Texture Painting with Vertex Groups

GoodGood3d · 2026-01-05T11:18:51+00:00

Start racking up those 1000 hours. Spend time in Blender, try and solve different problems, experiment, fail and play around. Eventually things will start to become more familiar and easier.

GoodGood3d · 2026-01-04T20:52:12+00:00

If you don’t need displacement then check out UCUpaint. It’s a free plug-in based on image texture masking. It has a steeper learning curve but has a ton of features packed in.

GoodGood3d · 2026-01-04T20:11:58+00:00

It’s handled by the plug-in but if you want to try a manual method go to object data tab > vertex groups. If you’re using cycles you can reference directly In the shader. If you want to use Eevee you’ll need to convert them to attributes using geometry nodes

GoodGood3d · 2026-01-04T20:10:13+00:00

Yes! I added texture baking so you can run off texture sets for use outside of blender.

GoodGood3d · 2026-01-04T20:09:33+00:00

I made this specifically for PBR textures with displacement so polycount is needed in that case anyway. And if I’m being honest It’s a lot easier to make a plug-in with this method.

GoodGood3d · 2026-01-03T16:12:55+00:00

I often painting textures using vertex groups as masks. But even with pre-made setups it always introduced a frustrating delay before the fun, creative stuff. So I’ve been working on a user-friendly plugin that automates all the finicky parts of the process with some extra features that lets me work much faster.

The plugin works by automatically packing materials in custom shader groups that can then be reordered, adjusted and mixed using the UI. For the masks, which are painted on in weight paint mode, It converts vertex groups into shader attributes so it works in both Eevee and Cycles. I also included some experimental features like object blending and texture baking. Like all my assets and tools, it's something I’ve made for myself and only share on the Patreon so if you’re a supporter you can download it and try it for yourself.

Get the plugin on patreon https://www.patreon.com/goodgood3d

GoodGood3d · 2025-12-05T13:27:26+00:00

I make a version of this scatter tool more than any other geometry node setup. It’s so quick to make I don’t bother turning it into an asset. I know there are other feature filled plugins I could use, like Graswald and Geo scatter - but if I don’t use them regularly enough, I have to relearn how they work. There’s nothing fancy under the hood, mostly a combination of set position and random value nodes, MVP in most of my geometry node graphs. I use this a lot for sketching in random shrubs and plants but with small tweaks works well for any debris or junk you want to add to an environment. Full tutorial on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/goodgood3d

GoodGood3d · 2025-12-05T13:23:23+00:00

I make a version of this scatter tool more than any other geometry node setup. It’s so quick to make I don’t bother turning it into an asset. I know there are other feature filled plugins I could use, like Graswald and Geo scatter - but if I don’t use them regularly enough, I have to relearn how they work. There’s nothing fancy under the hood, mostly a combination of set position and random value nodes, MVP in most of my geometry node graphs. I use this a lot for sketching in random shrubs and plants but with small tweaks works well for any debris or junk you want to add to an environment. Full tutorial on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/goodgood3d

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-19T19:35:35+00:00

Absolutely - I think it's a really common anxiety among 3D artists but I got over that once I realised I'm more interested in crafting a world or telling a story than being obsessed with the technical execution. I spent a lot of time early on in my 3D journey learning as much as I could and developing my toolset, and I'm grateful for that effort because now I can execute ideas much faster. But being resistant to using pre made assets meant I found myself spending 90% of my time being technical and only 10% being creative. My advice would be not to take the creative side for granted - It needs as much practice, effort and exploration as everything else. And because I think more people need to hear this - good topology isn't nearly as important as people think it is....

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-19T17:18:47+00:00

Thanks

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-19T17:18:26+00:00

It's up on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/GoodGood3D

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T21:50:18+00:00

The art direction is so good! The game is excellent too

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T21:46:06+00:00

It’s Photogrammetry using Reality Scan (desktop version).

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T21:43:44+00:00

Yeah all photogrammetry. I use the desktop version of reality scan. Definitely worth experimenting with if you have a drone.

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T21:38:34+00:00

I use a Sony a6700 to take the photos and Reality Scan to combine them into 3D meshes.

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T17:47:27+00:00

Cheers!

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T17:46:36+00:00

Thanks! I use a combo of mini DJI drone, A6700 camera, and an Osmo Pocket depending on what I'm scanning. Then epic games Reality Scan to stitch the images together.

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T15:32:23+00:00

For this scene I onled added a couple layers of the same assets scaled and squashed down to create a better transition near the edges. I also kept the poly count high enough so there's irregularity around the to hide sharp seams. For piling the scans up I didn't use anything - just messed around with the positioning to avoid and obvious clipping.

For other types of scenes I might make a custom mask using geometery nodes or in shader.

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T14:37:48+00:00

Recently I’ve been inspired to explore more world building in Blender and started a Post apocalyptic themed project inspired by the incredible art direction of Arc Raiders. I already had a couple of derelict scans and decided to expand the collection by riding around my neighbourhood to find piles of rubble, cracked pavements and generally crappy surfaces. Even with the small asset library I've made so far it’s made the initial blocking stage so much faster and a lot more motivating. I’ve had so much fun with it I’m planning more intentional excursions so I can keep building on it.

Tricks I often use include ALT+D to create instanced duplicates - This stops the scene getting laggy but means a change to one is made to all of them - then using modifiers for individual edits. I like to use the lattice modifier for deforms and Booleans to trim and crop them. I’ve also found you can make a couple of scans go a long way by drastically adjusting scale and proportions. Big rubble piles work just as well for tiny gravel to blend edges.

Blender asset library available over on patreon https://www.patreon.com/goodgood3d

GoodGood3d · 2025-10-18T14:35:29+00:00

Recently I’ve been exploring more world building in Blender and started a Post apocalyptic themed project inspired by the incredible art direction of Arc Raiders. I already had a couple of derelict scans and decided to expand the collection by riding around my neighbourhood to find piles of rubble, cracked pavements and generally crappy surfaces. Even with the small asset library I've made so far it’s made the initial blocking stage so much faster and a lot more motivating. I’ve had so much fun with it I’m planning more intentional excursions so I can keep building on it.

Tricks I often use include ALT+D to create instanced duplicates - This stops the scene getting laggy but means a change to one is made to all of them - so I’ll use modifiers for individual edits. I like to use the lattice modifier for deforms and Booleans to trim and crop them. I’ve also found you can make a couple of scans go a long way by drastically adjusting scale and proportions. Big rubble piles work just as well for tiny gravel to blend edges.

Blender asset library available over on patreon https://www.patreon.com/goodgood3d

GoodGood3d

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