Paint Effects Brush Settings

These are the attributes in the opening section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Select the type of brush you want to paint with. All brush types use the shape defined by the brush attributes.

Distorts paint already applied to the canvas or scene. If the stroke uses fake shadowing (see Fake Shadow), the shadows also smear.

Softens the look of paint already applied to the canvas or scene. If the stroke uses fake shadowing (see Fake Shadow), the shadows also blur.

In the canvas, the Erase brush removes the color from the painted pixels, revealing the underlying canvas Clear Color and maintaining the shape of the brush. For details, see Erase paint from the canvas.

In the scene painting view, the Erase brush replaces the pixel color of the paint stamps it overlaps with black (alpha 0).

When you erase, the alpha values are lowered, rather than increased, which means you can use the Erase brush to erase holes in a texture or scene.

The ThinLine type of brush allows you to render large numbers of fine tubes much more quickly than the Paint brush type. It uses a direct anti-aliased line draw rather than a series of brush stamps. The Multi Streak method is also available when the ThinLine brush type is used. In combination with the Multi Streak method, the ThinLine brush type can be up to 100 times faster for hair than the Paint brush type with better line detail. In addition, new looks are possible using the Multi Streaks, such as wet clumping hair.


Note When using a large value for Tube Width with the ThinLine brush type, this may result in artifacts.

Renders Paint Effects using triangulated tubes instead of brush stamps. This results in accurate conical geometry with textures that correctly map on the surface. Flat surfaces are rendered more accurately than when the Paint Brush Type is used. While the Paint Brush Type is generally better when representing soft, fuzzy volumes, the Mesh Brush Type is better at hard surfaces.

With the Mesh Brush Type you can create Paint Effects trees and plants that are convincing not just from a distance, but also close-up. You can also create shapes, such as hard-edged geometry (buildings) and do per-pixel lighting on the mesh (including specular highlights). There is also a built-in environment map on the brush that is useful when simulating reflective surfaces (see Mesh Environment Reflections). We’ve added displacement and bump mapping to enhance the detail of the mesh surface (see Set mesh displacement/bump mapping). The triangles are not kept in memory, but rather generated at render time. As a result, you can use a lot of triangles without running out of memory.

Use the Global Scale setting to adjust brush attribute values by a common factor. This scales the paint effect uniformly so you can paint the same effect, but in different sizes.

Other options in the Paint Effects Brush Settings window

For descriptions of the options in other sections of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window, see:

Channels

These are the options in the Channels section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Turn on Depth to create a depth channel. Strokes appear on top of previously painted strokes when Depth is off.

In the scene, turn on Depth for more realistic natural effects (for example, for plants, fire, water). This should also prevent unusual results. By default, depth is forced on in the scene (see Force Depth).


Note Paint Effects may run slightly faster when Depth is turned off.

Depth must be turned on to use this option. Turn on Modify Depth to paint to the depth channel. If a stroke has a depth channel, but Modify Depth is off, the stroke appears behind strokes that are nearer in the scene and strokes that were created after it, as shown in the following example.


Tip When painting in fog, turn off Modify Depth for a more realistic effect.

Turn on Modify Alpha to paint to the alpha (mask) channel. If you plan on compositing your Paint Effects strokes, you should turn this option on. Turning off Modify Alpha changes the way the color displays.

Brush Profile

These are the options in the Brush Profile section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Defines the width of the brush in Maya working units. For simple strokes, the brush width defines the width of the paint stamps applied along the stroke path. For strokes with tubes, the brush width defines the stroke path boundary—tubes can start growing only within the path defined by the brush width. The Paint Effects Tool cursor is a brush stamp outline. The Brush Width is represented by the diameter of this outline.


Tip You can use a hotkey (ModifyLowerRadius under Brush Tools in the Hotkey Editor) to interactively change the brush width. For information on other Paint Effects hotkeys, see Use default Paint Effects hotkeys.

Defines how soft, or blurry you want the paint to be along the edges of the stroke path (for simple strokes) or along the edges of tubes (for strokes with tubes). Higher values make the edge more blurry.

For simple strokes, Flatness1 defines how flat the paint lies along the stroke path. When Flatness1 is 0, the paint is applied to the stroke as if you squeezed it out of the tube. The stroke appears raised from the side. When Flatness1 is 1, the paint lies flat on the surface as if you removed the excess paint.

For strokes with tubes, Flatness1 and Flatness2 define how flat each tube is at its base and at its tip, respectively. The values between the base and tip are linearly interpolated.

Paint is applied to strokes in overlapping stamps. If the stroke is simple (it has no tubes), the stamps are applied along the stroke path. If the stroke has tubes, the stamps are not applied along the stroke path, but are applied along the tube paths. Stamp Density defines the number of stamps to apply along the paths, relative to the Brush Width or Tube Width. For example, if you set Brush Width to 2, and Stamp Density to 8, then every two units of path would have 8 stamps on it (as long as the brush width remains constant). Similarly, if you set Tube Width2 to 2, and Stamp Density to 8, then every two units of tube would have 8 stamps on it (as long as the tube width remains constant).

