Chelsea Mills is an Advanced Prop Artist at ArenaNet, working on long-running MMO Guild Wars 2, though her role stretches far beyond what that title might suggest. 'Prop' can cover a lot of ground at the studio, from environmental set dressing and architecture to character-focused items like weapons, gliders, chairs, and fashion-based back items. Chelsea also regularly handles simple rigging, animation, physics setups for cloth and bones, and minor effects, giving her projects a level of polish that goes far beyond static props.
“I personally only rarely delve into the environmental side of things,” she explains. Instead, she often takes pieces all the way from concept to completion, whether that’s weapons, player armor, creature models, or even creature animation.
This end-to-end approach requires mastering a carefully chosen set of tools, the best 3D modelling software for sculpting, the best digital art software for texturing, and even knowing which are the best laptops for 3D modelling to keep workflows smooth and efficient. For Chelsea, success comes down not just to skill, but to choosing the right software for the job and knowing it inside out.
Below the artist shares the software she uses every day, and why and how these tools help her.
1. Maya: The all-in-one workhorse
“Maya covers a wide variety of things: modeling, UVs, animation, and rigging, as well as our integrated tools for things like shader settings, effects, physics, and exporting/converting the model for use in the game engine,” the artist explains. Beyond versatility, familiarity plays a role: “It’s the modelling software I first learned and never stopped using. I’ve almost never used anything else!” Maya isn’t just comfortable, it’s strong, particularly for animation-heavy work.
Read our 15 best Autodesk Maya tutorials to get started.
2. ZBrush: Sculpting organic detail
For sculpting, ZBrush is indispensable. “I go to [ZBrush] when I need to create organic shapes or the larger details on my models,” they say. But it’s not about packing in every tiny scratch or grain: “A lot of that level of detail gets obliterated due to the texture resolution being too low… if the small details need to be more purposeful, like dings taken out of the edges, then I will sculpt those in ZBrush.” The lesson? Use ZBrush strategically for structural or intentional details.
Read our list of the 23 of the best ZBrush tutorials to learn this software.
3. Substance Painter: texturing made efficient
Texture work happens mostly in Substance Painter. “Painter takes an interesting half-procedural approach to texturing in the way its layers work…you can also hand paint masks to reveal or hide parts of the procedural texturing,” they explain. Painter’s procedural system isn’t just convenient, it’s reusable: “You can take a texture you created on one model and apply it to a completely different model with minimal edits required. This is incredibly useful when making a set of weapons that are all the same theme applied to different weapon types. A huge time saver!”
Read our Substance 3D Painter review for more about this app.
4. Photoshop: still essential
Despite Substance Painter’s dominance, Photoshop remains critical. “Photoshop still has many tools Painter does not, or does certain things better,” the artist notes. Beyond toolsets, it’s about organisation: “It’s also an easy place for me to organise all of the various textures for an asset in a single place – we have a script that takes groups in a single Photoshop file and exports each group into their own texture file.”
Read our list of the best Photoshop tutorials to learn Adobe's tools.
5. Rizom: UV mapping backup
Finally, when Maya struggles with UVs, RizomUV steps in. “Sometimes Maya decides it wants to be difficult and provides results that are less than ideal… In this case, I will send my model to Rizom to have it do a quick unfold and/or layout of the UVs, then send it right back,” they explain. The process is simple, efficient, and keeps the workflow moving. Visit the RizomUV website for more details on this unique app.
Choose your tools
Speaking with Chelsea, it's clear mastering the right software for game art and 3D modelling isn’t about having the flashiest setup; it’s about knowing which tool to use, when, and why.
Maya is a clear favourite for general workflow, ZBrush for intentional organic sculpting, Substance Painter for efficient, reusable textures, Photoshop for fine-tuning and organisation, and RizomUV as a UV safety net.
As Chelsea explains, success in game art comes down to thoughtful tool choices and knowing them inside out. But practice, talent, and the desire to improve your art are also good places to start. You can find more inspiration in our list of digital art to inspire.
The latest Guild Wars 2 expansion, Visions of Eternity, is out now. Read more about it and the game at the ArenaNet website.
