Flatten tool
💻 Shortcut: Z
🥽 Quick swap: Switch mode
Use the Flatten tool to create a flat surface on existing clay.
The Flatten tool calculates a flattening plane based on the average normal of the surface under the brush. It's possible to unlock the flattening plane so that it's dynamically updated as you drag the brush over clay.
If the flattening plane is locked, it will be set at the point where you first start the Flatten operation.
The Flatten tool works based on the position of the brush at the beginning of the Flatten operation. As a result it's possible to get different results with small changes to the brushes starting position.
Buildup tool parameters
Size |
|
|---|---|
Modify the scale of the brush |
Increase or decrease the size of the brush. Very large brush sizes may cause a delay between drawing the stroke and clay being updated. |
| Hardness | |
| Adjust the falloff | Modify the strength of the flatten effect near the edges of the brush. |
| Strength |
|
| Control the overall amplitude of the Flatten effect | Strength modifies the amount of clay removed by the tool on each pass. |
| Spacing | |
| Adjust the distance between stamps of the Flatten effect |
Spacing is based on the brush size, so 100% spacing means that you need to move the cursor a distance equal to 100% the size of the brush for the next application of the effect. |
| Pressure |
|
| Toggle pressure sensitivity |
With pressure sensitivity on, the strength of the tool depends on the pressure applied. In VR this is determined by trigger pressure. With a drawing tablet by the pressure of the pen nib. On desktop with mouse and keyboard, pressure is emulated over time. |
| Falloff curve | |
| Select a falloff alpha |
Falloff alphas work with the hardness value to change how the Flatten tool adds or removes clay near the edge of the brush. |
| 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. |
| Mode | |
| Select whether to carve away ridges or fill valleys | By default, the Flatten tool removes clay to flatten surfaces, but you can also change the mode to add clay instead. |
| Lock flattening plane | |
| Toggle whether the flattening plane constantly updates | With an unlocked flattening plane, the Flatten tool behaves more dynamically. As you drag your brush over a surface, the flattening plane updates to match the surface under the brush. This is often useful when flattening more organic shapes, or working with curved hard surfaces. |