The Dry Brush lets you apply paint relative to the sculpted detail on your model.

For example, you can apply paint only to the raised regions of sculpted surfaces, easily adding a highlight color, or adding scratches to simulate a weathered surface.

The Dry Brush calculates a reference plane based on the average positions of the vertices within the brush ring. It applies paint based on whether faces are above or below an invisible, dynamically calculated plane as you stroke along the surface.

Ctrl-dragging with the Dry Brush applies paint below the calculated plane, applying paint in the recessed regions of the sculpted detail.

To paint with the Dry Brush

1. In the Paint Tools tray, select the Dry Brush.
   NoteYou must have at least one paint layer to paint on a model. If you have not yet created a paint layer, the Create New Paint Layer window displays automatically the first time you paint. See also Create a new paint layer.
2. Depending on how you want to apply paint, do the following:
   • Stroke on the surface to apply paint only to raised elements of the textured surface.
   • Ctrl-stroke to apply paint only to recessed elements.
   TipThe Size property for the Dry Brush has a direct impact on the height or depth to which paint is applied to a sculpted surface. In general, a smaller brush size provides better control when applying paint on smaller sculpted forms compared to a larger brush, which is useful on larger forms. Interactive performance of the brush improves with a smaller brush size.