Transforming the 'Wild West’ Era Into Realistic 3D Assets

Transforming the 'Wild West’ Era Into Realistic 3D Assets

Whether you know it as the American frontier, the Old West, or the Wild West, the legends, historical events, and folklore of this 19th century time period have inspired countless movies, shows, comics, artworks, and video games – and now it’s your turn to join the fray! We designed our new Outlaw 3D assets Kit to help creators bring realism, authenticity, and depth to their scenes. Read below to discover how our team built our best darn tootin’ asset Kit yet!

SHOP OUR ‘OUTLAW’ 3D ASSET KIT

HOW DID YOU APPROACH MAKING A WESTERN-THEMED KIT?

Maxx Burman, Co-Founder (KB3D):

One of the first Kits we made back in the beginning days of KitBash3D was Wild West (now retired). We always loved that Kit, but also thought "There's so much more we could do with it!” As we were rebuilding a western Kit from the ground up, we looked at our Treasure Island Kit as the bar we wanted to hit in terms of detail, storytelling, and, most importantly, FUN! I believe we accomplished this with Outlaw, and I cannot wait to see what creators will make with it.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING ON/WITH THE OUTLAW KIT AND WHY?

João Silva, Concept Artist (Disney, Netflix, Call of Duty):

My favorite part about the Kit was how easy it was to play around with it and quickly have some nice compositions. The level of detail and thought put into it is so great that even by putting the camera in the initial schematic position of the assets, I could start seeing some nice ideas for the cover art. Initially, I was thinking of adding a few characters, but later I realized that if the assets are very detailed and feel lived, in some situations, you can get away without them. Moreover, it can add to the composition, which can bring more focus to, in this case, the lone ranger in the middle of the shot. 

Liosha Shyp, Cinematics (KB3D) :

From the moment you open the Kit, it's like stepping into a LEGO® store. With so many different high-quality and unique objects and props, you’ll want to use every single one of them, from the firearms to the huge factories. Plus, when using Unreal Engine, the process begins to resemble making your own version of Red Dead Redemption – and I can't stop playing.

Mike Reese, Head of Kits (KB3D): 

What I loved about working on the Outlaw Kit was the amount of passion each artist brought to make it the most gritty, detailed, and story-driven Kit we have ever done. Spinning each piece around, you will see the amount of craftsmanship and care that was put into this Kit. There are so many nooks and crannies to look at and appreciate!

Alexey HrDesign, Textures (KB3D):

My favorite part was learning about the design of old west buildings, especially how they played with color boldly at the time. I especially enjoyed working on the barbershop; it features one of the many cool references in the Kit. Also, the history of these establishments is very entertaining; in the past, you could not only cut your beard but also fix your teeth! And for sure, one of my favorite materials was the American flag trim.

Emily Amick, Graphic Designer (KB3D):

My favorite part of working on the branding in Outlaw was the ideation behind all of the logos and signage. We spent a lot of time researching old west towns and their accompanying graphic styles and terminology to come up with unique names that were fun but also maintained authenticity to the set. My favorite logos were probably the Soiled Dove Saloon and Crazy Willie's gun shop – those were 2 models that had a lot of character already, and I loved seeing the storytelling come together with the signage.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASSET IN THE OUTLAW KIT AND WHY?

João Silva, Concept Artist (Disney, Netflix, Call of Duty):

I have to say, all the assets are looking super well integrated with each other, believable and unique. However, if I had to choose my favourite one, it would have to be the barbershop. I love the contrast between the playful colors and the grittiness of a proper wild west house. It's cool because you can easily add a bit of accent colors to the village without being too disruptive, and therefore make it more realistic and interesting.

Hebron PPG, Concept Artist (KB3D):

My favorite has to be the apothecary. I really loved introducing more cultures in this Kit. We knew there were many cultures that influenced the ‘Wild West’ era, and one of them was Chinese culture, which is famous for its herbal medication, so we wanted to pay homage to that with the apothecary.

Sebastian Bielecki, Models (KB3D):

My favourite asset is probably the coal mine. I really had fun making all the broken pieces and imperfections. After working on other strictly hard-surface Kits, this one was very refreshing. I got to do a bit of hard surface modeling, a bit of Zbrush sculpting, and all the grass and cacti were also very cool to make!

Emily Amick, Graphic Designer (KB3D):

The giant saloon is my favorite asset in the Outlaw Kit. I imagine it to be a very useful model to create interesting, unique western scenes with. I love that it's a multi-use building but still has all the small details to make it a great focus piece! 

Ready to try our new Outlaw Kit for yourself? Click here to get started! The Kit comes ready to use in all the top 3D software, including Blender, Unreal Engine, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, and Unity. Happy KitBashing!

Back to Stories