3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [346]
FIGURE 32.7
The Save Texture Layers dialog box lets you maintain the various texture layers.
Painting in 2D
Painting directly on a 3D object has its advantages, but when painting over a random surface, the results can be irregular. The Viewport Canvas dialog box includes a 2D painting mode that displays the current texture in a rectangular window and lets you paint directly on the texture. This is helpful for textures that need to be projected onto an object such as those with text.
To access the 2D painting mode, simply click the 2D View button under the colors and the current texture is opened in a window, as shown in Figure 32.8. The buttons at the top of this window let you see the UV wireframes, fit the texture in the view, or view the image at its actual size. Any changes made to the texture in 2D painting mode are immediately reflected on the selected object in the viewports.
Clicking the 2D View button again toggles the 2D painting mode off, and the 2D Paint window closes.
Using the paint options
When the Viewport Canvas palette is open, several additional rollouts hold the options that affect the various brushes and texture. Within the Options rollout, you can select which map type and channel to paint on. There is also an option to Save Texture. If this option is disabled, any paint applied to the texture isn't saved. This lets you try a different look without saving it. You can also do this by painting on a new layer that could be deleted. The Brush Preview option shows the outline and size of the brush as you paint.
Within the Paint Behavior rollout are options to have the paint affect any areas of the object within the brush's spherical radius or to apply the paint through the entire object with the Depth option. The Mirroring options let you mirror all paint strokes across the X, Y, or Z axes.
The Randomize rollout, shown in Figure 32.9, lets you set the minimum and maximum values for several different settings including Brush Radius, Opacity, Spacing, Scatter, and Color.
Using the Table Pressure rollout, you can select which attributes are affected by an increase in the tablet pressure. The options include Brush Radius, Opacity, Hardness, and Scatter.
The Load/Save Settings rollout includes buttons for saving and loading the Viewpoint Canvas settings. Settings are saved using a simple text file. There is also a button for saving the current settings as the default.
FIGURE 32.8
2D painting mode lets you paint directly on the texture without any perspective distortion.
FIGURE 32.9
Using the Randomize rollout, you can add variety to the texture.
Tutorial: Face painting
To show off the Viewport Canvas, we do some face painting on a women's head model. This model was created by Zygote Media and is a good example of a high-res model.
To paint on a character's face using the Viewport Canvas, follow these steps:
1. Open the Face painting.max file from the Chap 32 directory on the CD.
This file includes a women's head mesh created by Zygote Media.
2. Rotate the head model so the cheek is clearly visible, apply the UVW Map modifier to make sure the object has mapping coordinates with the Planar map, and click the View Align button.
3. Open the Viewport Canvas panel with the Tools⇒Viewport Canvas menu command.
4. Select the model, and click the Paint Brush icon in the Viewport Canvas panel, then select the Diffuse Color option in the pop-up menu. In the Create Texture dialog box that pops up next, select the 512 × 512 preset and click the file button next to the Save New Texture field to open the file dialog box. Save the file as Face Painting texture.tif, and click the Ok button.