Sculpt Workspace — Freeform Surface Painting
Paint organic mounds and naturalistic slopes directly onto any 3D shape using an in-canvas sculpt brush.
Sculpt Workspace — Freeform Surface PaintingThe Sculpt workspace is entered by selecting the Sculpt surface preset (key 9) on any extruded shape. Once inside the workspace:
- The shape's top surface is subdivided into a fine mesh of controllable vertices
- A circular spray brush follows the cursor over the surface
- Three brush modes control the direction of surface movement: Push Up, Push Down, and Smooth
- Ctrl+drag inverts the active mode on the fly — Push Up becomes Push Down, and vice versa
- Scroll wheel adjusts brush size in real time
- Each continuous brush stroke (from click-down to release) is a single undo step
- Press Esc or click Done in the toolbar to exit the workspace
The underlying shape footprint (the 2D plan outline) is never changed by sculpting — only the top surface height values are modified.
Entering the Sculpt workspace
Select an extruded shape in the 3D view. Then activate the Sculpt preset by either:
- Pressing 9 on the keyboard
- Opening the Surface Preset flyout in the left toolbar and clicking Sculpt
The workspace opens and the shape's top surface becomes a subdivided mesh. A circular brush indicator appears when you hover the cursor over the surface.
The workspace toolbar at the top shows the three mode buttons: Push Up, Push Down, and Smooth. Push Up is active by default.
If the shape has a large footprint, the subdivision may take a moment to compute. For very large shapes (over 50 m²), consider setting a lower subdivision resolution in the Sculpt panel to maintain smooth performance.
Configuring the brush
The brush settings panel on the left shows three main controls:
Radius: Controls the size of the brush circle. Adjust with the slider, or scroll the mouse wheel while hovering over the surface to change size on the fly. A larger radius affects a broader area per stroke; a smaller radius creates precise, localized changes.
Strength: Controls how strongly each stroke pushes the surface. Higher strength produces larger elevation changes per stroke. Lower strength gives more gradual, iterative control — you build up the shape with multiple light passes.
Falloff: Controls how the brush effect tapers from the center to the edge of the brush circle:
- Soft — the effect tapers smoothly from full strength at the center to zero at the edge, producing gentle, gradual transitions
- Medium — moderate taper
- Hard — near-constant strength to the edge with an abrupt drop-off, producing sharper, more defined forms
For naturalistic mounds and berms, use a soft falloff with moderate strength.
Use a large radius and soft falloff for the initial broad shaping, then switch to a small radius and hard falloff to define sharper edges and transitions in the final detailing passes.
Push Up and Push Down modes
With Push Up active (the default), click and drag across the surface to raise the mesh upward within the brush circle. Hold the mouse button and move to create a continuous stroke that builds up height progressively.
Switch to Push Down in the toolbar to push the surface downward. This lowers the mesh within the brush circle — useful for creating depressions, swales, or lowering areas that were raised too much.
Inverting on the fly: Hold Ctrl while dragging to temporarily invert the active mode. If Push Up is active, Ctrl+drag lowers the surface. If Push Down is active, Ctrl+drag raises it. This avoids switching modes constantly when alternating between raising and lowering nearby areas.
Note: the surface cannot be pushed below the base of the shape (height zero).
Build up mounds gradually using multiple passes rather than one high-strength stroke. Gradual accumulation gives smoother, more natural-looking results than a single aggressive stroke.
Smooth mode
Switch to Smooth mode in the toolbar. Painting with Smooth averages the height values within the brush circle, reducing sharp peaks, ridges, and irregular bumps.
Smooth does not raise or lower the overall surface level — it redistributes height differences within the brush area to make transitions more gradual. Running a smooth stroke over a sharp mound will lower the peak and raise the surrounding area until the difference is reduced.
When to use Smooth:
- After heavy Push Up or Push Down strokes that created unwanted ridges or jagged edges
- To blend two separate mounded areas into a continuous gradual rise
- To soften the base of a mound where it meets the flat surrounding surface
Smooth can also be applied with Ctrl held to sharpen rather than smooth — useful for accentuating a ridge line.
Run a final Smooth pass over the entire sculpted area after finishing the main shaping. Use a large, soft brush with low strength — this unifies the surface without flattening the forms you have built.
Exiting the Sculpt workspace
When sculpting is complete, exit the workspace by:
- Pressing Esc
- Clicking the Done button in the workspace toolbar
The 3D view returns to the standard mode with the sculpted surface preserved. The shape can be re-entered into the Sculpt workspace at any time to make further adjustments.
To revert all sculpting and return to the flat Flat preset, switch the surface preset to Flat or any other preset. This discards the sculpted surface data — the change cannot be undone after switching presets.
Save the project before switching away from the Sculpt preset if you might want to return to the sculpted surface. Switching presets discards the sculpted height data.
Undo strokes and clear all sculpting
Each brush stroke (from pointer-down to pointer-up) is committed to the undo stack as a single undo step. Press Ctrl+Z to step back through individual strokes — the undo stack holds up to 200 entries per session. To discard all sculpting on the current modifier and start fresh, click the Clear all strokes button (trash icon) in the Sculpt Inspector panel. This action is itself undoable.
Exit sculpt mode
When sculpting is complete, press Esc or click Done in the workspace toolbar. The 3D view returns to the standard editor with the sculpted surface preserved. You can re-enter sculpt mode on the same shape at any time to continue refining. To discard all sculpted height data and revert the surface to a flat state, switch the surface preset to Flat or any other preset — this is irreversible once the project is saved.
Switching the surface preset away from Sculpt (for example to Flat or a height preset) permanently discards all sculpted height data on that modifier. Save the project first if you may want to return to the sculpted surface later.
Sculpt works well in combination with Height Points: use Height Points to establish the broad elevation structure of a form (ridge height, base elevation), then switch to Sculpt to add organic variation and naturalistic texture on top.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Scroll wheel | Change brush radius |
| Ctrl+drag | Invert active brush mode (Push Up ↔ Push Down) |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo last brush stroke |
| Esc | Exit sculpt mode |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo individual brush strokes?
Yes. Each stroke — from pointer-down to pointer-up — is stored as a single undo step. Press Ctrl+Z to step back through strokes one at a time. The undo stack retains up to 200 strokes per session.
Can I sculpt the sides of an extruded shape, not just the top?
No. The Sculpt brush operates only on the top surface mesh of a heightfield shape. The vertical side faces of the extrusion are not affected. To reshape side profiles, use the Profile Editor or the Shape Points workspace.
How does Sculpt differ from the Height Field entity type?
The Sculpt preset modifies the top surface of an existing extruded shape using a brush. Height Field is a dedicated entity type that generates a smooth continuous surface from scratch and is better suited to large organic landforms that are not derived from an architectural footprint. Use Sculpt when you already have a defined shape and want to add organic surface variation to it.
Why does my brush ring disappear when I move off the shape?
The brush ring is positioned by raycasting the pointer against the mesh surface. When the pointer leaves the mesh boundary, there is no surface to hit, so the ring hides. Move the pointer back onto the shape to resume sculpting.
Can I sculpt on a shape while in the top-down 2D view?
No. The inline sculpt brush requires the 3D perspective view because it positions the brush ring by raycasting against the mesh in 3D space. Switch to the 3D view to use the Sculpt workspace.