If you set Stamp Density to 1, the paint path will look like a line of circles that just touch on the edge. If you set Stamp Density to be greater than one, the circles will overlap by a factor of their width (for example, if Stamp Density is 2, the stamps will overlap by half their width). If you set Stamp Density to be less than one, there will be spaces between the stamps.

(Primarily for toon shader use.) This is only for Stamp draw mode. Occlusion Width Scale reduces the stamp size based on the overlap by foreground objects. The full stamp is always drawn, avoiding antialias problems where occluded by non-Paint Effects foreground objects. When the entire stamp is occluded the size of the stamp is reduced to zero, and therefore hidden.

When Edge Clip is turned on, you can make 3D strokes render flattened as 2D, as if they are painted directly onto a surface's texture. The Edge Clip Depth attribute controls how far in front of a surface the stroke can be before it becomes invisible. Therefore 3D strokes that sit close to an object’s surface can be seen if the surface is behind them, but not if the surface edge is in profile. You could use Edge Clip for drop shadows and to fake shadows.

Screenspace Width Control

These are the attributes in the Screenspace Width Control subsection of the Brush Profile section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

When Screenspace Width is turned off the Paint Effects lines (brush strokes) appear thinner the further they are from the camera. But when it’s turned on, there is no difference in the Paint Effects line width no matter how near or far the line is from the camera; with Screenspace Width turned on, the Min and Max Pixel Widths are respected.

Turn this option on to maintain the brush width at all depths in the scene. This option is useful in scenes where you want cartoon-like outlines that retain a fixed width.

The brush stroke width is normally in worldspace and it appears to be constant in the 3D world. Screenspace refers to the flat 2D world of the rendered image (like a paint canvas). When the width is defined in screenspace it is relative to the overall size of the image, and the width is constant despite the distance of the object. Distance Scaling allows you to blend between the two width methods.

The Paint Effects display in the scene view updates when Screenspace Width is turned on, so you can display screenspace width Paint Effects lines in realtime.

Controls the amount that the distance from the eye affects the stroke/line width when Screenspace Width is turned on. At a value of 0.0 the width is constant while at a value of 1.0 it behaves as if Screenspace Width is turned off.

When Screenspace Width is turned on this option controls the smallest width a stroke can be in pixels. It is useful for toon lines when you want to avoid very thin lines.

When Screenspace Width is turned on this option controls the largest width a stroke can be in pixels. It is useful for toon lines when you want to avoid very fat lines.

Example of Screenspace Width using Paint Effects toon lines

Twist

These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Twist section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Tubes can twist around their own axes as they grow. The Twist attribute defines the initial twist value. Twist is only noticeable when the tubes have some flatness or texture (Flatness1 and Flatness2 values are greater than 0). See also Twist Rate.

When Forward Twist is turned on, the broad or flat side of tubes are always oriented towards the camera. Textures are similarly affected so that they always face the camera. This is particularly useful when the Flatness is 1, as you can use billboard textures to minimize geometry. For leaves, you could use a texture of a large clump of leaves with alpha on flat leaves. Turning on Leaf Forward Twist would ensure that the broad side of the textured leaf clump is rotated towards the view so it always looks full. Another example might be to use the image of an apple with alpha on a flat flower petal. Turning on Petal Forward Twist twists the petal to face the view so the apples do not look flat from some angles. The simplest way to represent a tree is an image of a tree with alpha textured to a billboard facing the camera. The following settings can be used to set up this type of billboard:

Brush Type = Mesh
Forward Twist = on
Flatness1 =1.0
Flatness2 =1.0
Map Opacity = on
Map Color = on
Texture Type = File
Image Name "yourTreeWithAlpha"
Tube = on
Segments = 1
Tube Length1, 2 = 0.5
Tube Width1, 2 = 0.5

Defines how randomly the Twist value is applied to tubes. If Twist Rand is 0, all tubes start at the Twist value. As this value increases, the twist assigned to new tubes becomes more random, but centered on the Twist value.

Thin Line Multi Streaks

These are the options in the Thin Line Multi Streaks section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window. For more information, see Set Thin Line Multi Streaks.

Mesh

These are the options in the Mesh section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window. For more information, see Set mesh attributes.

This affects the lighting of the object and makes the edges around tubes hard when using the Mesh Brush Type. For example, if the tube sections are set to 4 and Hard Edges is turned on, it will make the tube shade as if the 4 sides are flat, rather than trying to simulate a rounded tube. For bends in the direction of the tube, for example, due to changes in the Width Scale, the bend angle across a given must be sufficiently large to make the angle hard. The number of segments used can affect whether a given region on the tube becomes hard edged or not. This attribute adjusts the normals used for shading and does not alter the shape of the tube. This is off by default.

