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Kitbashing

TECHNIQUE
📖2 min read

Introduction​

Kitbashing builds new 3D models from pre-existing parts: components, primitives, or asset library pieces. You assemble and modify those parts instead of modeling every surface from scratch.

Start from parts

Collect candidate parts in a collection first, then assemble the scene from that library.

Match scale first

Parts snap together only when their scale and axis conventions agree.

Clean the seams

Boolean cuts leave intersecting geometry. Fix it before you measure or export.

Key Concepts​

  • Asset libraries and collections
  • Boolean combining and cutting
  • Scaling and proportion matching
  • Part reuse and remixing

Workflow​

  1. Collect: gather candidate parts in a collection: models you own, primitives, kit pieces.
  2. Normalize: apply scale and rotation on every part so proportions compare correctly.
  3. Assemble: place, snap and duplicate parts into the target shape. Use Boolean tools where one part must cut into another.
  4. Clean: delete hidden geometry, check normals, and merge overlapping vertices at the seams.

Best Practices​

  • Keep one unit convention across the library: meters, applied on every part.
  • Name parts by function so collections stay searchable.
  • Block the silhouette first. Detail the interior after the outer shape reads correctly.

Common Pitfalls​

  • Unapplied scale: parts import at mixed sizes and Boolean results distort.
  • Overlapping faces at seams: hidden intersections break shading and later measurements.
  • Mixed texel density: parts from different sources carry different texture resolution, and the joins show in renders.

Summary​

Kitbashing gets models out of a parts library instead of a blank scene. You normalize scale, assemble the silhouette, clean the seams, and the result measures and exports like any hand-built mesh.

Resources​