2010

Table Of Contents
metal, flowers, trees, and underwater etc.) can be used to create 3D objects in
your scene. For example, you can use the preset plant brushes to paint a 3D
tropical fern garden around a walking character in your scene.
You can animate brush strokes to create dynamic effects. For example, you
can animate the ferns to shake in the wind or have them move when a
character walks near them.
An electronic tablet with stylus is an ideal tool for painting with Paint Effects.
With a real paint brush, pressing harder makes the brush wider and applies
the paint more thickly. You can achieve the same effect with Paint Effects by
specifying the effect of pressure on the stylus for each stroke and the threshold
of response to pressure. You can map up to three attribute values to stylus
pressure and edit them as you work.
When you use Paint Effects to paint 3D strokes, you can edit the brush and
stroke attributes to create a variety of effects.
In this lesson, you begin to explore what is possible with painting in 3D using
the Paint Effects Tool by learning how to:
Paint directly in the 3D scene view.
Choose brushes from the Visor and the Shelf and modify their brush
attributes.
Paint in 3D using the Paint Effects panel.
Differentiate between paint brushes and paint strokes.
Make surfaces paintable so paint strokes can be applied to them.
Select brush strokes and modify their attributes.
View strokes in wireframe and rendered mode.
Apply various effects to stroke attributes.
Preparing for the lessons
To ensure the lessons work as described, do these steps before beginning:
1 If you have not done so already, consider doing the lessons in the
Rendering section of this guide. Familiarity with Maya rendering concepts
is important to understanding the lessons.
2 Select File > New Scene to create a new scene.
576 | Chapter 11 Painting