Logitech G29 Sim Racing Wheel

This was a model made during my 3D modelling for realism module at the University of Staffordshire.

The goal for this project was to include the use of photogrammetry into my own current workflow. Therefore, the leather wheel and the controller itself was scanned using photogrammetry, whereas the supporting base for the wheel was modelled using manual techniques. The reason I chose to scan part of the wheel was an attempt at integrating photogrammetry into my current workflow for modelling whilst ensuring my own modelling meets a similar standard to the wheel's result.

I chose to make the Logitech G29 wheel as it helped develop a personal passion of mine in the world of motorsport. The wheel served as an introduction to an alternative way to experience racing games, and so, it is a more unique representation of a real life product that stands out against typical PC accessories for many users.

Two versions of the wheel were created. The renders labelled as "cinematic" demonstrate the cinematic version of the model, which sits at a higher poly count in comparison to the "low poly" version. The cinematic model was intended to be the final project result for this module but a low poly was adapted from the cinematic model to show that it can be further optimised.

The cinematic model used entirely 4K texture maps with 364,606 tris used to achieve a higher level of realism. This was a lot more unoptimised in comparison to the low poly which only used three 2K's and two 1K maps of the same cinematic textures, at a count of 80,759 tris.

Both models utilised ZBrush and 3ds Max to finalise the high poly models, however, the scan cleanup began in ZBrush, whilst the base's model was first made in 3ds Max. The two software were used to make certain parts of the process easier for each other, however, the retopology and unwrapping processes were managed entirely in 3ds Max for the final results. The textures were created entirely in Substance Painter. The final result was rendered in Unreal Engine.