Sculpt using stencils

To sculpt using a stencil

  1. In the Sculpt Tools tray, select a tool.
  2. In the Stencil tray, select a stencil image.

    The stencil appears in the center of the 3D View. You can scale, rotate, and tile the stencil image and dolly, track, or tumble the camera to position the stencil and model in relation to each other before sculpting.

  3. In the 3D View, stroke across the stencil to apply detail to the model.

    The stencil disappears from view as you stroke and the effect of the stencil appears on the model. If you want the stencil image to display as you stroke, turn off Hide When Sculpt in the Properties window.

    Note: A stamp or stencil image can reduce the strength of a sculpt tool depending on the amount of white in the image. White values in the image displace the vertices with full strength, while black values do not get displaced at all. If the stamp or stencil image has a lot of gray tones, you may need to compensate by increasing the tool’s Strength property.
  4. To apply sculpting simultaneously on opposite sides of a model, turn on the Mirror property in the tool Properties window. Select the appropriate axis of symmetry, X, Y, or Z, and so on. See also Sculpt Tool properties.
  5. When finished, click the Off icon in the Stencil tray to unload the stencil from the 3D View.
    Tip:

    Press Q to temporarily hide the stencil.

Turn off a stencil

Do one of the following:

Press Q to hide the stencil temporarily.

View stencil properties

To display the properties for a stencil in the Properties window, do one of the following:

Modify the transparency of a stencil

  1. In the Stencil tray, select the stencil image.

    The Properties window displays the properties for the stencil.

  2. In the Properties window, open the Advanced section and change the value for the Visibility property by typing a number or adjusting the slider.

    Lower values make the stencil more transparent.

Modify the orientation of a stencil

You can change the way a stencil appears in the 3D View to randomize the effect it produces.

  1. In the Stencil tray, select the stencil image.

    The Properties window displays the properties for the stencil.

  2. In the Properties window, turn on Flip Vertical or Flip Horizontal as required.

    The display of the stencil image changes based on which options you select.

Make a stencil appear as a repeating tile pattern

  1. In the Stencil tray, select the stencil image.

    The Properties window displays the properties for the stencil.

  2. In the Properties window, open the Advanced section and turn on Use Tiles.

    The stencil display updates in the 3D View to appear in a repeating tile pattern.

Import a stencil image

Do one of the following:

Related topics

Stencils

Move rotate or scale a stencil

Stencil properties

Saving images for stencils and stamps