--- title: "Prop Artist for Games: What They Do and How to Make Props" description: What does a prop artist do in games? The full prop workflow from blockout to Unreal Engine, the skills studios want and how to make game assets. --- [Go Back Up](https://cada-edu.com/guides/prop-artist-for-games-what-they-do-and-how-to-make-props#top) [Skip to Content](https://cada-edu.com/guides/prop-artist-for-games-what-they-do-and-how-to-make-props#body) [![Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts](https://cada-edu.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo_CADA_White_AlphaHD.png?width=200&height=60&name=Logo_CADA_White_AlphaHD.png "Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts")](https://cada-edu.com/) Toggle Menu - [Educations](https://cada-edu.com/educations) Toggle children for Educations Main Menu (Press to Return) \> Educations - [Certificate in 3D for Games](https://cada-edu.com/certificate-in-3d-for-games) - [Diploma / BA (Hons) Degree](https://cada-edu.com/3d-digital-artist) - [Courses](https://cada-edu.com/courses) Toggle children for Courses Main Menu (Press to Return) \> Courses - [Free 3D Bootcamp](https://cada-edu.com/3dbootcamp) - [3D Animation Essentials](https://cada-edu.com/3d-animation-essentials) - [3D Portfolio Essentials](https://cada-edu.com/3d-portfolio-essentials) - [Sculpting in ZBrush](https://cada-edu.com/sculpting-in-zbrush-course) - [Unreal Engine for Filmmaking](https://cada-edu.com/unreal-engine-filmmaking-virtual-production) - [Continuing Education](https://cada-edu.com/continuing-education) - [Contact Us](https://cada-edu.com/contact) - Resources Toggle children for Resources Main Menu (Press to Return) \> Resources - [News](https://cada-edu.com/news) - [Guides](https://cada-edu.com/guides) - [Book Meeting](https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/adam-mayes) # Prop Artist for Games: What They Do and How to Make Props [mailto:?subject=Prop%20Artist%20for%20Games%3A%20What%20They%20Do%20and%20How%20to%20Make%20Props&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcada-edu.com%2Fguides%2Fprop-artist-for-games-what-they-do-and-how-to-make-props](mailto:?subject=Prop%20Artist%20for%20Games%3A%20What%20They%20Do%20and%20How%20to%20Make%20Props&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcada-edu.com%2Fguides%2Fprop-artist-for-games-what-they-do-and-how-to-make-props) Every game world is full of objects you never think about: crates, lamps, barrels, doors, weapons, chairs, signs, broken pipes. Someone made each one. In most studios that person is a prop artist. This guide explains what a prop artist does, how a prop goes from an idea to a working asset in a game engine, and how to start making game assets yourself if you are new to 3D. ## What does a prop artist do? A prop artist models and textures the objects that fill a game's environments. A prop is anything that is not the character, the terrain or the main architecture. It can be a hero prop the player picks up and looks at closely, such as a sword or a key item, or set dressing that sits in the background and makes a room feel lived in. The job sits inside the environment art team. Environment artists build the spaces, and prop artists supply the objects that go in them. In small studios one person often does both. In larger studios the role can split further, for example into weapon artists or vehicle artists. A typical working week involves: - Reading concept art or reference and turning it into a 3D model - Modelling the high-poly and low-poly versions of an object - Unwrapping UVs and baking detail into texture maps - Texturing with physically based (PBR) materials - Exporting the prop, setting it up in the engine and fixing problems the level designers or lighting artists find - Hitting a budget: a target triangle count and texture size set by the art lead That last point is what separates game props from props made for a still render. A game prop has to look good, run fast and work with everything else on screen. If you have never opened a 3D package, start with the basics before you worry about budgets. The free [Blender 3D Bootcamp](https://cada-edu.com/3dbootcamp) takes complete beginners through modelling in Blender and then into Unreal Engine over six live sessions. ## How to make game assets: the prop workflow Studios vary in the details, but almost every game prop goes through the same stages. Learn them in this order and you will be able to follow how game assets are made in most teams. ### 1. Reference and blockout Start by collecting reference: photos of the real object, the concept art if there is one, and screenshots of similar props in shipped