Right Hemisphere's Deep Paint 3D with Texture Weapons

Deep Paint 3D from New Zealand-- based developer Right Hemisphere is a full-featured 3D painting application that allows users to paint directly onto 3D models. The program exchanges models with 3DS Max, Maya, and Softimage and supports other applications through .3DS or .LWO files.

3D painting is remarkably similar to the familiar 2D painting process. Performance in 3D painting is surprisingly good, nearly real-time even on mid-range machines. Tablet feedback is excellent, and feels smoother than Photoshop's. Models in the 3D window are rendered with not only color but also bump specularity and self-- illumination maps. Each map channel can contain an arbitrary number of layers, allowing experimentation and the isolation of details Unfortunately, the layers offer only simple or multiplicative compositing - Photoshop users will miss modes such as additive and "soft light."

Deep Paint 3D borrows liberally from Photoshop in its selection tools, "quick mask" friskets, filters, and even hotkey assignments. Despite these influences, however, the program really resembles Corel Painter in spirit. Its primary tool is an extremely...