SAR 700
Building the SAR 100-03 railway vehicle, detail by detail.
This project was a client commission to create detailed 3D models and renders of the SAR 100-03 maintenance vehicle for Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR). Taking the vehicle from initial references to final models and renders was a solo project I genuinely enjoyed working on from start to finish.
From the main forms to the smallest fittings
I modeled the entire vehicle in Autodesk Maya. With industrial machinery like this, the fun really lies in the mechanical details. Beyond blocking out the main cabin and chassis, I spent time building the front plow assembly, the conveyor belt system, the wheel bogies, and routing the hydraulic hoses, cables, and bolts. Every bracket and fitting had to feel like it belonged there and connected properly to the larger build.
Surfaces and final presentation
All the texturing and final rendering were done in Adobe Substance 3D Painter. A completely clean machine wouldn't look right for track equipment, so I focused on giving the surfaces a realistic, lived-in feel. I worked on the signature SAR orange paint, adding subtle edge wear, dust, oil stains, and rough rubber textures on the conveyor belt. The final renders show the vehicle from multiple angles to highlight both its overall structure and close-up mechanical details.
The process behind the project
What I loved most about working on this commission was the rhythm of the build. Watching the vehicle take shape as all the individual mechanical components clicked into place was really satisfying. It started as basic forms and steadily grew into a complete, detail-packed model that was a lot of fun to put together.
- Discipline
- Modeling, textures & renders
- Artist
- Khaled Mansour
