A free, growing handbook
The 3D Handbook
3D art for real-time games — modeling, sculpting, texturing, engines, level design and environment art, explained, compared and sourced
How the handbook works: page types, reading routes, sources and the boxes you will meet.
What real-time 3D art is, the parts of a mesh (vertices, edges, faces, normals, topology) and the units, axes and file formats that move assets between tools.
The software landscape for every stage: modeling, sculpting, UVs, texturing, engines, photogrammetry and vegetation, compared with prices and licences.
The art skills behind good 3D: shape, value, colour, light, composition, scale and reference.
Box and subdivision modeling, clean topology, hard-surface techniques, modular kits and environment pieces, and how to keep meshes within budget.
Digital sculpting for games: base meshes, alphas, form hierarchy, rocks and cliffs, damage and wear, tileable sculpts and remeshing.
Unwrapping, seams, texel density and packing, then baking high-poly detail into normal and other maps.
How surfaces work (PBR, texture maps, colour space, compression), texturing techniques from trim sheets to decals and photo-sourced materials, and shaders for artists.
Bringing art into the engine: real-time lighting and shadows, global illumination, exposure and post-processing, sky and fog, terrain, foliage and procedural placement.
Designing spaces players move through: blockouts and playtesting, layout and flow, wayfinding, landmarks, set dressing and environmental storytelling.
Working on a team (performance budgets, naming, source control, art bibles, roles) and building a career: portfolios, breakdowns, art tests and interviews.
Practice projects with measurable goals (a first prop, a modular room, a trim sheet, a lit scene) and a year-long learning roadmap.
Lists to come back to: learning platforms, talks, breakdowns, postmortems, books and communities.