Maya 8 at a Glance Chapter 7: Paint Effects

Paint Effects Basics 2 Paint Effects is a tool that works like a paint brush Paint Effects can paint 2D effects and textures Paint Effects can paint 3D objects, such as grass or trees

The Visor 3 The Visor contains a library of preset brushes for paint effects

Basics 4 Brushes can be used to create paint, natural objects, hair, and other effects When a brush is applied to the scene, it creates a curve known as a stroke

Paint Effects Window 5 Offers increased performance for painting Enables abilities to blur and smear brushes in 3D 2D paintings can be created in this window

Paint Effects Window 6 Scene Mode –Works much like any 3D viewport –Brushes are fully rendered –You can use Blur and Smear in 3D –Easy access to brush attributes Canvas Mode –Undo is limited to one level –Only images are applied when painting, so post stroke editing is not possible

Brush Types 7 Paint: Applies paint to the canvas Smear: Distorts paint already applied Blur: Softens the look of the paint Erase: Removes the color from the painted pixels, revealing the underlying canvas Thin Line: Used to render large numbers of fine tubes quickly Mesh: Renders Paint Effects using mesh-based tubes instead of brush stamps

Brush Attributes 8 Brush Profile: Controls the size and shape of the brush as well as softness Shading: Controls how the brush stroke is rendered Illumination: Allows the brush to appear 3D, much like a tube Shadow Effects: Gives a brush the ability to cast shadows into the scene Texturing: Allows you to apply some procedural and bitmapped textures to the brush

Tubes 9 A tube is an object that grows at angles from a stroke Often used to simulate grass, hair, and complex objects Tubes can branch out, creating flowers, leaves, twigs, and branches