Displacement Painting Quick Start Guide

Silo's displacement painting allows for direct editing of geometry at any subdivision level, including the base mesh, using brush-like tools. It is frequently used for adding details to a model which would be difficult or time consuming to model individually, for getting shapes and forms in place quickly without having to worry about topology, or for intermingling with regular polygon tools as you model. Displacement data can be exported by refining the mesh, which will make the current subdivision level into a new base mesh, or by generating a normal map. (Future versions of Silo will also allow for the generation of a displacement map.)

Press T to activate the Displacement Tool, or Shift + T to enter the Brush Editor and activate the tool. Press Esc to exit the tool.

Subdivide and unsubdivide while painting using C and V. You can paint at any subdivision level including level 0 (the base mesh).

Paint using LMB. Use RMB to perform the brush's alternate function if available. Use Shift + LMB to access a smooth brush based on the current brush settings.

Use MMB to adjust the radius and strength of the current brush. Drag left and right for radius, and up and down for strength. You can also edit these values directly in the Brush Editor.

Switch between brushes by clicking on the icons in the lower panel of the brush editor. Brushes may also have hotkeys assigned, which will work to switch between them only while the displacement tool is active. Assign a hotkey by selecting the brush in the Brush Editor and pressing the desired key. (Modifiers are not allowed.) You can add, remove, or duplicate a brush by right clicking in this panel.

Settings for the current brush will appear in the upper half of the Brush Editor. For details on these settings and their effects, look in the Silo help manual under Brush Editor. If you find yourself changing these settings frequently (aside from radius and strength), you may wish to consider making a new brush for each set of settings you use frequently. The top half of the Brush Editor can be hidden by clicking on the little - sign in the upper left corner, leaving just the brush palette. This is useful when you have all the basic settings for your brushes, and you just want to be able to switch between them.

Preparing a Simple Starting Shape

Below is a quick series of steps for preparing a simple mesh which will work well with displacement painting, particularly for relatively spherical objects such as a head. You may wish to use this as you experiment with the displacement painting tools and workflow described above, which will be the quickest way to learn them.

1. Create a cube.

2. Subdivide two times to give yourself a little more geometry to work with. (Press C twice.)

3. Refine the subdivision to make that subdivision level the new base mesh. (Press Shift + C.)

4. If you desire the model to be symmetrical, Calculate Symmetry. (Press N.)

5. Press Shift + T to enter the displacement tool and open the Brush Editor at once.

6. You're ready to go. Switch between subdivision levels using Subdivide and Unsubdivide, and paint using the brushes available in the Brush Editor. See the help files and guides on displacement painting for more information on how to use the tools.