# sculpting tools The Sculpting Tools are the digital equivalent of working with clay. You can push and pull and carve and cut and smooth out just like you would with real clay. Maya is known as being decent but not great for sculpting. There are better options if all you need is digital clay. [ZBrush](http://pixologic.com/) is the professional grade sculpting tool that most 3D pros prefer. [Blender](https://www.blender.org/) is the free open-source alternative that handles 3D sculpting quite well. ### access the tools There are several ways to get to the Sculpting Tools - pulldown menus for **Mesh Tools > Sculpting Tools** and pick which tool you want to use - marking menu with **Shift-Right Click** and Sculpting Tools will be on the left side - Shelf menu set to the **Sculpting** tab There is a dedicated **Sculpting Workspace** accessible through the dropdown in the upper-right corner of the Maya interface. This loads panels for Stamps and Tool Settings automatically for you. --- ## basic workflow - build a polygon primitive and use hard surface tools ([[boolean modeling|boolean]], [[extrude tool|extrude]], [[bevel tool|bevel]]) to get a basic shape. good models can start with a simple cube or sphere though. - subdivide model: **Edit Mesh > Smooth** and add subdivisions. You will probably need a lot depending on how detailed your sculpt will be. - press **4** on keyboard to turn the object into smooth preview. - choose your Sculpting tool. Double-Click tool icon to get tool options such as Brush Size and Strength. - turn on **Symmetry** in the menus or in the tool settings. Choose the appropriate plane for building your symmetry. [Learn best practices for preparing and sculpting a model from Maya Support and Learning.](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2023/ENU/Maya-Modeling/files/GUID-F955F780-D756-46EF-89A9-F835B8BD4856-htm.html) ### quick-keys - hold **B** key to resize brush while working - hold **Ctrl-Middle-Mouse** to adjust brush Strength - normal **Left-Click** adds to the mass - **Ctrl-left-click** removes mass/inverts brush - **Shift-Left-Click** smooths out the mesh - **Cmd-Z** will undo your last stroke (you will use this one a lot!) ### marking menu - **Right-Click** opens up a menu of options like turning things like Symmetry, Wireframe, and Steady Stroke off and on. - **Shift-Right-Click** is a quick-access menu of all the different Sculpt Tools. ### brushes Here’s the breakdown of the different sculpting brushes from [Maya Support and Learning](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2023/ENU/Maya-Modeling/files/GUID-820F611F-3380-4D33-AC69-EEC62A59109B-htm.html). ### using a stylus For most modeling activities, it doesn’t matter if you use a mouse or stylus for your input device. Sculpting Tools, however, respond quite well to the pressure sensitivity of drawing with a stylus. If you have access to a drawing tablet, it is worth exploring the differences between a mouse and a stylus. ### rendering note When rendering, you need to use Arnold to see smoothed mesh. Rendering with Maya software renders the polygon faces. Link to set up simple lighting in Arnold (_did I put that in D2L_?) --- ## using stamps to build texture Many of the Sculpting tools are based on a simple circle/sphere to create the sculpt. Several of the tools use custom brush tips called Stamps. You will need a lot of subdivisions on your model to get Stamps to function well. Choose a brush that allows Stamps, such as Spray, Repeat, Imprint. Double-click the icon for that tool to open the Tool Settings. Scroll down to the Stamp section of the settings. There are several Stamps that ship with Maya to choose from. You can [create your own Stamp shape in Photoshop](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2023/ENU/Maya-Modeling/files/GUID-506A879C-4963-4CE6-80D3-439C975484EA-htm.html) fairly easily. A particularly important setting is the **Draw Method…** dropdown. **Continuous** is the default and lets you draw like a brush. The two **Scale Image** options let you adjust the size and location of the brush and then makes a single click. Think of this as a true 3D stamp that is pressed just once into the clay. --- ## freeze areas The Freeze Tool lets you paint over areas of your sculpt that you want to protect from further manipulation. It can be found at the far end of the Sculpt Tool Shelf or in the Shift-Right-Click Marking Menu. ![[Pasted image 20220928111036.png]] Simply paint a blue color over the elements you want to keep exactly as they are. **Ctrl-Paint** to thaw painted elements you want to keep editing. Alternatively, select individual faces on the mesh and select the Freeze **Shift-U** to unfreeze everything on the selected geometry. Learn more about [Freeze from Maya Support and Learning](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2023/ENU/Maya-Modeling/files/GUID-D16FAE71-3F1C-49C4-8DDD-79962E274C6E-htm.html) --- ## other sculpting things Don’t forget that **[[soft selection|Soft Selection]]** allows for more organic modeling using basic Move, Rotate, Scale on selected components. For simpler sculpting effects, this might be enough. The **Crease Tool** allows you to crease soft edges into harder folds much like you would when folding paper. You can get to it through **Mesh Tools > Crease** or **Shift-Right-Click** to the Marking Menu. To use the tool: select the edges you would like to crease and then hold the **Middle-Mouse-Button** and drag left or right to decrease or increase the fold. [Learn more about Crease Tool from Maya Support and Learning](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/ENU/MayaCRE-Modeling/files/GUID-DEB060F9-A4B1-4F73-8B4D-B18A13D0E54B-htm.html). This [demo video on youtube from Josh Antonio](https://youtu.be/NPPhzKqaeNM) is a great introduction. --- [Sculpt Layers](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2022/ENU/Maya-Modeling/files/GUID-83738626-5741-47DF-8474-D07CEBE0E20C-htm.html?st=sculpt) are similar to adjustment layers in Photoshop, in that they allow you to save your manipulations into separate groups, each with a slider to dial-back the effect. It takes a quick-minute to set up but is worth the effort. **Windows > Animation Editors > Shape Editor** to open up the dialog box. Hit the button to **Create Blend Shape**. Hit the button to **Add Target** and choose your object. You will see a slider with a red box on the right that says Edit. Now every manipulation you make is being recorded. You can lessen the effect by moving the slider to the left. Unclick the red Edit button to stop recording the manipulations. You can create separate Blend Shapes and control them independently of each other. This is good for animation, obviously, but can also allow you to control your sculpting separately. For example, you can sculpt a face separate from stamping in facial hair. It is also good for experimenting with a sculpt and then being able to turn it off if you don’t like it. --- Learn more: - [Sculpting in Maya from Autodesk Support](https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/maya/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2023/ENU/Maya-Modeling/files/GUID-246B90C9-914F-4EC6-8317-349AF2DE90F7-htm.html) - [Sculpting in Maya from Clayrain Digi Fun on YouTube](https://youtu.be/0wlty-cGvng) - [Sculpting in Maye from Autodesk Area](https://area.autodesk.com/learn/courses/maya-intro/04-sculpting-in-maya/) - [Tips and Tricks for Organic Modeling on Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/tips-and-tricks-organic-modelling-7123070](https://www.creativebloq.com/tips-and-tricks-organic-modelling-7123070) --- tags: #3d #maya #resources home: [[! 3d modeling- maya]]