# painter workflow A basic overview of the workflow used in Painter. _this is a rough breakdown. i really need to fill in details._ ## 1. create project Painter is used to paint existing 3D mesh models created in other programs. You will need to import your models to the workspace. Stuff about format and settings. ## 2. bake the model This process separates the model into distinct separate elements and maps for texturing. Maps are 2D image files that contain important information about the texture material, such as color, roughness, reflectivity, height from mesh surface, etc. Baking creates these maps in preparation for building your textures. Using the pull-down menus, choose **Mode > Bake Mesh Maps**. In the dialog pop-up, you will choose the resolution and what maps you want Painter to create. There are a lot of other settings but you can leave most of the defaults untouched. Once you hit OK, Painter will go through the process to create the maps. It is fun to watch the process. ## 3. texture sets, layers, channels **Quick terminology note:** A texture is a combination of different materials, fills, masks, and settings. Multiple materials and other elements are used to build up the overall texture. There is a hierarchy of organization when it comes to building up the textures. **Texture sets** are built for each element in a model. These are created and defined in whatever software is used to create the 3D mesh. Each texture set will have its own set of layers and settings. **Layers** are the all the different elements in the texture set. Layers work from the ground up, so start with a base material layer at the bottom and add new layers above. Layer Types: - list here. Channels are the different maps/sections of what the layer affects. The channels are what is defined during the initial Project Creation. Channels can include things like Color, Metal, Roughness, Normals, etc. You can choose to control what channel a particular layer affects. ### materials and smart materials In the **Assets** panel, you will find sections for both **Materials** and **Smart Materials**. To understand the difference, think of these as cookies… Regular **Materials** are the ingredients you can use to build your texture. They come in as separate layers that can be modified, masked, and tweaked in combination with each other. **Smart Materials** are like completed cookies with all the ingredients already mixed and packaged together. They come in as a full layer folder with all the ingredient layers already built. You can still go in and tweak the settings to customize the existing recipe. ## 4. masking By default, materials layers are applied to entire texture sets. Masks are used to control where the material is actually applied. Masks are grayscale images with black hiding everything and white revealing everything. You can start with a black mask to hide everything and then paint in where you see the material or start with a white mask to reveal everything and then paint out where you want the material to go away. ### geometry masks Mesh models that have separate map sections can easily be filtered using Geometry Masks. These automatically limit material application to the specific sections. --- tags: #3d #resources #substance #painter home: [[! 3d modeling - substance]]