Thorns on Mesh

The Thorns on Mesh section is a subsection of the Mesh section. These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Thorns on Mesh section that can be used to control the look and size of the thorns. For more information, see Set mesh thorn attributes.

Mesh Environment Reflections

The Mesh Environment Reflections section is a subsection of the Mesh section. These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Mesh Environment Reflections section. For more information, see Set mesh environment reflections.

The amount the environment is reflected on base tubes, including the stroke when tubes are turned off.

The ramp represents the reflected color of a spherical placement: the left side of the ramp is the color at the bottom of the spherical reflection and the right side of the ramp is the color at the top of it.

Shading

These are the options in the Shading section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

On simple strokes, Color1 defines the basic color of the paint. On strokes with tubes, Color1 defines the color of the tube roots. Click the Color1 color box and select the stroke color from the Color Chooser. Use the slider to adjust the color value. Color1 is used only if Map Color (under Texturing) is turned off.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view), you can change the Color1 setting from the toolbar by clicking the C color box and selecting the color from the Color Chooser. Adjust the color value using the slider.

Makes the paint look incandescent—as if it were illuminated from its own internal light. On simple strokes, this attribute defines the incandescence for the stroke. On strokes with tubes, this attribute defines the incandescence of the tube roots.

Click the Incandescence1 color box and select the incandescence color from the Color Chooser. Use the slider to adjust the incandescence value. The higher the value, the more incandescent the paint is. When the value is 0 (black), there is no incandescent effect, when the value is 1 (white) or the color is pure, the effect is strongest.

Defines the opacity of the paint. On simple strokes, Transparency1 defines the opacity for the stroke. On strokes with tubes, Transparency1 defines the opacity of the tube roots.

Click the Transparency1 color box and select the transparence color from the Color Chooser. Use the slider to adjust the transparency value. The higher the value, the more transparent the paint is.

When the value is 0 (black), the paint is fully opaque, or “solid”. When the value is 1 (white), or a pure color with a value of 1, the paint is transparent.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view), you can change the Transparency1 setting from the toolbar by clicking the T color box and selecting the color from the Color Chooser. Adjust the color value using the slider.

This option is available only when Brush Type is set to Blur. It defines the blurring effect of the brush.

Turn this option off to “step” the edges of the brush stroke. Brush Softness (under Brush Profile) must be set to 0 for this option to have any effect. Turn this option on, unless you do not want smooth lines. Antialiasing does not affect brush draw performance.

Tube Shading

The Tube Shading section is a subsection of the Shading section. These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Tube Shading section.

Color2 defines the color of the tube tips. Click the Color2 color box and select the tube tip color from the Color Chooser. Use the slider to adjust the color value. Color2 is used only if Map Color (under Texturing) is turned off.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view). you can adjust the Color2 setting on the toolbar by clicking the C2 color box and selecting the color from the Color Chooser. Adjust the color value using the slider.

Makes the paint on tube tips look incandescent—as if it were illuminated from its own internal light.

Click the Incandescence2 color box and select the incandescence color from the Color Chooser. Use the slider to adjust the incandescence value. The higher the value, the more incandescent the paint is. When the value is 0 (black), there is no incandescent effect, when the value is 1 (white) or the color is pure, the effect is strongest.

Defines the transparency (or opacity) of the tube tips. This is a color, so you can set the transparency of the R, G, and B channels separately. The closer to black each channel is, the more opaque it is.

Click the Transparency2 color box and select the transparence color from the Color Chooser. Use the slider to adjust the transparency value. The higher the value, the more transparent the paint is.

When the value is 0 (black), the paint is fully opaque, or “solid”. When the value is 1 (white), or a pure color with a value of 1, the paint is transparent.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view), you can change the Transparency2 setting from the toolbar by clicking the T2 color box and selecting the color from the Color Chooser. Adjust the color value using the slider.

These attributes define how much random variation Maya applies to tube colors when creating new tubes. When the values are low, all tubes are created using colors very close to Color1 and Color2. Increasing these values causes more random variation. You can control randomness of the Hue, Saturation, and Value individually.

Defines how much random variation in tube brightness there is. If the value is 0, all the tubes are created at the same brightness. As this value increases, the tubes are randomly assigned different brightnesses, with the amount of variation increasing. This is useful for creating effects like hair, where the individual strands should have some variation in brightness as they shadow each other.

Makes the root end or the tip of the tubes transparent, in effect “fading” the root or tip. The transparency changes linearly between the center of the tube and the root or tip.

Texturing

These are the options in the Texturing section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

By default, Color1 and Color2 are used to apply color along the stroke path or to tubes. To use a texture instead, turn Map Color on and define the texture using the attributes that follow.

Defines the scaling factor applied to Color1 and Color2 saturation values before they are used to define the texture output color.

