hard-surface

Hard Surface Artist

Production hard surface modeling with manufacturing logic. Readable surfaces. Clean modifier stacks. MCP-first.

When to Use

• Sci-fi consoles, spaceships, industrial equipment
• Weapons, vehicles, robotics, military props
• Mechanical assemblies with panels, vents, bolts
• Any asset requiring crisp edges, booleans, chamfers

Design Principles

1. Primary forms first — Silhouette reads at distance
2. Manufacturing logic — Panel breaks follow construction seams
3. Surface hierarchy — Primary > Secondary > Tertiary > Micro (greebles)
4. Functional readability — Every form suggests purpose
5. Edge consistency — Uniform bevel widths per detail tier

Workflow

Reference → Scale Blockout → Primary Volumes → Panel Breaks
    → Boolean Cuts → Bevel Pass → Weighted Normals
    → Greebles (instanced) → UV Planning → Materials

Boolean Workflow

1. Block primary forms (no booleans yet)
2. Create cutter objects on separate collection COL_Booleans
3. Apply scale on all operands
4. Boolean Difference/Union — keep LIVE
5. Fix intersection artifacts with manual cleanup if needed
6. Bevel AFTER boolean in modifier stack
7. Apply booleans only at export prep

Boolean rules:

• Cutter objects named SM_Cutter_[Feature]
• Prefer exact solver for mechanical work
• Avoid booleans on curved surfaces without adequate topology
• Duplicate mesh before first boolean as backup

Bevel Workflow

Detail Tier	Bevel Width	Segments
Primary edges	0.005–0.02m	2–3
Panel lines	0.001–0.003m	1–2
Micro detail	0.0005–0.001m	1

• Use bevel weight or edge marks for selective beveling
• Weighted Normal modifier after bevel (keep sharp: 30°)
• Never bevel entire mesh uniformly on complex assets

Panel Lines

Techniques (prefer non-destructive):

1. Inset faces + slight extrude inward
2. Knife cuts on flat panels
3. Boolean with thin cutter boxes
4. Normal map detail for distant panels

Place panel lines at:

• Structural boundaries
• Access hatches, maintenance points
• Material transitions
• Manufacturing seam locations

Greebles

• Instance small detail meshes; never model unique unless hero
• Collection: COL_Greebles
• Keep greebles on separate mesh for easy toggle
• Budget: greebles should not dominate polycount
• Use array + random transform for scatter greebles

Hard Edge Management

Sharp edges → Mark Sharp or Bevel Weight = 1.0
Soft transitions → Bevel Weight = 0.0–0.5
Smooth by Angle (`shade_auto_smooth`, Blender 4.1+ replacement for Auto Smooth): 30°–45° for hard surface
Weighted Normal modifier: Keep Sharp enabled

Manufacturing Reference

Real-World Feature	Modeling Approach
Sheet metal bend	Bevel + slight inset
Weld seam	Thin raised strip or normal map
Bolt pattern	Instanced cylinder, hex inset
Vent grille	Boolean cut + array
Cable routing	Curve + bevel object or geo nodes
Rubber gasket	Separate mesh, slight inset channel

Vehicle / Spaceship Specifics

Prefer vehicle-artist for cars, ships, aircraft, and mechs. Use this skill when the vehicle is primarily hard-surface sci-fi detailing under a broader HS brief.

• Establish centerline symmetry early (Mirror modifier)
• Flow lines follow aerodynamic/structural logic
• Landing gear, thrusters as separate objects
• LOD: bake panel detail to normal at distance

Weapon Specifics

• Grip pivot at hand contact center
• Sight line alignment verified
• Separate moving parts (slide, magazine) as objects
• First-person: optimize silhouette for viewmodel

MCP Integration

Execute via MCP:

1. Create blockout primitives
2. Apply mirror/array modifiers
3. Execute boolean operations
4. Apply bevel and weighted normal
5. Instance greeble collections
6. Query polycount per phase

Constraints

MUST DO

• Maintain manufacturing plausibility
• Keep modifier stack non-destructive until export
• Use instancing for repeated mechanical detail
• Verify silhouette at 45° increments
• Apply scale before booleans

MUST NOT DO

• Write code or snippets for Blender versions before 5.2, or add version fallbacks: this plugin targets 5.2+, and legacy branches teach users APIs that no longer exist
• Boolean on unsubdivided curved surfaces without support
• Uniform bevel on entire complex mesh
• Model every bolt uniquely
• Skip weighted normals on hard surface
• Exceed polycount budget with micro-detail

Scripts

Tested on Blender 5.2 LTS via the official Blender MCP. Run with execute_blender_code (or headless, see the blender-mcp-workflow skill); read the script header for every argument. When the user will paste code into Blender themselves, give them the short runpy call with the absolute path of this installed script and their ARGS. Don't inline or rewrite the script: the tested file is the point.

Script	What it does
scripts/bevel_stack.py	Add the standard non-destructive hard-surface finishing stack: Bevel (angle-limited, harden normals) -> Weighted Normal (keep sharp) -> optional Triangulate. Existing modifiers with the same names are updated, not duplicated.

import runpy
result = runpy.run_path("<skill_dir>/scripts/bevel_stack.py", init_globals={"ARGS": {...}})["result"]

ARGS: objects, width, segments, angle_deg, triangulate

Reference Guide

Topic	Reference	Load When
Boolean deep dive	references/boolean-workflow.md	Complex cuts
Greeble library	references/greeble-patterns.md	Detail pass
Pipeline	blender-mcp-workflow skill → references/asset-pipeline.md	Phase context

Style Integration

Style	Adjustment
realistic-style	Full bevel + PBR materials
lowpoly-style	Skip micro-bevels; large flat panels
horror-style	Industrial wear; asymmetric damage
stylized-style	Exaggerated panel breaks; bold bevels