games. Then make a blockout, a rough version built from simple shapes. The blockout checks scale and silhouette before you spend hours on detail. Put it in the engine next to a human-sized mannequin straight away. A chair that looks right on its own often turns out to be too big once a character stands next to it. ### 2. High-poly model The high-poly model holds all the fine detail: bevelled edges, panel lines, dents, screws and engraving. You can build it with subdivision modelling (a simple cage mesh smoothed into a dense one) in Blender or Maya, sculpt it in ZBrush or Blender, or combine the two. Hard-surface props such as guns and machinery are usually modelled; organic props such as tree stumps, rocks and carved wood are usually sculpted. In a traditional workflow this mesh never goes into the game. Its job is to provide detail for the next step. ### 3. Low-poly model The low-poly model is the version that actually goes into the game. It follows the silhouette of the high-poly mesh with far fewer polygons. Spend geometry where it shows in the outline, and save it on flat areas where a texture can fake the detail. If you sculpted the high-poly, you will rebuild a clean surface over it, a process called retopology. Our guide to [retopology for games](https://cada-edu.com/guides/retopology-for-games-what-it-is-and-how-to-do-it-in-blender) covers it step by step. ### 4. UVs and baking Next you unwrap the low-poly model so a 2D texture can wrap around it. Keep texel density, the number of texture pixels per unit of surface, consistent across props that sit side by side, or one will look blurry next to another. Then you bake: the software projects detail from the high-poly mesh onto the low-poly one and stores it in texture maps. The most important is the normal map, which tells the engine how light should hit the surface so a flat polygon looks bevelled or dented. Most of the problems beginners blame on texturing are really baking problems: wavy lines, black spots and seams usually come from a bad cage (a slightly inflated copy of the low-poly mesh that controls how far the bake projects), hard edges in the wrong place or UV shells packed too close together. ### 5. Texturing Games use physically based rendering (PBR). Instead of painting light and shadow into the colour, you describe what the surface is made of: base colour, roughness, metalness and normal detail. The engine then lights it correctly in any scene. Substance 3D Painter is the texturing tool you will meet in most game studios, and Blender can also paint textures. Good prop texturing tells a story. Wear appears on edges people touch, dirt collects in corners, paint chips where things bump into each other. Avoid the beginner habit of covering every surface in the same scratches and grunge. Wear placed with a reason looks real. Wear spread evenly looks like a filter. ### 6. Export and engine setup The prop is not finished until it works in the engine. Before exporting, check: - **Scale:** Unreal Engine measures in centimetres. Set your scene units so a one-metre crate arrives at one metre. - **Pivot point:** place it where a level designer would expect, usually at the base of the object, so the prop sits on the floor when dragged in. - **Naming:** follow the project's naming convention for meshes, materials and textures. A common Unreal pattern is SM\_ for static meshes, M\_ for materials and T\_ for textures. - **Collision:** simple props can use automatic collision. For anything the player walks around or climbs, make simple custom collision shapes. In Unreal these use the UCX\_ prefix plus the mesh name. - **Levels of detail (LODs):** lower-detail versions shown at a distance. Unreal Engine 5's Nanite system can render dense static meshes efficiently, but many projects still work to triangle budgets and LODs, especially for mobile, VR or older hardware. Follow what your project sets. Then look at the prop in a lit level, not just in a preview window. Check it close up and from a distance, in bright and dark light. ## Hero props, set dressing and modular kits Not every prop gets the same treatment. Knowing where to spend your time is a large part of the job. - **Hero props** are seen up close or held by the player. They get their own high-poly model, unique textures and the most attention to detail. - **Set dressing** fills the background. These props often skip the high-poly step and use shared materials, tiling textures or trim sheets (one texture that holds strips of detail many props can share). - **Modular kits** are sets of parts that snap together, such as shelves, pipes or fences, so environment artists can build variety