A scaling factor of 1 multiplies the texture output color by the brush’s untextured color, while a scale factor of 0 uses only the texture color.

By default, Transparency1 and Transparency2 are used to define opacity. Turn this option on to apply a texture to the opacity using the current texture. See Texture Type.

Defines the amount by which the texture’s alpha values multiply the Tranparency1 and Transparency2 values.

Defines the amount by which the textures’s alpha values are added to the output opacity.

This option is used only when Map Color or Map Opacity is turned on. Select the type of texture you want mapped to Color and Opacity. You can map Checker, U Ramp, V Ramp, Fractal, and File type textures. For more information on mapping file type textures, see Map file textures to color and opacity.

The mapping is in “eyespace,” similar to Full View, but the position, scale, and offset of the texture is based on where the brush stroke starts. This texturing technique works best in scenes with Paint at Depth turned on for the brush. If the brush stroke starts far away in the scene, the texture is small. The closer the brush stroke starts, the larger the texture.

The mapping is in worldspace, but always centered on the tube such that there is never a visible seam.

The texturing follows the flow of the stroke path (U is the direction along the path, and V is the direction across the path).

The texture is fully mapped in 3D around the tube, with a seam that is visible from some views. The texture appears correctly when you animate the viewpoint.

The setting is used only when the Map Method is set to 2D. If Tex Uniformity is 0, the textures are stretched along the path based on how quickly the different parts of the path were drawn (or where the stroke path curve CVs are). If Tex Uniformity is 1, the texture is mapped evenly along the path.

Defines the first color/transparency used by the selected Texture Type. For example, this could be one of the checker colors, or the color at the start of a ramp.

This texture color value is multiplied by the brush color value, Color1. So if Color1 is black (value 0), Tex Color1 will paint as black. To ensure that the painted texture colors match the texture colors set for the brush, set the brush color (Color1) to white (value 1) or set Tex Color Scale to 0.

Defines the second color/transparency used by the selected Texture Type. For example, this could be one of the checker colors, or the color at the start of a ramp.

This texture color value is multiplied by the tube tip color value, Color2. So if Color2 is black (value 0), Tex Color2 will paint as black. To ensure that the painted texture colors match the texture colors set for the brush, set the tube tip color (Color2) to white (value 1).

Defines the alpha value (opacity) for pixels where the texture has its maximum value.

Defines the alpha value (opacity) for pixels where the texture has its minimum value.


Note This value is randomized by the Gap Rand value, even if the Gap Size is set to 0.

Defines how much antialiasing is applied. Set this value to 0 to turn off antialiasing. A value of 1 produces good antialiasing, while higher numbers produce blurrier results.

Defines the frequency of the noise used to smear the texture. Increasing this value makes the smear finer and bumpier. Typically, if you increase this value, you will want to correspondingly decrease Smear U and Smear V.

Defines how much to smear the texture in the U direction. Increase this value to make the texture smear more in the U direction. A value of 0 produces no smearing.

Defines how much to smear the texture in the V direction. Increase this to make the texture smear more in the V direction. A value of 0 produces no smearing.

Type the name of the image file you want to use for the file texture, or click the folder icon and select it.

Turn this option on when you are animating a texture. Paint Effects replaces the frame number in the image name with the frame number in the Frame Extension box. For details, see Animate textures on strokes.

This option is available only when Use Frame Extension is turned on. Type the frame number you want to replace the frame number in the Image Name. Keyframe this attribute when you want to use a sequence of files as a file texture.

Corrects dark fringes along file texture alpha boundaries. If the background (alpha value zero) of an image is light or white, turn this option off. To get fringe-free alpha effects from a texture, create the texture against a black background and turn this option on.

This setting is used only when Texture Type is set to Fractal. Higher values increase the intensity or contrast of the fractal.

This setting is used only when Texture Type is set to Fractal. Higher values make the fractal appear rougher.

This setting is used only when Texture Type is set to Fractal. Increasing this value increases the amount of Tex Color 1 in the fractal, making it appear to “spread.”

Illumination

These are the options in the Illumination section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Turn on Illuminated so that lighting has an effect on the appearance of the stroke paint. You can use the lights in your scene to illuminate strokes or you can use a Paint Effects light. See Real Lights, next.

If Illumination is turned off, then strokes are painted in the colors you specify, with no shaded areas or specular highlights, even if there are lights in the scene.

By default, Illuminated and Real Lights are forced on in the scene in the Paint Effects Globals (see Force Real Lights).

This option is available only when Illuminated is turned on. Turn on Real Lights to use the lights in the scene to determine the position of shading and specular lights on the paint.

Turn off Real Lights to use a directional Paint Effects light. You can define its direction in the Light Direction attribute, but you cannot modify any other attributes (for example, intensity). When this option is turned off, lights in the scene have no effect on the paint.

