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If you want to push your models to the industry gold standard, this workshop will show you how professional modelers working in film and TV create world-class production-quality vehicles.
When modeling assets in the visual effects industry, artists are often supplied with scans or photogrammetry of the subject to retopologize and match the references. However, there are frequently times when this isn’t the case, and in those instances, it’s essential to know what to do and how to tackle these scenarios working from limited references only — which is expected of every modeler working on complex shows and often under very quick turnarounds.
In this 3-hour workshop, Josh Docherty takes you through the process of modeling a high-resolution vehicle without a scan, relying on the use of camera lineups and using his tips, tricks, and industry knowledge to create the same high-quality, pipeline-ready asset in a limited amount of time.
This tutorial teaches how to create a clean, robust model for downstream use by other departments, including Texturing/Lookdev, Rigging, Animation, FX, and Lighting. Different departments often have many requirements and needs that modelers are responsible for ensuring are considered and fulfilled to the best of their abilities. This helps the entire pipeline perform efficiently for all things model-related.
Josh demonstrates many of the best practices and actions artists can take to ensure assets function at their best, using native Maya tools to achieve the same results at home — all while adhering to the same rules as the largest pipelines in the industry. This workshop is best suited for junior-level modelers and above.
The references used for this workshop are from Bring a Trailer, and the HDRI featured is from PolyHaven. Josh uses PureRef, Maya, Arnold, Redshift (optional), Lightroom & Photoshop as his tools of choice, though the techniques demonstrated can be applied to other software.
7 Lessons
Josh Docherty’s workshop delivers industry standard modeling techniques from an experienced VFX artist who has worked on some of the biggest films in recent years. Josh’s approach emphasizes practical problem-solving when ideal resources like scan data aren't available, while maintaining the high quality standards required for professional film production. The lessons aim to be comprehensive, covering not just modeling but also how to prepare assets for successful integration into the complete VFX pipeline.
Duration: 2m 5s
This lesson establishes a professional workflow for modeling a vehicle that balances accuracy with efficiency. Artists learn that maintaining clean, straight geometry during the block out phase while being mindful of real-world imperfections demonstrates industry-standard practices.
Duration: 28m 11s
Josh's main philosophy is building clean, subdividable foundations across the entire vehicle before investing time in fine details, maintaining light topology with proper quad-based edge flow, and keeping components separated for departments later in production.
Duration: 45m 59s
In this lesson, artists will learn when to invest time in detailed geometry versus when to defer detail to texturing stages. Josh emphasizes that building a personal library of reusable components and understanding the downstream requirements of texturing, lighting, and FX teams are essential skills for professional vehicle modeling.
Duration: 38m 18s
By investing time in proper UV layout, material-based organization, and consistent naming conventions, the modeling process becomes significantly more efficient for downstream artists such as texture artists, rigging artists, and FX teams. Artists learn that while these preparation steps require extra effort upfront, they dramatically improve collaboration and workflow efficiency in a studio environment, ultimately saving time and reducing errors in later production stages.
Duration: 23m 53s
Planning for multiple asset variations and ensuring adequate topology from the beginning, modelers can save significant time and resources across all downstream departments. Josh demonstrates final cleanup and publishing procedures that reflect industry-standard practices for maintaining consistency and quality control when delivering assets to a studio pipeline.
Duration: 12m 7s
In this lesson on rendering, Josh demonstrates industry-standard practices for presenting 3D vehicle models in production environments. Artists learn how to prioritize efficiency and consistency while maintaining high visual quality, using accessible tools and techniques that balance render time with professional results.
Duration: 21m 40s
Primary tools
For this workshop you’ll need:
Skills Covered
Who’s this Workshop for?
This workshop is designed for junior-level modelers and above who want to elevate their vehicle modeling skills to industry standards. Josh Docherty's training is perfect for artists working in or aspiring to join film and television visual effects studios, where high-quality, pipeline-ready assets are essential.
Intermediate modelers looking to refine their workflow and senior artists seeking to strengthen professional best practices will also benefit significantly from these lessons. The techniques taught ensure models function seamlessly across multiple departments, making artists more valuable in collaborative production environments.
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this workshop, artists will have mastered professional vehicle modeling techniques used in high-end film and television production pipelines.
Key skills include:
- How to model high-resolution vehicles from limited reference materials without photogrammetry scans.
- How to use camera lineups effectively for accurate proportions and dimensional reference.
- How to create clean, robust topology that works efficiently across multiple production departments.
- How to optimize models for downstream use in texturing, rigging, animation, and lighting workflows.
- How to implement industry best practices for pipeline-ready asset creation under tight deadlines.
