If so, provide a simplified silhouette icon version of the mecha. It prevents UI artists from guessing at which details are essential.

Finally, define no-clutter zones. UI readability depends on clean silhouettes. If the head shape is a key landmark, avoid placing lights, decals, or VFX that obscure it.

Concepting side: how to build the package without slowing down

On the concepting side, the biggest risk is over-documenting too early. The solution is to build packages in layers.

During ideation, you create the package skeleton: a hero view, rough orthos, and a few core callouts. You also define state logic in words.

During iteration, you upgrade the orthos, refine the joint map, and add emitter and mechanism maps. You test transformation or deploy states if required.

During finals, you clean everything, align views, and write concise notes. You reduce ambiguity.

A helpful habit is to reuse templates. If every mecha package uses the same page order and labeling system, teams learn how to read your work quickly.

Production side: maintaining packages as living documents

On the production side, the package must track reality. The modeled asset will change. A weapon mount might shift. A sensor might be removed. A thruster might move. If the concept package stays frozen, it becomes a historical artifact instead of a useful guide.

Production-side concept artists often act as “style keepers.” They update orthos and callouts to match the shipping version. They maintain variant rules. They ensure that outsourced vendors receive the current package.

A practical production approach is to maintain a “current truth” folder with the latest ortho, latest material zones, latest emitter map, and latest non-negotiables. Even if older concepts exist, teams should know what is current.

Organizing the final handoff package

A strong package is organized and scannable.

Include a cover page with the mecha name, role, faction, scale, and a one-paragraph design intent. Include a list of pages so teams can find what they need.

Use consistent file naming. Separate “concept art” from “documentation.” Provide layered files where possible.

Make your notes readable. Short paragraphs are better than dense blocks. Labels should be placed near the relevant part.

Include a non-negotiables paragraph and a safe/no-go zone sheet. This prevents silent drift.

If transformation exists, include both the sequence sheet and a list of hinge axes and lock states.

Finally, include a contact note: who owns approvals for changes. Even internally, this saves time.

Closing thought: the final package is a collaboration tool

The point of a final package is not to control every downstream decision. It is to give every department enough clarity to do excellent work without reinventing the design.

When your package includes spatial truth for 3D, kinematic truth for rigging, collision intent for physics, emitter and state truth for VFX, mechanism and material truth for audio, and anchor/state truth for UI, you create alignment. The mecha stays itself as it moves from drawing to game.

That is what “from brief to package” really means: not just making a cool design, but building a communicable system that survives production.