Alloy wheel and tire model based on the Enkei RPF1 and Toyo Proxes T1R respectively.

Initially I tried to create the tire using repeating polygonal geometry but I found that modelling the tread was not as time efficient as I would like. Using a displacement map seemed like a good alternative as I would have to be using a map of some description for the sidewall anyway.

The method of using a displacement map yielded decent results in a much shorter timeframe, though other drawbacks came apparent in the process later down the line. For starters, I would not have any clean geometry to use at the end of the process. The subdivisions required for using the displacement map would make the model too expensive for a game engine. Using the displacement map method is more suitable for an offline rendering scenario.

To create a more useable asset I converted the displacement map geometry into polygonal geometry using an Arnold Utility function. Then using this new geometry I baked a normal map that could be used on a tire model with a much lower poly count.

Overall using this displacement map work flow is not perfect, but depending on it's use can be handy (at least for creating tire treads).

The actual alloy wheel is based on a Enkei RPF1. Although it's fairly close there are a couple of differences with the lug nut holes. The wheel was created using more tradition subd modelling.

Thank you for reading and viewing.