Modeling Hard Surface Panels on Curved Surfaces

In this quick tip, Dan Brown shows how to apply sharp details to smooth surfaces within Blender.

Paneling is a common technique and style to add more detail to objects. It can be used for car doors, sci-fi bulkheads, or about anything else. However, creating these panels can be tricky, particularly when surfaces aren’t flat. It’s even trickier when subdivision surfaces are introduced.

This tutorial shows you how to create hard-surface panels on multiple surface types. With this technique, you can create hull plates or bulkhead panels on flat, sloping, or even curved surfaces. This technique is fast, enabling you to create detail in a short period of time, while selectively preserving sharp angles and corners that you may not wish to be smoothed.