By default, Illuminated and Real Lights are forced on in the scene in the Paint Effects Globals (see Force Real Lights).


Note There is currently no way to link lights to strokes—all non-exclusive lights in the scene will illuminate the strokes if Real Lights is on.

This attribute is useful for creating a thick/thin effect for line modulation. Lighting Based Width controls the degree to which the line (tube) width is modulated by the light intensity. Brighter regions will be thinner, whereas shadowed and dark regions will have full width lines (tubes). Using negative values can have the reverse effect. The lighting used is a diffuse illumination that is relative to the local surface normal painted on by the stroke.

These settings are available only when Illuminated is turned on and Real Lights is turned off. They define the direction of the Paint Effects light.

This setting is available only when Illuminated is turned on. The Translucence value controls how much the paint transmits and diffuses light. Light shining on the back of translucent paint can light up the front, although you still may not be able to see through it. To make the paint completely opaque, set this to value 0. To allow more light to diffuse through, set the value closer to 1.

This setting is available only when Illuminated is turned on. The Specular value controls the brightness of the shiny highlights on illuminated paint. A value of 0 produces no highlights, while higher values produce brighter highlights.

This setting is available only when Illuminated is turned on. The Specular Power value controls how focused the specular highlights are. Lower values spread the highlight over a larger area. Higher values focus the highlight into a small dot.

This setting is available only when Illuminated is turned on. It defines the color of the specular highlights on your paint. Use the slider to adjust the specular color value. Click the Specular Color color box and select the specular color from the Color Chooser.

Shadow Effects

These are the options in the Shadow Effects section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Defines a flat surface beneath the stroke then casts the shadow on that imaginary plane.

Controls the softness of the fake shadows. Higher values make the shadow edge softer.

This setting is available only when Fake Shadow is set to 2D Offset. It controls how far the shadow is offset from the casting stroke.

This setting controls how transparent the shadows are. Higher values make the shadows lighter. Lower values make them darker.

The back side of an object doesn’t receive light, and is therefore not illuminated. Back Shadowing simulates this effect by shading the paint farthest away from the light. Higher values make the shading darker.

By default, all tubes are painted at the same brightness. This setting shades tubes closest to the centre of the stroke path, simulating the effect of a clump of plants where the plants on the outside are illuminated, but the plants on the inside are shaded because the light is blocked by the outside plants. Higher values make the shading darker.

This setting is used only when Depth Shadow is greater than 0. Select one of the following options:

Each point on the tube is shadowed according to how close it is to the surface on which it was created. The closer the point is to the surface, the darker it gets. This is useful for trees and reeds.

Each point on the tube is shadowed according to how close it is to the current point on the path. This is useful for things like bushes, which have a shadowed interior.

Depth Shadow darkens (shades) the color along a tube based on its distance from the surface or path (depending on the Depth Shadow Type setting). If Depth Shadow is set to 0, there is no effect. If it is set to 1, the most shadowed parts of the tubes are black.

Depth Shadow Depth defines the maximum distance over which the Depth Shadow can be applied.

Objects farther than this distance from the surface or path (depending on the Depth Shadow Type setting) will not be shaded at all.

Turn on Cast Shadows to make strokes cast shadows. Then select the light in the scene that you want to produce the shadows and in the Depth Map Shadow Attributes section of the light’s Attribute Editor, turn on Use Depth Map Shadows. The shadows will not appear when you refresh the scene painting view. They are created when you do a post-process render of the scene.

Glow

These are the options in the Glow section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Note Strokes cannot cast raytraced shadows.

Defines the brightness of the standard glow, which is produced by applying paint stamps. A value of 0 produces no glow. Higher values add more glow. This glow effect is less effective on strokes with textures, but adequately adds glow to effects like stars. For more realistic glow, see "Shader Glow."

Defines the color of the standard glow. If the color value is 0 (black), there is no glow effect.

Defines how much the glowing halo of a standard glow spreads past the paint. This number is a factor of the width. A value of 1.0 produces no spreading. A value of 1.5 makes a halo 1.5 times as big as the width of the stamp.

Defines the brightness of the Shader Glow. It is more realistic than standard glow, and appears only when you perform a post-process render. It is useful for strokes with textures and effects like fire. To modify the Shader Glow attributes, double-click the shaderGlow icon in the Post Process folder of Hypershade. For information on these attributes, right-click the down arrow on the node icon and select Help on “shaderGlow”.

Tubes

These are the options in the Tubes section of the Paint Effects Brush Settings window.

Turn on Tubes to “plant” tubes along the stroke path. When Tubes is turned off, paint is applied along the stroke path to create a simple stroke.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view). you can turn on Tubes from the toolbar by clicking the Tube Creation button.

