Posts

Bringing My Old SketchUp Tanks to Life in Unreal 5.6

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I’ve been modelling WW2 vehicles in SketchUp for over 15 years — mostly for Panzer Elite , and more recently for OSTPAK 3 . But the truth is, most of my models have just sat on my hard drive, unseen and untested. Some are over 15 years old. It always bugged me. So this year, I finally decided to give them a new home — not as game-ready mods, but as proper, lit, walkable 3D scenes in Unreal Engine 5.6 . 🛠️ From SketchUp to Blender to Unreal The biggest hurdle was finding a clean path out of SketchUp without breaking everything. I now export as .OBJ , clean up in Blender , and then export as .FBX into Unreal. It works. No weird scaling, no flipped normals, just clean geometry. Along the way, I discovered Imphenzia on YouTube. His method for pixel-painting low-poly models really clicked with me — I now use a stylised WW2 palette and paint each face directly in Blender’s UV editor. No textures, no UV islands, just clean blocks of colour. Fast and satisfying. 🌱 Unreal, Not Unity ...
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Kurtenki: What Might Have Been

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Over the last week, I’ve quietly rebuilt one of the original T-34 vs Tiger stock missions: Kurtenki . The stock version always felt unfinished. No village activity. No atmosphere. Just you and a few targets — placed like chess pieces on a map. And yet... the potential was there. So I went back in. Seven days later, here’s what’s changed: • The starting position is now 1 km further back, behind a low ridge. • A German convoy moves to your right as you begin. • The village is populated : trucks, Hanomags, infantry, sandbags, props — a lived-in space. • A burning T-34/76 smokes quietly in the distance, knocked out by a Pz IV just before you crest the hill. No new gameplay systems. No flashy scripting. Just better pacing, better ambience, and a sense that something happened before you arrived. Radio chatter didn’t make the cut — I tried, I really did. But after going around in circles, I chose to revisit radio sounds. The silence works in its own way. This is still the origin...
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T34 vs Tiger Splash Screen

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  A new splash screen for the old girl, I am also working on a revamped German Kurtenki mission.
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Building a Sherman M4: My Stylised Sherman M4 in SketchUp

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Building a Panzer iv: My Stylised Panzer iv in SketchUp

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  Give me gameplay like Panzer Elite and stylised models like this, and I’m in. I don’t need AAA visuals — just depth, detail, and tanks that feel alive.
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Building a Nachtjäger: My Stylised Panther Tank in SketchUp

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  1. Introduction Inspired by Stormworks, Tiny Combat and a photo of the Vampir?) Quick stat: “2647 faces, fully hand-painted per polygon” Me personally, I’d happily play a tank sim with this graphic style — if it had the depth and breadth of Panzer Elite. I don’t need AAA visuals. What matters is gameplay, immersion, and good design. The rest is just polish.  
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Second Look – Tank Squad Has Depth, But Lacks Weight

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After spending more time with Tank Squad , I’ve come away with a deeper appreciation for what it’s trying to do — and also a clearer view of where it falls short. It has depth, no doubt about that. But the feel, the rhythm, the weight — that’s where it’s missing something. Tank Squad walks a line between simulation and arcade. It borrows the faster handling and pace of War Thunder Sim Mode, overlays some of the immersive mechanics of Tank Crew (IL-2), and maybe nods toward the depth of Graviteam Tactics . The result is a hybrid that’s at times compelling, but often lacking a soul. The systems are there: logistics, repairs, salvage, AI squad control. But the pacing doesn’t let them breathe. Tanks are too mobile, and they lack a sense of weight — of trying to move 50 tonnes through the mud. Very War Thunder -esque. Engagements start quickly, and the player is thrown more or less straight into action before they’ve even had a moment to get their bearings. Turn the markers off and sp...
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