from a few pieces. A common beginner mistake is to make every prop a hero prop. In a real production a background bucket does not get a 4K texture set. Learning when "good enough" really is good enough shows you understand production, and studios notice it. ## Skills and software a prop artist needs The software matters less than the eye. That said, these are the tools you will meet in most studios: - **A modelling package:** Blender, Maya or 3ds Max. Blender is free and a strong place to start; the skills carry over to the others. It is also the tool behind sculpting in the 3D Art specialisation of CADA's games certificate. - **A sculpting tool:** ZBrush or Blender's sculpt mode, for organic and damaged detail. - **A texturing tool:** Substance 3D Painter, plus Substance 3D Designer for more advanced procedural materials. - **A game engine:** Unreal Engine or Unity, to set up and present your props. The skills behind the tools matter more: - **Observation:** understanding how real objects are built, how materials age and why things look the way they do. - **Silhouette and form:** a prop should read clearly as a shape before any texture goes on. - **Clean technical work:** good topology, tidy UVs, clean bakes and sensible file organisation. - **Working to a brief:** matching an art style and a budget that someone else has set, and taking feedback well. Our advice for beginners: learn modelling and UVs properly before you touch a texturing tool. Texturing is the fun part, and many people rush to it, but poor UVs and bakes will spoil every texture you paint on top. ## How to build a prop artist portfolio Studios hiring a prop artist want to see that you can take an object all the way into a game. A few well-finished props beat a long list of half-finished ones. - **Show range:** include at least one hard-surface prop, one organic or worn prop and, if you can, a small set of props that belong together in one scene. - **Show the technical side:** wireframes, UV layouts, texture sheets and the triangle count for each prop. Art leads look for these. - **Show it in context:** present props in a lit scene in a game engine, not only as turntables on a grey background. - **Match the style:** if you want to work on stylised games, make stylised props. If you want realistic games, do realistic work. If you want guided practice building finished pieces, [3D Portfolio Essentials](https://cada-edu.com/3d-portfolio-essentials) is a self-paced online course that takes one idea through Blender and Unreal Engine to a finished scene and a small playable game. ## Is prop art a good way into games? Props are one of the most common ways artists start in game art. Every game needs a large number of them, the work is well defined, and the core skills (modelling, UVs, baking and texturing) are the foundation for environment art, weapon art and character work later. Many artists begin on props and move into a specialisation once they know what they enjoy. Be realistic about the competition. Entry-level art roles attract many applicants, and studios hire on portfolio quality. The way in is clean, finished, game-ready work that shows you understand budgets and engine setup, not just good-looking renders. ## Where to start If you are completely new to 3D, join the free [Blender 3D Bootcamp](https://cada-edu.com/3dbootcamp). It is live online, needs no experience, and covers Blender basics before a final session in Unreal Engine. Sessions are recorded, so you can catch up if you miss one. If you are ready to commit to a career in game art, look at the [Certificate in 3D for Games](https://cada-edu.com/certificate-in-3d-for-games). It is a 60-week online programme with no 3D experience or portfolio needed to apply. You try 3D Art, Tech Art, Animation and Procedural before choosing your specialisation, and you work on team projects each term, building a walkable story environment, a playable level and a vertical slice. That team work is where props stop being portfolio pieces and start being part of a game. ## CADA ## Ready to Transform your Business with Little Effort Using Brightlane? [Register Now](https://www.example.com) You May Like These ## Related Articles --- [![Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts](https://cada-edu.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo_CADA_White_AlphaHD.png?width=200&height=60&name=Logo_CADA_White_AlphaHD.png "Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts")](https://cada-edu.com) **Nyropsgade 23, 4. Floor** **1602 Copenhagen** [Contact us](https://cada-edu.com/contact) © Copenhagen Academy of Digital Arts. 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