Painting >
Create images for stencils and stamps

Mudbox supports several image formats and image bit depths for stencils and stamps. While images that are 8 bits in depth can be used, better results can be achieved with images that are 16 or 32 bits in depth. If you want to create stamps and stencils with an alpha channel (RGBA) that are 16 bits per channel you can use an editing application such as Adobe® Photoshop® :

1. Launch Photoshop.
2. Select File > New... The New file window appears.
3. In the New window, set the following options and then click OK.
   - Width: As required.
   - Height: As required.
   - Color Mode: RGB Color - 16 bit
   - Background Contents: Transparent

     (This ensures an alpha channel is created for the image.)

   - Advanced > Color Profile: Don’t Color Manage this Document.

     (This ensures the file is not tagged with an existing color profile.)

   A new blank image appears in the work area. A checkered background on the canvas indicates the presence of the alpha channel.

   NoteThe height and width for a stamp image can range anywhere between 256 and 512 pixels, and should be square in proportion. If your are producing an image for a stencil, the height and width can be non-square in proportion.
4. Paint your stamp or stencil.
5. When finished, save the completed image by selecting File > Save As...
6. In the Save As... window, set the following, then click Save.
   - File name: Enter a file name.
   - Format: Select TIFF from the drop-down list.
   - Save Options: Layers: Off

7. In the TIFF Options window that appears, set the following options then click OK.
   - Image Compression: LZW.
   - Pixel Order: Interleaved (RGBRGB)
   - Byte Order: IBM PC
   - Save Transparency: On
   - Layer Compression: Discard Layers and Save a Copy.

8. If you want the image to appear in the Stamp or Stencil tray, copy the image to the following Mudbox directory:
   - (Windows) <drive>:\Program Files\Autodesk\Mudbox2009\stamp
   - (Windows) <drive>:\Program Files\Autodesk\Mudbox2009\stencil
   - (Mac OS X) /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Mudbox 2009/Stamps
   - (Mac OS X) /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Mudbox 2009/Stencils
   NoteLoading an image into the tool tray isn’t a requirement for using an image as a stamp or stencil, but is useful if you want to reuse it frequently.
9. The next time you launch Mudbox, the new image appears in the tray associated with the directory where you copied the image.
   NoteIf the stencil or stamp image does not appear in the appropriate tray, your Mudbox settings may be corrupted. Exit Mudbox, delete the Mudbox Settings directory, and restart Mudbox.