Per-Pixel Painting

Welcome to the extended official guide on using the Node System and GPUPPP (GPU Per Pixel Painting) technology in 3DCoat. This document is specifically created for 3D artists, designers, and texture artists to help you master not only basic but also the most advanced procedural painting techniques.

The modern approach to texturing and sculpting is gradually moving away from destructive pixel editing in favor of fully procedural, non-destructive methods. In newer versions of 3DCoat, you have received a full-fledged Node System and a specialized workspace, the Node Room. Instead of layering dozens of “heavy” layers one on top of the other, you can build super-complex photorealistic or stylized materials using intuitive visual blocks—nodes.

This guide is created specifically for 3D artists. There is no code or complex mathematical formulas here—only practical tools for your creative process.

1. GPU PPP Architecture: What it Means for the Artist

In 3DCoat, you may often encounter the term GPU PPP (GPU-accelerated Per-Pixel Painting). While this is a technical term, for you as an artist, it means one very practical thing: real-time feedback.

Previously, per-pixel painting relied primarily on the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Now, all the heaviest calculations—procedural noise generation, complex mask calculation, channel blending, and surface deformations—have been transferred to your graphics card (GPU).

What advantages does this give you in your work:

• Huge textures without lag: You can work with 8K or 16K resolution; updating procedural maps or blending layers will not “slow down.”
• Vector Displacement: All fine surface details (skin pores, scales, mechanical recesses) are calculated by the GPU as vector displacement directly during texturing. This allows you to use a light, optimized polygonal mesh to control the silhouette, while all macro-details are generated procedurally via nodes.

2. Node Architecture in the Paint Workspace

The biggest problem with CPU texturing is the destructiveness of materials on adjust layers. With the new approach using the node system and the GPU painting engine, all materials and Adjust effects are generated non-destructively, on the fly, in real time during layer blending. This allows you to change them at any time and instantly see the result of the change. They support many more PBR channels, and they can also interact with the brush during painting, allowing the brush to influence the materials.

1. What are GPUPPP and the Node System?

> **GPUPPP** (stands for *GPU Per Pixel Painting*) is 3DCoat’s latest ultra-fast core that performs all per-pixel painting and layer calculations directly on the graphics card (GPU).