Transfer paint layers

You can transfer color from one model to another similar model using a process similar to texture map extraction. Transferring paint layers lets you re-purpose paint work by baking color onto a new mesh (with or without new UVs).

Transferring paint layers can be useful, for example, when:

• You want to paint textures in Mudbox using a PTEX setup, but your production pipeline eventually requires a mesh with UVs.
• You've started painting an asset based on one set of UVs, but the UVs change during production.
• You are working in a games environment and you have subdivided your base mesh, sculpted details, and painted textures for those details. You want to ensure the texture map isn't distorted when reapplied to the base mesh.

Transferring the paint layers from one mesh to the other in all of these cases lets you keep the paint work you have done so far by applying it to the new model.

To transfer paint layers

1. Load the source (to transfer paint from) and target (to receive paint) models in your scene.
   Note:

   The target model must have a unique material (not shared with any other object in the scene.) If your target object shares a material with other objects, Mudbox will automatically create a new material for it during the transfer.

   For best results, use the same type of material on the source and target objects. If they are not the same type, paint layers can still be transferred as long as the source and target materials have channels with the same names.

2. Select UVs & Maps > Extract Texture Maps > New Operation from the main menu bar.
3. In the Extract Texture Maps window that appears, click Transfer Paint Layers.

   The Extract Texture Maps window updates to display the Transfer Paint Layers options.

4. Set the general transfer options you want. For example:
   • Specify the Target Models and the Source Models.
   • Set the Method you want to determine how the source and target models are compared during the transfer.

     Use Subdivision if the source and the target have the same topology. If the source and target have different topology, use Ray Casting.

   • Specify the resolution you want in the transferred paint layers using the Image Size drop-down list.

     If you select a fixed size (such as 1024x1024), each transferred paint layer adopts that fixed resolution. Select Same as source to have each transferred layer adopt the same resolution as its corresponding source layer. Select 2x Source to double the resolution of the source layers in the target layers.

   (For a complete description of all the extraction properties, see Common map extraction options.)

5. In the Transfer Paint Layer Properties section, set which layers are transferred using the Transfer drop-down list (All Paint Layers, Visible Layers Only, or Current Layers Only).
6. If the target model has existing paint layers, set whether to replace or add to those layers using the On Target Model drop-down list (set to Replace Existing Layers, or Add to Existing Layers).
7. Click Extract to start the paint layer transfer process.

   Depending on the options you have set, paint layers are transferred from the source to the target model.

   Mudbox samples the textures on the source model and applies the color onto the target model. The names of the paint layers added to the target model are created based on the source paint layer names.

Related topics

Import topology changes

Transfer properties between meshes

PTEX painting overview

Texture extraction overview