{"id":3613,"date":"2022-10-13T10:35:46","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T10:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3dcoat.com\/documentation\/?post_type=manual_documentation&p=3613"},"modified":"2026-01-25T13:38:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T13:38:54","slug":"per-pixel-painting","status":"publish","type":"manual_documentation","link":"https:\/\/3dcoat.com\/documentation\/manual\/workspaces-rooms\/paint\/texture-painting-and-modes\/per-pixel-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"Per Pixel Painting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Per Pixel Painting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Use Per-Pixel mode for high-resolution models (digital art) and low-resolution models (pixel art), where you need maximum compatibility with other environments and where extreme clarity of texture is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Note that Depth painting within this mode only supports the real time generation of a normal map, rather than actual painted displacement but, based on this information, a displacement map can be exported as well as a normal map. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Per-pixel painting was introduced into 3DCoat for the first iteration of the v3 cycle. The well-known 3DCoat V2 used Micro Vertex painting<\/a>. Every vertex had color and coordinates in space, so any kind of displacement was allowed.
However, this approach was limited because it was very difficult to edit mesh with non-quad faces; on that situation projecting patch (vertex faces) to texture resulted in the loss of quality, so it was difficult to import a texture, edit it and export because the after-export texture appeared to be slightly blurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the basic points of this technology:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u2022 Painting is performed not over vertices but directly over pixels on the texture. It looks like every pixel on the 2D texture is represented as a point in 3D space.
\u2022 Every pixel contains any amount of layers of color, opacity, normal displacement, and glossiness.
\u2022 Every layer can be blended with the previous one using common and well-known blending operations for color and displacement.
\u2022 Every texture point in 3D space has its neighbors in per-pixel representation. It is important because it allows painting over the model and performing non-local operations like blurring and sharpening with a brush.
\u2022 Some operations are performed in 3D space, like painting, filling, and applying curves, and others in 2D projection, like a smudge. All this is transparent to the user.
\u2022 Most operations can be performed (optionally) not only on the visible side of an object but on the invisible too, like applying curves, filling, and painting rings, rectangles, and polygons over the surface.
\u2022 Exchange with other applications becomes fast, and with no quality loss, you can use 3DCoat at any stage of the pipeline, put a final touch or perform full texturing.
\u2022 You can import a normal map and use it as a reference for texture painting. A normal map can be changed, too; you can apply some smoothing (not over seams) or fade some areas.
\u2022 Seamless painting and smoothing over texture: This technology can be used for any kind of texturing, low poly or high poly. You can edit textures from 32 x 32 to 8192 x 8192 (if you have 1GB or more of video memory). It can be used in a wide range of applications, from graphics for mobile phones to high-end game projects and films that require huge textures. Also supports tiled, self-intersected, and mirrored textures without any problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

List of advantages of per pixel painting over micro vertex painting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u2022 Much faster than micro vertex painting.
\u2022 Supports tiled, self-intersected, and mirrored UV sets (micro vertex painting supports only non-overlapped texturing).
\u2022 Takes less memory than the micro vertex approach.
\u2022 Gives good precision of painting without any additional blurring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only disadvantage in comparison to micro vertex painting is that per-pixel painting does not support vector displacement, only normal displacement.
Sometimes this makes it an essential point, so we left both approaches per pixel and micro vertex in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For example, using micro vertex approach to paint over baked voxel sculptures gives you better results.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Advantages of per-pixel painting over projection painting:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u2022 Possibility to operate pixels on the back side of the model, for example, filling, blurring, and applying overall effects.
\u2022 Painting quality does not depend on the distance from the object to the camera.
\u2022 More precise painting result; what you see is what you get. The key advantage over usual texture painting in space is the possibility to blur pixels under the brush because every pixel has its neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PPP now has evolved for displacement painting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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