With the Paint Blend Shape Weights Tool, you can use a Maya® Artisan™ brush to paint blend shape weights on an object that has a blend shape deformer (see Create blend shape deformers).
This tool lets you set blend shape weights on a per vertex basis, giving you finer control over the amount of influence the target shapes have on the base shape. This tool also lets you paint the weights for each target shape, and lets you mix target shapes and create partial targets.
You can also use the Mirror Deformer Weights Options to mirror blend shape deformer weights. See Mirror deformer weights.
When you paint blend shape weights, you can also do the following:
Blend shape weight maps let you map attribute values onto base shape surface vertices relative to the UVs. With imported blend shape weight maps, tool settings are applied to the base shape vertices using the mapped values. To produce good import/export results, make sure that your base shapes have good UVs. See To import a blend shape weight map and To export a blend shape weight map.
To paint blend shape weights
The target shape now has 100% influence over the base object’s topology.
The Paint Blend Shape Weights Tool settings open in the Tool Settings editor. See Paint Blend Shape Weights Tool Settings.
By default, your base shape is flooded with a Value of 1.
A Value of 1 (full influence) appears as white painted weights and a Value of 0 (no influence) appears as black painted weights. All other Value settings appear as different shades of gray.
Turn off Color Feedback and Show Wireframe in the Display section of the Paint Blend Shape Weights Tool settings to better see the results of the painted blend shape weights on the base shape.
To animate painted blend shape weights
This menu item keys the painted blend shape weights for the selected target shapes.
This button keys the painted blend shape weights for the target shape selected in the target list.
To create a new target shape from the painted base shape
A copy of your deformed base shape appears over your base shape.
The copy of the deformed base shape you created is added as a new target shape to your blend shape deformation.
To export a blend shape weight map
The Export browser window appears.
Your base shape’s current deformations are saved out as an attribute map.
To import a blend shape weight map
The Import browser window appears.
Your base shape deforms according to the tool settings specified by the imported attribute map.