AMS Vertex Paint is an independent vertex‑color painting system built specifically for Blender.
It introduces its own Paint Mode, real‑time preview material, and a dedicated brush engine, allowing you to see and paint vertex colors instantly with no setup.
The workflow is designed to be fast, visual, and straightforward: activate Paint Mode, pick a color, and paint with precise control directly in the viewport.
Key Features:
- Easy Setup: Activate Paint Mode and start painting vertex colors instantly, without extra material configuration;
- Channel Masking: Choose which color channels are affected to achieve precise multi‑channel control;
- Paint All or Selected: Apply color to the whole mesh or only to selected vertices for targeted edits;
- Interactive Brush: Adjust radius, hardness, blend mode, and pen pressure for smooth and responsive painting;
- Color Palette: Store frequently used colors in persistent groups to keep your workflow organized;
- Select by Color: Quickly select all vertices using a specific color for fast refinement and cleanup;
- Debug Tools: Inspect color distribution with live vertex counts to validate your masks while painting;
- Automatic Material Handling: A temporary preview material ensures clear visibility and restores originals automatically;
- Safe Session Recovery: Built‑in protection prevents stuck paint sessions and restores your mesh if something goes wrong;
Getting AMS Vertex Paint Addon:
Documentation
1. Installation
- Open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons
- Click Install…
- Select the
AMSVertexPaint.zipfile - Enable the checkbox next to AMS Vertex Paint in the Add-ons list
Note:
If everything went fine, you should see the AMS Tools tab in the 3D View sidebar (press N to open it if it’s hidden). If it does not appear, make sure the addon is enabled in the Add-ons list. If it still does not show up, check the Blender console (Window → Toggle System Console on Windows) for any error messages.
2. Using AMS UI Soft Mask
- Select a Mesh object;
- Open the 3D View sidebar (N) and go to AMS Tools → Vertex Paint;
- Click Enable Paint Mode — a debug checker material is applied automatically;
- Set your Tint Color;
- Set your Channel Mask — the selected channels (R / G / B / A) will be affected in any painting operation;
- Use Paint Selected or Paint All to apply Tint Color + Channel Mask to selected vertices or to the entire mesh, respectively;
- Paint Brush: entering Paint Mode automatically enables brush painting; paint directly on the mesh surface;
- Adjust Brush Radius, Hardness, Blend Mode, and Pen Pressure as needed;
- Click Disable Paint Mode to restore the original materials and exit painting.
Tip:
While a mesh has vertices selected, the Debug Selection section shows every distinct color found in the selection. This makes it easy to inspect painted areas, verify masks, and debug color distribution.
2.1 Properties
| Property | Details | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Enable / Disable Paint Mode | Activates or deactivates the painting workflow. Applies the debug checker material on enable and restores original materials on disable. | — |
| Tint Color | The color applied by Brush Paint, Paint Selected, and Paint All. | — |
| Channel Mask | Defines which of R / G / B / A are overwritten when painting. Channels left off keep their current value. | — |
| Paint Selected | Applies Tint Color + Channel Mask only to the currently selected vertices. | Backspace |
| Paint All | Applies Tint Color + Channel Mask to every vertex in the mesh. | Ctrl + Backspace |
| Enable Brush Paint | Toggles interactive brush painting on the mesh surface while Paint Mode is active. | ESC / RMB |
| Brush Radius | Controls the size of the brush when painting directly on the mesh surface. | Ctrl + Wheel |
| Brush Hardness | Adjusts the brush falloff, from soft edges to a sharp boundary. | Alt + Wheel |
| Blend Mode | Determines how brush strokes blend with the existing vertex colors. | — |
| Pen Pressure | Enables pressure‑sensitive brush painting when using a tablet. | Alt + RMB |
| Use Selection as Mask | Restricts Brush Paint to the currently selected vertices. When enabled, brush strokes only affect the selection. | — |
2.2 Debug Selection
The Debug Selection panel displays a summary of the vertex colors found in the current selection. It shows how many vertices are selected and how many unique colors exist within that selection. Each entry in the list represents a unique color and the number of vertices using it.
Per‑color controls
- Color swatch — shows the exact vertex color found in the selection.
- Copy Color — loads this color into the current Tint Color, so you can reuse or adjust it.
- Select Color — selects all vertices in the mesh that use this color.
- Add to Palette — saves this color directly into the active Palette Group.
2.3 Color Palette
The Color Palette panel manages reusable color groups. Each group contains a list of saved colors that you can quickly load, select, or remove.
Palette Groups
- Group List — displays all palette groups.
- Add Group — creates a new empty palette group.
- Remove Group — deletes the currently active palette group.
Only the active group is shown. If the active group has no colors, the palette grid is hidden.
Color Entries (per‑color controls)
Each saved color in the active group appears as a swatch with three actions:
- Color Swatch — shows the stored color value.
- Copy Color — loads this palette color into the current Tint Color.
- Select Vertices — selects all vertices in the mesh that use this color.
- Remove Color — deletes this color from the palette group.
3. Changelog
[2.0]
- Added Paint Brush Mode (interactive brush painting).
- Added shortcuts for faster painting workflow.
- Improved overall usability and panel organization.
[1.0]
First release.