We’ll show you how Windows 10’s Paint 3D app works, as well as the easy way to create fun 3D objects and scenes.<\/b>
\nThough it shares a name, Paint 3D isn\u2019t really like the familiar Microsoft Paint app at all. Paint 3D\u2019s entire purpose is to create fun, cartoony 3D objects and scenes\u2014and share them. A major part of Paint 3D\u2019s appeal is the Remix 3D community, where you and other members can import, edit, then share digital objects and ideas. Another is the awesome Magic Select tool which functions as a free Photoshop-like editing tool for 2D and 3D content. Don’t forget about the new Mixed Reality Viewer app, either!
Creating this 3D scene took me about three minutes with Paint 3D.
You can accomplish three main tasks with Paint 3D: constructing your own 3D objects, placing them within a scene, as well as using Paint 3D\u2019s Magic Select tool as either a 2D or 3D editor. Remember the dioramas you made in elementary school? That\u2019s Paint 3D in a nutshell.
Both videos at the bottom of the Paint 3D welcome screen are worth watching, but the challenge at the top could be better implemented. And why is the \u201cPaste\u201d button there?
The Paint 3D interface. In the background is the Canvas, with a simple cone protruding through it. Surrounding the cone is the interface to rotate and resize it.
Creating and manipulating a simple, primitive 3D object is relatively intuitive, just like it is in the traditional Paint app. Click on an object in the menu on the right\u2014a cone, for example\u2014and left-click it into existence. You can resize it any way you\u2019d like.
Microsoft\u2019s Paint 3D interface: Tools, 3D Objects, Stickers, Text, Canvas, and Effects. Paint 3D assumes you\u2019ll want to paint the Canvas first, then create 3D objects. It\u2019s a little confusing, but you\u2019ll get the hang of it.
When you release the button, a box will surround the object, with four circle-shaped handles. Three of the handles will rotate the cone in space. The fourth (at the 9 o\u2019clock position) will pull or push the cone closer to or away from you. If you choose to paint it another color, you may see the Sphere icon appear afterwards. This allows you to rotate the object to inspect it, but it should snap back to its original orientation once you\u2019ve finished. (If you\u2019re confused, clicking the question-mark-shaped help icon in the upper-left-hand corner will walk you through the process.)
You\u2019ill quickly discover that you\u2019ll be wrestling with Paint3D\u2019s interface as much as anything else. With one 3D object in play, rotating it is no problem. With two, you\u2019ll need to start thinking about how they\u2019re oriented relative to one another.
Creating this tree wasn\u2019t that intuitive. Because there\u2019s no real custom 3D object creator in Paint 3D, I took two \u201c2.5D\u201d trunks, joined them at 90 degrees to one another, then combined them with a torus and a sphere. Aligning them all was the hard part.
A large part of creating 3D objects or scenes, though, is simply making sure they\u2019re all properly aligned. You\u2019ll need to check along all three axes, rotating this and that to make sure everything looks sharp. Occasionally, objects seem to \u201cstick\u201d slightly when they\u2019re aligned vertically, or touching another object, to help you out. This didn\u2019t happen consistently. Expect a lot of trial and error to make things just so.
Microsoft\u2019s handy \u201ctime machine\u201d feature allows you to rewind time and save your bacon.
Don\u2019t despair, though. If you do mess up, Microsoft took one awesome feature from its OneNote UWP app: Replay, now called Time Machine. Time Machine literally records almost every change you\u2019ve made to the scene and allows you to scroll back through time, finding the place where it all went south. Don\u2019t forget about this: It\u2019s invaluable!
If you\u2019re creative, assembling a scene with just a combination of primitive objects is simple enough. (We\u2019ll get to decorating them in just a moment.) But there\u2019s one other really nifty feature that Paint 3D offers, and that\u2019s the 3D Doodle.
One of the real weaknesses of 3D Paint is that there\u2019s very little room for flexibility. At this point, you can\u2019t draw a spiral, for example, or even something like a pyramid. Nor can you deform a cylinder, twisting it to resemble a snake. (When we asked about it, a Microsoft representative said there are no specific plans for this yet.) The 3D Doodle partially makes up for this, inflating 2D sketches into 3D.
What the \u201csoft\u201d and \u201chard\u201d versions of Paint 3D\u2019s 3D Doodle look like, respectively.
Whether you paint your objects or scene before assembling it is up to you\u2014there are advantages to both approaches. When it comes to decorating your objects, you have three primary options: Tools, Stickers, and Text.
Painting an object within Paint 3D is relatively straightforward. Within the Tools sidebar, you can select a color as well as different texture options, including matte, gloss, and dull or polished metal. (The latter two reproduce gold, copper, and other metallic effects really well.) The paintbrush looks like it slops a thin layer of 3D paint over the object, and the other paint tools are equally sophisticated.
A simple Sticker texture wrapped around a 3D model can look pretty cool, as on the mouse. But trying to import a Mona Lisa smile onto this female model ended up looking grotesque.
Even better, Microsoft has also provided textures like sand, bark, and rocks to make your 3D scenes more lifelike. Use them.
You can make your own Sticker textures, too. To make this 3D object look like it was made of bricks, I simply searched the Web for a brick texture, made a Sticker out of it, and stamped each side.
I just used Paint and a Sticker to make the sign on the right.
A couple of other tab options almost seem like afterthoughts. The Canvas tab allows you to make a couple of limited tweaks to the Canvas, and the final Effects tab just applies different-colored lighting options. I expect those to be fleshed out a bit later on\u2014none of the 3D objects cast shadows, for example.<\/p>\n

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Sentiment rank: 1.1<\/div>\n

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