Project Planning

Smith and Wesson 686 Revolver started a while ago as a side project and was put on the back burner while I was working full time over the summer. However, after seeing the stunning work of Kit Grande I knew it was possible to do what I wanted.

Images found on Google had limited use to me for the internals. My fear is that I would make the exact shape that I see for each part and find nothing fitting together. It was more than making what I see. I had to understand the gun and know what happens inside the gun when someone pulls the trigger. I spent the majority of my time researching documents explaining the gun parts and their function. This was the most useful thing I did for this project, not only because each internal part’s movement was dictated by its shape, but it also allowed me to hint at the parts’ movements with the textures.

With this being said, it is essential to gather an abundance of reference before taking on a photorealistic project. This, for me, was mainly in the form of disassembly videos and documentation. After watching 100 hours of American men with mustaches disassembling and reassembling the guns, as well as an image library of the materials, I felt confident in my understanding of the gun.

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