Crafting the Pearl Market of Old Dubai

Historical Prop Modeling & Asset Creation

This collection of props was created for the Pearl Market sequence in the Dubai Museum: Al Fahidi Fort Panorama Wall. Inspired by historical references and museum research, I modeled a wide range of marketplace objects including pearl grading boxes, weighing tools, pearl scoops, sieves, jewellery ornaments, trading props, and display materials used throughout the scene.

Working from limited reference photography, I reconstructed many of these objects from scratch while maintaining a balance between historical authenticity and production efficiency. Since most of these assets appear as supporting elements rather than hero objects, the focus was on creating visually convincing models that could hold up in medium shots while remaining lightweight enough for a massive real-time Unreal Engine environment.

The final asset library helped populate the market with rich storytelling details, adding authenticity and scale to the historical trading scenes without sacrificing performance.

Year: 2026
My Role: 3D Artist
Software: Blender , Substance Painter, Meshy
Agency: NGX interactive

Accelerated Asset Creation with Blender, Substance & AI

For prop creation, Blender served as the primary modeling tool, while Substance 3D Painter was used for texturing and material development. To accelerate the production pipeline, I also incorporated AI-assisted workflows for reference gathering, design iteration, and material exploration.

This approach significantly reduced asset development time, allowing me to produce multiple historically inspired props in a fraction of the time required by traditional workflows. The combination of procedural techniques, smart materials, and AI-assisted ideation enabled rapid iteration while maintaining a high level of visual quality.

Since these props were primarily used as supporting environmental assets rather than extreme close-up hero objects, the level of detail achieved was more than sufficient for the final installation. The resulting assets integrated seamlessly into the Unreal Engine environment, helping create a believable and visually rich pearl market experience while meeting tight production schedules.