Using VertexPaint

Procedures

To add scene lighting into an object's vertex color:

1. Select the objects in the scene that you want to color.
2. On the Modify panel, choose VertexPaint from the modifier list.

   The floating Paintbox appears, docked to the left edge of the viewports.

3. Open the Assign Vertex Colors rollout.
   Note: This rollout provides the same tools as found in the Assign Vertex Colors utility.
4. In the Light Model group, choose Lighting + Diffuse.
5. Click Assign.
6. On the Vertex Paintbox, choose Vertex Color Display Shaded to see the vertex lighting in the vertex color map.

To paint vertex colors on an object:

1. Select the scene objects to paint.
2. On the Modify panel, choose VertexPaint from the Modifier List.

   The Vertex Paintbox appears.

3. Choose the color you want to paint with by clicking the large color swatch below the Paintbrush button. This opens the Color Selector.
4. Change the color using controls on the Color Selector.
5. Adjust the strength of the color by entering a percentage value in the Opacity field.
6. Choose Vertex Color Display Unshaded to see the vertex colors without shading.
7. Click Paint, and move the cursor over the selected object in the viewport.
8. When the cursor displays over the object, press and hold down the left mouse button, then drag to paint the object.
   Tip: The cursor displays the size of the brush. Use the Size spinner to change to a larger or smaller brush.

To see vertex colors in a viewport:

1. Right-click the object with painted vertices, and choose Properties from the quad menu.
2. In the Display Properties group, turn on the toggle for Vertex Color.

   Vertex Color is one item on a drop-down list. The other items are Vertex Illumination, Vertex Alpha, Map Channel Color (which uses the spinner immediately below the list), and Soft Selection Color. Viewports can display only one of these vertex channels at a time.

3. Click OK.

To render vertex colors:

1. Open the Material Editor, and apply a Standard material to the object.
2. Click the map button for the Diffuse component.
3. In the Material/Map Browser, choose Vertex Color as the map, and then click OK.

   Now, when you render the scene, the rendering shows the painted vertices.

To animate the opacity of a vertex color layer

1. Choose the layer you wish to animate, by highlighting the Vertex Paint modifier in the stack that corresponds to that layer.
2. Turn on Auto.
3. On the floating vertex paintbox, in the Layer group move the Opacity slider.

   This sets a key for the opacity.

4. Move the time slider to another frame and again change the value using the Opacity slider.
5. Turn off Auto.
6. Click Play Animation to see the animated opacity in the viewport.

To animate vertex color using UVW XForm modifier:

You can use the UVW XForm modifier in conjunction with a specific vertex paint layer to modulate vertex color effects in the viewport.

1. Apply a UVW XForm modifier directly above the VertexPaint layer (modifier) you want to modulate.
2. Set the Channel type on the UVW XForm modifier to Vertex color.
3. Animate the U, V, and W spinners using identical values. For example, animate UVW from 1 to 0 over the length of the animation.

   This will attenuate the RGB values of the underlying vertex color results uniformly. It will effectively dim out the vertex color result directly below the UVW XForm modifier.

   Note: Any additional vertex paint layers applied above the UVW XForm modifier in the stack for the selected object(s) will be unaffected
   Tip: You can add multiple UVW XForm modifiers in your stack in this way, giving some progressive control over modulated vertex colors. The effect is always additive, however, and cannot be weight-blended.

To paint under an existing layer and view the result:

1. Select an object that has several VertexPaint modifiers displayed in the stack.
2. In the modifier stack, activate the VertexPaint modifier that is the layer you want to paint on.
3. Turn on Show End Result On/Off Toggle.

   Now, when you paint on the layer, you will see the painting taking place under the top layer.

To place vertex colors into the current layer

1. Select an object that has several VertexPaint modifiers displayed in the stack.
2. In the modifier stack, activate the VertexPaint modifier that is on the layer you want to edit.
3. Click Capture.

   VertexPaint copies the existing vertex colors it receives from layers below it on the stack and places it into the current layer for editing.

4. Edit your vertex colors using the VertexPaint Paintbox.

   The vertex painting tools affect the vertex color information from all of the layers placed into the current layer.