Deep Paint - Projection Mode - Using Materials
It would really help to read the Introduction to Projection Mode. This tutorial shows some tricks to make Projection Mode painting easier.
When last we left our intrepid Projection Mode project, we were putting stripes on the shorts, but the stripes ended up on the side pockets as well. We had to go into Deep Paint 3D's 2D paint mode to paint over those stripes. Gee, if only we could avoid putting the stripes on the pockets to begin with ...
We'll have to start our project over, but thanks to Deep Paint 3D, recreating stripes will take only a few minutes.
In Deep Paint 3D:
- Load the .obj. I'm using Mike's shorts. Vicki has too much clothing!
- DON'T MERGE THE MATERIALS TOGETHER!
- In the Elements Tab of the Control Panel, go to the Layer menu.
- Check the Batch Mode option.
- Regardless of what material is selected, click on the space where
the Color channel would be. You will be asked if you want to override
all map sizes. Click Yes.
- To work on one material at a time, go to the Control Panel: Elements:
Materials. You can lock the materials so you are working on just the
one that you want by clicking on the gray box to the right of the
word "Export." The green check mark means that the material can be
worked on. The red circle with a slash means that the layer is locked.
In this case, I want to work on everything but the belt loops, the
snap and the side pockets. (I could define some Material Groups if
I expected to bounce back and forth between different sets of materials,
but I don't need to for this exercise.)
The rest of this should look pretty familiar ...
- Click on Toggle Projection Mode to turn it on.
The
screen now has bounding box corners. - In this case, we're going to do a quick and dirty, so select the
Show Projection Options button
and
make sure that Paint Only Visible Pixels is NOT checked. - Click on the Freehand tool.
- Add an additional layer to the object. (Right click on the current layer and selection Add Layer Above.)
- Go to File: Export: Photoshop.
In Photoshop:
- A file will have opened up. It looks like a wireframe of the object.
- Hide that wireframe layer.
- Select the layer called Paint Layer: Color.
- Put a design on the object. In my case, I colored the shorts, imported a texture and created a stripe on the shorts on a second layer. I then mirrored the layer with the stripe, flipped it, and moved it into position. When I was satisfied with how the stripes were placed, I then merged the new layers down into the Paint Layer:Color.
- Leave the file up and the Paint Layer: Color selected.
In Deep Paint 3D:
- File: Import: Photoshop.
- Now the textured shorts appear.
- Toggle off the Projection Mode. (The pocket stripes go away.)
- Rotate the shorts. Notice anything? The stripes are on the back as well! (Okay, you probably noticed a slight seam on the sides where the projection didn't quite cover everything, but if you'd left the Paint Visible Pixels Only checked, you'd have only the front side painted at all!)
- Go to View: Left. (Or View: Right for all you rebels.)
- Toggle Projection Mode back on.
- Click on the Freehand Tool.
- File: Export: Photoshop.
In Photoshop:
- Add a new layer and add a side stripe to cover up the seam. Why? Because we can.
- Merge the layer back down in to the Paint Layer: Color.
In Deep Paint 3D:
- File: Import: Photoshop.
- The seam is fixed. (But wait! The stripes are showing on the pockets, anyways!)
- Toggle off the Projection Mode. (The pocket stripes go away.)
You can go and lock the other materials and re-enable the side pockets, snap, and loops and repeat the steps above to get the results you want.
Note: If you Export to Photoshop, make changes, then Import back, you MUST export then import again. I've had Deep Paint 3D throw a hissy fit if I Imported twice in a row. (I noticed a few areas that needed touch-ups after I brought it back into DP3D, so I made those touch-ups in Photoshop and hit the File: Import from Photoshop a second time and DP3D walked away in a huff. I guess it doesn't like Trade Deficits?!?)
The one problem with doing things this way is that you need to export all the maps separately and put them back together in Photoshop. Quick steps: Open File 1 and 2 in Photoshop. Copy/Paste File 1 over File 2. Use a selection mask (color select usually works) and cut out the extra garbage in File 1. Open File 3, copy/paste over File 1+2, cut out unwanted areas, etc. Save when you're done. (You might want to look at Grouping Materials I and II for more information.) Save when the map is put back together.
For Poser, just put it in a directory and load it as you would any other texture.
I wonder why these shorts were on sale:
