• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

To activate the Viewport Canvas, simply select the Tools⇒Viewport Canvas menu command, and the Viewport Canvas panel appears, as shown in Figure 32.1.

Tip

The Viewport Canvas palette can be docked to the left or right side of the interface by right-clicking the palette's title bar and selecting the dock location from the pop-up menu. •

FIGURE 32.1

The Viewport Canvas panel turns the viewport into a 2D painting canvas.

Setting up an object for painting

The Canvas requires some setup before you can use it. The Viewport Canvas can be used on any object that has mapping coordinates. Mapping coordinates are applied to a primitive object by enabling the Generate Mapping Coordinates option in the Command Panel, or by adding the UVW Mapping or UVW Unwrap modifier to an object.

With an object selected, select one of the brushes in the Canvas palette; if the object has a material with a bitmap applied, you can begin painting right away. If the object doesn't have a material or a texture applied, then the Assign Material dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 32.2.

FIGURE 32.2

The Assign Material dialog box lets you choose the channel to paint on.

The Assign Standard Material button pops up a list of available channels where the texture may be applied using the Standard material. The Browse Material to Assign button opens the Material/Map Browser, where you can choose the type of material to use. The list of available channels includes Ambient Color, Diffuse Color, Specular Color, Specular Level, Glossiness, Self-Illumination, Opacity, Filter Color, Bump, Reflection, Refraction, and Displacement. After choosing a texture channel, the Create Texture dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 32.3, where you can set the size of the texture map and specify where the texture is saved, or you can select an existing texture. If a new texture is created, you need to specify a path and name for the new texture file. The texture is automatically mapped to the selected channel for the object's material. The Color setting is used for the texture's initial background color.

FIGURE 32.3

The Create Texture dialog box automates the process of applying a material with a texture.

Using the Canvas brushes

After the texture is set up, you can begin painting by clicking the Paint brush icon and dragging in the viewport over the selected object. Using the settings under the brush icons, you can set the Color, Radius, Opacity, Hardness, Spacing, Scatter, and Blur/Sharpen values. The available settings change depending on the brush selected.

When a brush is selected, it is highlighted in the Viewport Canvas palette and remains active until another brush is selected or until you right-click in the viewport. Table 32.1 lists the available brushes and layer tools.

New Feature

The ability to clone texture from anywhere on the screen in new to 3ds Max 2012. •

Caution

The Background layer cannot be moved, rotated, or scaled. •

If the Paint brush is selected, you can immediately switch to the Erase brush by holding down the Shift key. Holding down the Ctrl key lets you click to select a different color from the current texture. Pressing the Spacebar causes a straight line to be drawn from the last painted location to the current cursor location. The Spacebar shortcut also works with the Eraser brush.

With any of the standard brushes, you can hold down the Ctrl+Shift keys to drag and change the brush radius. The Alt+Shift keys change the brush Opacity, and the Ctrl+Alt keys change the brush's Hardness value.

Clicking the Color swatch opens a Color Selector dialog box where you can choose a new color. You also can load a custom color palette using the Open Color Palette button or quickly switch between black and white colors, which is helpful for painting value maps.

At any time while painting, you are free in the viewport to rotate the model around to paint in a different location.

If you don't like the results after the painted