This week, we're thrilled to unveil Ghost Realm, a spine-tingling new Kit where gothic architecture, supernatural detail, and spectral worldbuilding collide. Inspired by everything from ruined cathedrals and cursed castles to classic horror tales like Dracula and Frankenstein, this Kit gives creators a hauntingly beautiful toolkit for crafting ghost stories, cursed dreamscapes, and fantasy realms where the dead refuse to rest.
From crumbling clocktowers and vine-strangled manors to bone-covered gates and eerie shrines, every element in Ghost Realm was meticulously designed to evoke mood, mystery, and just the right amount of dread. In this edition of Behind the Kit, we caught up with the artists behind the build to uncover how they sculpted the skulls, summoned the shadows, and optimized the uncanny, all while pushing themselves creatively and technically in new ways.
What was your favorite part about working on Ghost Realm and why?
“The best part about working on Ghost Realm was just getting the chance to work with the Gothic style of modeling and structures. It was a great time for me to look at the big cathedrals for inspiration and simply be in awe of what we could achieve.” - Timo Fahrbach, 3D Modeler
“I really liked creating all the stone materials. We have a lot of stones in this Kit without much contrast in color, so we tried to work in different sizes of stones and some trim details, which turned out really cool. I had a lot of fun with that, and I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how to highlight details in this Kit.” - Anderson Araujo, Material Artist
“My favorite part of working on this Kit was the theme itself. There were a lot of references to get inspiration from.” - Ecbel, Concept Design
“My favorite part of this project was working on the material with cobwebs. I used custom brushes with some handprint techniques to create a tillable material and also made a few decal atlases. This material iis very subtle, but it added a bit of atmosphere to the set.” - Nikita Kulchitskiy, Material Artist
“I really loved the spooky theme of this Kit and the architecture style! A lot of buildings resembled Gothic manors, and it was a lot of fun to dive into those details and incorporate skulls into parts of the buildings.” - Lienny Ruiz, 3D Modeler
What was the most challenging part about this Kit? How did you overcome that challenge?
“Our goal was to optimize the geometry while retaining a high level of detail. The 3D modelers, Lienny and Timo, delivered excellent optimized geometry, which we enhanced by applying trim materials with added extra details.” - Nikita Kulchitskiy, Material Artist
“The most challenging part for me was adding the vines to some of the buildings. We really tried to keep them as optimized as possible while also trying to fill up large expanses of ground and wall without overloading the scene with polys.” - Lienny Ruiz, 3D Modeler
“With it being a gothic type Kit, the poly count quickly skyrockets. I think the most challenging part of the Kit was to try and keep the polycount as low as possible while putting in as much detail as possible without going too far.” - Timo Fahrbach, 3D Modeler
What was the biggest thing you learned while developing the Kit?
“We have learned to work on and create sets with a high level of detail in both textures and geometry while maintaining an optimal polygon count and material usage.” - Nikita Kulchitskiy, Material Artist
“I learned about different architectural details that appear in Gothic architecture. I found it very interesting to see how a lot of these pieces came together and how we were able to put them into the Kit.” - Timo Fahrbach, 3D Modeler
Is there anything about the Ghost Realm Kit you'd like to highlight or shout out?
“I really liked the bone pile material created through geometry baking. Timo sculpted excellent skull and bone models, which Anderson then turned into a tillable material. All of this added a spooky feeling to the Kit.” - Nikita Kulchitskiy, Material Artist
“I would like to shout out Timo for his incredible skull sculpts! We included the skulls on some of the props like the lanterns and chandelier. You'll also see a bunch of the skulls on the actual buildings. They look so dope and unique!” - Lienny Ruiz, 3D Modeler
“Shoutout to Nikita, I think the spiderwebs he made for this Kit and the way they wrapped around things were super interesting. We haven't really seen that here before, so that was super fun.” - Timo Fahrbach, 3D Modeler
“Seeing the final renderings of the Kit is just amazing! The models and textures are very well done.” - Ecbel, Concept Design
Do you have a favorite asset from the Kit?
“The Pit of Despair with the Clock Tower is my favorite.” - Ecbel, Concept Design
“I really liked the structure of the Undying Gate, with its large, powerful, and intimidating skull above the main entrance, sculpted by Timo. The overall structure perfectly enhanced the Kit's dark, supernatural theme.” - Nikita Kulchitskiy, Material Artist
“The lights! All of them! The candelabra, the chandelier, and the hanging skull lamps. They are all so unique and interesting, the skulls add an extra layer of spookiness to them that just fit the Kit so well.” - Lienny Ruiz, 3D Modeler
Was there anything that surprised you about this theme or the Kit while you worked on it?
“How many details we were able to repurpose! Most of the ornamental details on buildings were pre-built towards the beginning, and it saved us some time as we were creating each structure.” - Lienny Ruiz, 3D Modeler
“Timo's sculpted elements, such as the skulls and bones, seamlessly integrated into the Kit's design, bringing a distinct and unsettling level of spookiness.” - Nikita Kulchitskiy, Material Artist
“The biggest surprise to me was the amount of detail that people fit into these architectural designs. I was blown away by how fine the details of even the highest peaks in these designs.” - Timo Fahrbach, 3D Modeler
Which model were you the most excited about creating and why?
“The clocktower! This building had many different elements that made it feel like I was creating a medieval castle. I also really love the large hole in the roof that allows for some storytelling. Our idea while making this was that maybe a creature escaped or crashed down and broke that section of the roof.” - Lienny Ruiz, 3D Modeler
“I had the most fun creating the medium church. I think even though it is quite small, the way it came together was exciting and fun to piece together.” - Timo Fahrbach, 3D Modeler
What themes or stories influenced the design?
“The towers and Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. Dracula. Frankenstein’s monster.” - Ecbel, Concept Design
From custom cobweb decals to hand-sculpted skulls, the Ghost Realm Kit is packed with story-rich details that empower artists to build unforgettable supernatural worlds. Whether you’re crafting a horror game level, a dark cinematic scene, or a fantastical realm where ghosts walk among the living, this Kit invites you to cross into the unknown—and bring back something chilling.
Ghost Realm is available now in Cargo and on our web store. Fire it up and start building, then tag @KitBash3D to show us what rises from the other side. We can’t wait to see what haunts your imagination.
