GROTTI CHEETAH CLASSIC – REMASTER

A cleaned-up, imported model from the Rockstar Games title, Grand Theft Auto Online.

From the virtual streets of San Andreas to the 3D Viewport of Blender.

I extracted the original model and textures from the game files by using ZModeler and imported them into Blender where I made refinements to clean up the mesh. I also improved upon the original textures by redoing them in Adobe Illustrator, or by substituting in new ones that I made.

3D Modeling
July 2021

Original model and textures
by Rockstar Games














Upon initial import, all of the materials needed to be relinked to the respective mesh that it belonged to. This screenshot is after all materials were organized.

From here, I was able to start cleaning up the mesh by smoothing vertices and fixing and edges that needed to be sharp.

WHEELS: FIVE STAR

The wheels used on this model originate from the Five Star tuner wheel. Rockstar's original model is optimized for in-game performance, but I found the original mesh to not even be radially symmetrical.

I remade the wheels from scratch and tried to keep a loose resemblance to the original, while giving it some touches that up the realism, such as connected vertices between the wheel spokes and rim, better detailed wheel nuts, and the Grotti logo in the center caps. I also reused the tire model from my Ferrari 308 3D model and adapted the sidewall texture to use the Chepalle brand, a brand found in-game.

LICENSE PLATE BUMPER CUTOUT

The original license plate placement effectively had it drilled straight into the bodywork. I decided to improve upon this by modeling a proper section and mount for the license plate to reside, complete with lamps to light it up at night, much like on a real vehicle.


PANEL GAPS

In-game, panel gaps are simulated through a 2D texture. This doesn't translate over to Blender once custom materials are applied to the bodywork for the paint, so I altered the mesh to include panel gaps as one would find on a real car.



LIGHTS

Similar to the panel gaps, most lights in GTA Online are not modeled and are represented through 2D textures. I modeled new lights to further improve the photorealism of the car.