Summary
Big thanks to the 80 Level team for having an opportunity to tell about the latest project. I’m just starting my journey in 3D design and I can say that one of the most important stages is reference-searching. It is literally the basis of your work and its modeling and texture. Don’t be lazy to study the characteristics of materials and their specific damages in order to make your work unique. I spent a lot of time searching for all my references, but this is what helped me make the work the way you see it.
Focus on uniqueness, avoid the generic kind of things in your work, and mask it by adding alphas. And be very careful with the height. A huge number of beginners (including me) make the mistake of using too much height which spoils the overall kind of work. It is important to understand that this card is additional, it can highlight scratches at very low values, but no more.