As you paint the stroke, Paint Effects samples points on the stroke path based on input from your mouse or stylus. When it samples a point, Paint Effects plants new tubes along the path between the last sampled point and the current one, then grows the previously planted tubes one more segment. When you finish painting the stroke, one of two things happens:

If Tube Completion is turned on, the tubes continue growing until they reach the end of their life span. The life span is defined by the number of segments (see Segments).
If Tube Completion is turned off, the tubes stop growing, so that the tubes near the end of the stroke are less complete than the ones at the beginning.

Creation

Defines the number of new tubes that are planted at each step in the growth simulation (each time Paint Effects samples a new point along the stroke path). The tubes are planted along the stroke path segment between the two sample points defining the step.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view) with a brush that has tubes. You can adjust the Tubes Per Step setting from the toolbar by changing the number in the TS box.

Randomizes the position of tubes along the path. The lower the value, the more orderly the tubes appear. This attribute does not randomize emitter positions.

Defines the number of tubes that are planted at the first point of each path you draw. If you set Tubes Per Step to 0, you can use this setting to create a single object along the path. For example, set Tubes Per Step to 1 to form the trunk of only a single tree for every stroke, or set it to 100 to create a sunrise or spot glow effect.

Defines the maximum number of segments a tube can have. Since tubes each grow one segment during each step in the growth simulation, the number of segments defines the “life span” of the tube. If you increase Segments, the tube length remains the same, but the segments making up each tube become smaller. Segments are straight, therefore more segments make the tubes appear smoother and less jointed.

These settings define the range of possible lengths for tubes (when they have completed growing). Paint Effects will create tubes with random lengths between the Length Min and Length Max values. If Tube Completion is off, the tubes may not reach the Min or Max values.

These settings define the width of the tubes at the base (Width 1) and at the tip (Width 2). The tube width changes linearly between these two values.

Randomizes the width of tubes along the stroke path. If the value is 0, all tubes will be the width specified by Tube Width 1 and Tube Width 2. The higher the value, the larger variation there is between the Tube Width values.

This setting is used only when Width Rand is greater than 0. It defines how the random widths are distributed. If Width Bias is 0, then there will be just as many wider tubes as there are thinner tubes. If Width Bias is a positive value, then there will be more wider tubes created than thinner ones. If Width Bias is a negative value, then there will be more thinner tubes created than wider ones. If you are creating plants, negative values give the most realistic results. (For each larger plant, there are usually a number of smaller plants.)

Defines how segments are distributed by length. If Segment Length Bias is 0, all tube segments are the same length. If the value is positive, segments closer to the base are longer. If the value is negative, segments closer to the tip are longer. The value represents the proportion of segments that are longer.

If Length Flex (see Length Flex) is set to 1, the segments are infinitely stretchy, therefore this setting has no effect.

Defines how segment width affects segment length. If Segment Width Bias is 0, width of a segment has no effect on its length. If the value is positive, wider segments are longer. If the value is negative, wider segments are shorter.

This allows you to use a graph to control the width from base to tip of tubes, rather than using a simple linear interpolation between two values. When combined with the Mesh Brush Type you can define shapes like spheres, as well as control the profile of a tube. Width Scale is applied as a scale to the current width and defaults to 1.0 so that previous presets work with it.

Tubes are generated along the surface normal or the normal defined for the stroke (see Use Normal).


Tip You can set a hotkey to flip the surface normal when you paint strokes (ToggleOppositeFlagOfSelectedShapes). For details, see Reverse surface normals.

Tubes are generated along the path of the stroke (tangent to the stroke path curve).

Imagine you are standing on a paint path, pointing straight ahead in the direction of the path. Moving your pointing hand straight up and down is like changing the elevation of your arm. These attributes define the range of possible elevations for tubes to lie. When both values are 1, tubes stand straight up (90 degrees, normal to the surface). When both values are 0, tubes lie flat along the path (0 degrees, tangent to the surface). When both values are 2, tubes lie flat along the path opposite to the path direction (180 degrees, tangent to the surface).

As with Elevation, imagine standing on the paint path, pointing straight ahead in the direction of the path. Rotating your body left and right is like changing the azimuth of your arm. These attributes define the range of possible angles for tubes to rotate around the normal axis. When both values are 0, tubes point along the path direction. If Elevation is 1, Azimuth values have no effect.

You can simplify the wireframe display of a stroke by decreasing the display quality. Use this option to select what aspect of the stroke you want the display quality to affect. Display Quality does not affect the rendered strokes—only the quality of the wireframe representation.

Growth

Turn this option on to grow twigs on tubes or branches. See Set Twig attributes.

Turn this option on to grow leaves along tubes or branches. See Set leaf attributes.

Turn this option on to grow flowers along tubes or branches. See Set flower attributes.

Turn this option on to grow buds at the tips of branches and leaves. See Set bud attributes.

Branches

These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Tubes > Growth > Branches section.

Defines the maximum number of times a tube can branch. See also Split Length Map.

