Sculpting & Masks

Build the form. Sculpt the detail.

Combine boolean modeling with surface brushes in one workspace. Refine the silhouette, add detail and protect selected regions as you develop a high-poly hard surface model.

Try it in HardCuts
Concept illustration of a raised sculpting brush stroke on a gray block beside a flat protected mask area
Concept illustration of sculpting and masking; not an application screenshot.

Move from a blockout to a shaped surface

Start with a primitive, sketch extrusion or boolean model, select the object and open Brushes. Draw, Clay Strips and Inflate add or alter volume. Move and Transform help reshape an affected region. Use Smooth to soften surface variation and inspect the silhouette from several angles as you work.

Define creases, edges and local details

Crease, Pinch and Trim offer different ways to refine the surface. Adjust radius, strength and the settings available for the active brush. Small, controlled strokes help you judge a change before adding more detail, and Undo lets you compare the result with the previous form.

Add alpha detail without losing control

Alpha Brush and Projection Brush use an image alpha to apply surface detail. Start with a test stroke and choose a working resolution that can represent the detail. Tablet pressure can control radius or strength where the selected brush exposes those options.

Protect and repeat your work

Mask Brush protects regions while you sculpt. Add or erase the mask to change the affected area. Mirror axes and radial symmetry repeat suitable strokes around the object's local axes and origin, so place the origin deliberately before adding repeated details.

Good to know

Can I combine sculpting with boolean modeling?

Yes. Brushes refine the selected object's surface, while shapes and boolean operations build or cut the form. Choose a working resolution that preserves the details you need.

Does a stronger alpha brush create more geometry detail?

Increasing strength does not recover detail the geometry cannot represent. Use a suitable object resolution and inspect a test stroke before repeating fine alpha detail.

Is brush symmetry the same as Symmetrize?

No. Brush Mirror and Radial settings repeat strokes while sculpting. The object Symmetrize tool copies one side of an object to create a symmetric result.