User Guide Cancel

Clay tool | Substance 3D Modeler

  1. Substance 3D home
  2. Home
  3. Getting started
    1. Install Substance 3D Modeler
    2. System requirements
    3. Public Beta
    4. Supported VR headsets
    5. Desktop and virtual reality
    6. Quick start guides
      1. Desktop quick start guide
      2. VR quick start guide
    7. Controls
      1. Desktop shortcuts and controls
      2. VR shortcuts and controls
    8. Reference images
    9. Join the Community
    10. Glossary
    11. FAQs
  4. Interface
    1. Interface overview
    2. Viewport
    3. The Palette
    4. Actions menu
    5. The Top bar
      1. Top bar overview
      2. Color picker
      3. Materials panel
      4. Assets panel
      5. Environment panel
      6. Viewport panel
      7. Outliner
      8. Node properties panel
    6. The Bottom bar
    7. Preferences
  5. Create with Clay
    1. Tools
      1. Tools and Subtools
      2. Select tool
      3. Clay tool
      4. Erase tool
      5. Split tool
      6. Crop tool
      7. Warp tool
      8. Elastic tool
      9. Smooth tool
      10. Raise tool
      11. Buildup tool
      12. Inflate tool
      13. Crease tool
      14. Flatten tool
      15. Paint tool
    2. Brushes
    3. Brush shapes
    4. Placement modes
    5. Angle and grid snap
  6. Create with Primitives
    1. Get started with primitives
    2. Primitive parameters
      1. Parameter overview
      2. Shape parameters
      3. Combine parameters
    3. Organize primitives
      1. Primitive containers
      2. Manage primitive order
      3. Primitive groups
      4. Repetition
  7. Organize your scene
    1. Scope and scene structure
    2. Layers
    3. Groups
    4. Advanced scene assembly
      1. Instances
      2. Symmetry and repetition
      3. Booleans
    5. Import meshes
  8. Render mode
    1. Render mode overview
    2. Work with cameras
  9. Export Mode
    1. Export your creations
    2. Export presets
  10. Technical support
    1. Technical requirements
    2. How does Modeler work?
    3. Performance
    4. Troubleshooting
    5. Supported file formats
  11. Release notes
    1. V1.17(Current Release)
    2. V1.15
    3. V1.14
    4. V1.13
    5. Public Beta V1.17.50 (Current Release)
    6. Public Beta Archive
      1. Public Beta V1.16.50
      2. Public Beta V1.15.50
      3. Public Beta V1.14.50
      4. Public Beta V1.12.50
      5. Public Beta V1.11.50
      6. Public Beta V1.10.50
      7. Public Beta V1.9.50
      8. Public Beta V1.8.50
    7. V1 Archive
      1. V1.12
      2. V1.11
      3. V1.10
      4. V1.9
      5. V1.8
      6. V1.7
      7. V1.6    
      8. V1.5
      9. V1.4
      10. V1.3
      11. V1.2
      12. V1.1 
      13. V1.0 
    8. V0 Archive
      1. 2022/08/02 V0.17.0
      2. 2022/06/22 V0.14.1
      3. 2022/05/13 V0.10.2

Clay tool

💻 Shortcut: C

🥽 Quick swap: Erase tool

Use the Clay tool to add clay to a layer. The Clay tool is the primary tool for adding clay to a scene and is the first tool you'll use when starting a new scene. While other tools work on the surface of existing clay, the Clay tool lets you create clay from nothing, so it's often useful for blocking out shapes.

The Clay tool doesn't work across multiple layers as Modeler needs to know which layer the clay is being added to. It's only possible to use the Clay tool in a single layer at a time. If you are not scoped into a single layer and select the clay tool, the Clay tool will create a new layer for you to place clay into.

Note:

Using the Clay tool with a large brush can impact responsiveness while the scene is updated. If you find that clay is taking too long to appear, try decreasing layer resolution or decreasing brush size. To understand why this happens, read more about how Modeler works.

Clay tool parameters

Brush Shape

Select the base shape for the brush

Different brush shapes have different parameters available. For example, you can adjust the width, height, and depth of a cube, or you can adjust the radius and thickness of a torus. A full list of brush shape parameters is available here.

Size

Modify the size of the brush

Increase or decrease the size of the brush. Very large brush sizes may cause a delay between adding clay and the clay appearing.

Pressure
Toggle pressure sensitivity

Pressure sensitivity allows you to dynamically adjust the scale of clay as you draw out your strokes.

  • 🥽 Vary the amount of pressure you apply with TT during your stroke.
  • 💻 Pressure sensitivity works best with a pressure sensitive pen and tablet.
Single
Toggle single mode Single mode will only place a single stamp of your brush when you pull the trigger instead of constantly applying clay along your stroke.
Lazy
Toggle Lazy stroke With Lazy stroke enabled, the stroke is dragged behind the cursor rather than appearing directly beneath it. This helps create smoother strokes and clean curves.
Steady
Toggle Steady stroke Steady stroke takes time to catch up with the cursor. Unlike Lazy stroke, Steady stroke will eventually reach the cursor. This helps create smoother strokes and clean curves.

Get help faster and easier

New user?