Defines the proportion of branches that are randomly “pruned” to give a more natural look. If Branch Dropout is 0, then each split produces exactly the number of branches defined by Num Branches.

Randomizes the spacing between branching points. If Split Rand is 0, branching occurs at equal intervals along the tube. Higher values cause the spacing between branching points to become more random.

Defines how much branches twist when they split, relative to their root. A positive value twists counter-clockwise while a negative value twists clockwise. If Split Twist is 1, the branches twist 360 degrees.

Defines the tube size factor applied at each branching. If the value is 1, then the branches are the same size as the branch they branched from. If the value is less than 1, the branches are smaller than the branch they branched from (like on a real tree). If the value is greater than 1, the branches are larger than the branch they branched from.

Defines how to distribute branching along the tube. If the value is 0, branching is distributed roughly equally along the tube. Positive values push the branching towards the tips of the tube. Negative values push the branching towards the root.

Defines the minimum size a tube must be to be “pruned.” If a tube is smaller than this size, it will not be pruned. See Branch Dropout.

Turn this option on to continue growing the main tube of each branch at the split point (add a middle branch between the split branches).

Twigs

These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Tubes > Growth > Twigs section.

When twigs are created, they are created in radial clusters at one position around a branch or tube. This setting defines how many twigs are in each cluster.

Defines the number of radial twig clusters created between the Twig Start and the end of each branch or tube.

Defines the proportion of twigs that are randomly “pruned” to give a more natural look. If Twig Dropout is 0, Paint Effects produces exactly the same number of twigs each time it creates them. If Twig Dropout is 1, all twigs are pruned.

These settings define the width of the twigs at the base and tip, respectively. The twig width changes linearly between these two values.

Twig width is a factor of the width of the branch that the twig grew from. For example, if you set Twig Base Width to 0.8, then the width of the base of the twig will be 0.8 times the width of the branch at the point where the twig emerged.

Defines the point along a tube where twigs first appear. For example, if Twig Start is set to 0.5, then twigs appear half way up the tube (measured in segments). Decreasing this value pushes the twigs towards the base of the tubes.

These settings define the range of angles that the twigs will make with their source branch. The first twig cluster created (closest to the root) uses Twig Angle 1, and the last twig cluster created (closest to the tip) uses Twig Angle 2. The angles of the twig clusters change linearly in between these two clusters.

Defines how much twigs twist around their source branch. If the value is 0, all the twig clusters emerge in a straight line along the branch. Positive or negative values make successive clusters emerge from points twisting around the source branch.

This controls how much twigs are affected by forces such as turbulence, gravity, random and spiral. At a value of one these brush forces will not have an effect. The default is 0.5.

Turn this on to put branches on twigs rather than twigs on branches. If Branch After Twigs is turned on, then twigs are evenly distributed along the main trunk and branches split after the twig. The splitting defined by the branch attributes will occur on the twigs. This is useful in helping define many common tree shapes, such as pines. You can have a central trunk with multiple branches splitting off of it. You can also use Twig Length Scale to adjust the overall profile of the tree. From the twigs' starting point, it controls the density of the twigs and branches along the main trunk. Shorter twigs are adjusted to have fewer branching events and segments.

The base length of twigs is defined by the Twig Length attribute. However you might want twigs at the tip of a trunk to be shorter than ones at the base. The Twig Length Scale attribute allows you to scale the Twig Length: when it is set to 1.0 then the twigs will equal the Twig Length value, when it is set to 0.5 the twigs will be half the Twig Length value, etc. The horizontal dimension of the graph corresponds to the position from root to tip of the tube from which the twigs sprout.

Leaves

These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Tubes > Growth > Leaves section.

When leaves are created, they are created in radial clusters at one position around a branch or twig. This setting defines how many leaves are in each cluster.

Defines the number of leaf clusters created between Leaf Start and the end of the tube or branches.

Defines the proportion of leaves that are randomly “pruned” to give a more natural look. If Leaf Dropout is 0, then Paint Effects produces exactly the same number of leaves each time it creates them. If Leaf Dropout is 1, all leaves are pruned.

These settings define the width of the leaf at its base and tip, respectively. The leaf width changes linearly between these two values.

This allows you to use a graph to control the width from base to tip of leaves, rather than using a simple linear interpolation between two values. When combined with the Mesh Brush Type you can define shapes like spheres, as well as control the profile of a leaf. Width Scale is applied as a scale to the current width and defaults to 1.0 so that previous presets work with it.

Defines the point along the tube where leaves first appear. For example, if Leaf Start is set to 0.5, then leaves appear half way up the tube (measured in segments). Decreasing this value pushes the leaves towards the base of the tubes.

These settings define the range of angles that the leaves will make with their source branch. The first leaf cluster created (closest to the root) uses Leaf Angle 1, and the last leaf cluster created (closest to the tip) uses Leaf Angle 2. The angles of the leaf clusters change linearly in between these two clusters.

Defines how much leaves twist around their source branch. If the value is 0, all the leaf clusters emerge in a straight line along the branch. Positive or negative values make successive clusters emerge from points twisting around the source branch.

Turn this check box on so the broad or flat side of a leaf is always oriented towards the camera. Textures are similarly affected so that they always face the camera. For more information, see Forward Twist.

Defines the amount of bend that is used to curl up leaves in the U direction (along the length).

Use the Curl attribute to bend leaves in the V direction (along the width). This is perpendicular to the Leaf Bend direction. Create and move points along the ramp to define the curl of the leaf. The ramp controls the curl from root to tip of the leaf. The left side of the ramp is the base of the leaf and the right is the tip. Controlling the curl from base to tip can help define the natural shape of leaves, as well as prevent interpenetration within a cluster. The mid line value on the ramp (0.5) represents zero curvature. Many leaf shapes have curvature that is constantly changing. For example, iris petals or mistletoe leaves can be simulated by a wavy curl ramp.

This controls the initial rotation of a leaf relative to the branch. For example, by default a group of leaves at the top of a palm tree would twist sideways. With Twirl you can rotate them to a proper orientation with the flat side facing the ground.

Defines the number of segments in the leaf. If a leaf has multiple segments it can bend in response to forces.

Defines how flat the leaves are. If Leaf Flatness 0, the leaves are tubes. If it is 1, the leaves are completely flat.

Defines the size factor applied to each leaf. If the value is 1, all leaves are the same size. As this value decreases, leaves towards the tips of branches are smaller. If you set the value to be greater than 1, the leaves towards the tops are larger

Force attributes may affect leaves either too strongly or too weakly. The number of segments in a leaf relative to the base segment count determines how much forces will affect the shape. The Stiffness attribute gives you an independent way of controlling how much the forces, such as Gravity, Random, and Turbulence, affect leaves. Stiffness affects the way forces act on the leaf. If the Stiffness is set to 1, forces have no effect. If Stiffness is set to 0.5 (the default), forces have the same effect per segment that they do on the main branches. If Stiffness is set to 0, forces totally affect the leaf like a limp spaghetti noodle. If you have no forces, such as Spiral and Twist, Stiffness will have no effect.

This setting is available only when Illuminated is turned on (see Illuminated). The Translucence value controls how much the leaves transmit and diffuse light. Light shining on the back of translucent leaves can light up the front, although you still may not be able to see through them. To make the leaves completely opaque, set this to 0. To allow more light to diffuse through, set the value closer to 1.

This is the specular intensity value exclusively for leaves and it controls the brightness of the shiny highlights on illuminated paint. A value of 0 produces no highlights, while higher values produce brighter highlights. This setting is available only when Illuminated is turned on. See Specular in Illumination.

The colors for the base and the tip of the leaves, respectively. Colors in between are linearly interpolated.


Tip If you are painting in the Paint Effects panel (canvas or scene painting view), you can change the Leaf1 and Leaf2 settings from the toolbar by clicking the L1 and L2 color boxes and selecting the color from the Color Chooser. Adjust the color values using the sliders.

These attributes define how much random variation Maya applies to leaf colors when creating new tubes. Low values ensure that all leaves are created using colors very close to Leaf Color 1 and Leaf Color 2. Increasing these values causes more random variation. You can control randomness of the Hue, Saturation, and Value individually.

Turn this option on to apply the same texture used on branches to the leaves. Turn this option off to apply a different texture to the leaves.

Type the directory location and name of the image you want applied to leaves or click the folder icon and select the image. The alpha of the image is used. The texture will fit the bounds of the leaf exactly.

Turn this option on to add a single additional leaf to the ends of each branch and twig.

Flowers

These are the Paint Effects Brush Settings in the Tubes > Growth > Flowers section.

When flower petals are created, they are created in radial clusters (flowers) at one position around a branch or twig. This setting defines how many petals are in each cluster. You can bunch multiple flowers together to make more interesting flowers.

Defines the number of flowers created between Flower Start and the end of the tube’s lifespan.

Defines the proportion of petals that are randomly “pruned” to give a more natural look. If Petal Dropout is 0, then Paint Effects produces exactly the same number of petals each time it creates them. If Petal Dropout is 1, all petals are pruned.

Paint Effects Brush Settings

Opening section settings

Note

Other options in the Paint Effects Brush Settings window

Channels

Note

Tip

Brush Profile

Tip

Screenspace Width Control

Example of Screenspace Width using Paint Effects toon lines

Twist

Thin Line Multi Streaks

Mesh

Thorns on Mesh

Mesh Environment Reflections

Shading

Tip

Tip

Tube Shading

Tip

Tip

Texturing

Note

Illumination

Note

Shadow Effects

Note

Glow

Tubes

Tip

Creation

Tip

Tip

Growth

Branches

Twigs

Leaves

Tip

Flowers