Getting Started >
QuickStart tutorial

Overview

The following QuickStart tutorial is structured in a step-by-step format to help you get started with the basic features of Mudbox.

NoteDepending on your experience with other 3D applications, the QuickStart tutorial may take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.

- Configure your Wacom tablet or mouse
- Launch Mudbox
- Navigate the 3D View
- Load a model
- Increase the resolution of a model
- Sculpt a model
- Sculpt using layers
- Sculpt using stencils
- Paint a model
- Paint using stencils
- Save your work

NoteBeyond the QuickStart tutorial you can refer to the user guides and reference sections of the Mudbox Help for more detailed information.

Configure your Wacom tablet or mouse

It is recommended that you use a Wacom® pen tablet in order to take full advantage of the sculpting functionality in Mudbox. If you do not have a tablet you can alternately sculpt a mesh in Mudbox using a standard three-button mouse.

Mudbox uses a similar three-button configuration for camera actions as Maya®. You'll need to configure the upper and lower side switches on your Wacom pen so they act in a similar manner as the right and middle buttons on the mouse. For more information see Tablet setup.

If you are not using a tablet and stylus, a three-button mouse must be used with Mudbox to provide the functionality necessary to control Mudbox. For information on configuring a three-button mouse, see Mouse setup.

Launch Mudbox

Do one of the following:

(Windows)

- Double-click the Mudbox icon on your desktop.
- From the Windows Start menu, select: Programs > Autodesk > Mudbox <version> > Mudbox <version>.

(Mac OS X)

- Click the Mudbox icon in the Dock.
- From the Finder menu, select Go > Applications, double-click the Autodesk folder to display its contents, then double-click the Mudbox application icon.

(Linux)

- Open a terminal and type mudbox, then press Enter.

Load a model

Mudbox works with polygonal models as the underlying surface type. Polygonal meshes are a surface type that are widely used in the development of 3D content for animated effects in film, interactive video games, digital prototypes for industrial design, and for creating virtual 3D content for the internet. For more information on polygonal models, see Sculpting overview.

In this lesson, you sculpt a polygonal sphere you create in Mudbox. Mudbox includes a variety of pre-made 3D model templates you can use as the basis for your sculpted models. These simple pre-made polygonal meshes have UV texture coordinates which are required for texture painting and texture extraction. For more information on sculpting templates, see Load a sculpt template.

Whenever you launch Mudbox, the Welcome window appears. This lets you easily view the learning movies, select a sculpt template or a file from disk.

1. In the Start A New Sculpture section of the Welcome window, select the Sphere sculpt template.

   A polygonal sphere appears in the 3D View.

NoteYou can open or import your own polygonal meshes from other 3D applications using either the File > Open or File > Import. Files must be either in the .fbx or .obj file format. For more information see Model file formats.

Navigate the 3D View

In Mudbox, you must be able to view and sculpt your model from many viewpoints within the 3D View. Navigating the camera within the 3D View is the first skill you must master. Mudbox uses a three-button configuration for camera actions similar to Autodesk® Maya®.

To: | Keyboard shortcut: (Windows and Linux) | Keyboard shortcut: (Mac OS X) | Results
--- | --- | --- | ---
Rotate the camera | Alt + drag | Option + drag Command + drag | The camera rotates about its center of interest.
Track the camera | Alt + Middle-drag | Option + Middle-drag Command + Middle-drag | The camera moves in a sideways motion.
Dolly the camera | Alt + Right-drag | Option + Right-drag Command + Right-drag | The camera moves toward its center of interest. You can also dolly using the scroll wheel on your mouse.
Focus on a location | F | F | Place your cursor over the model and press the F key. The location beneath the cursor becomes the camera's center of interest.
Frame All | A | A | Repositions the camera so that all visible geometry is within the camera's field of view.

- Using the hotkeys described above, tumble, track, and dolly the camera in relation to the sphere so you become familiar with these features.

Increase the resolution of a model

Adding more polygonal faces to a model, also referred to as increasing its resolution, is accomplished by subdividing it. Subdividing lets you sculpt more detail than would otherwise be possible. Adding a subdivision level divides each four-sided polygon face on the model into four smaller faces, and so on.

1. To see the individual polygon faces on the model, press the W key. (Pressing W a second time turns the wireframe display off).

2. From the main menu, select Mesh > Add New Subdivision Level to increase the resolution of the sphere.
   NoteYou can also add a new subdivision level by pressing the hotkeys Shift + D.

   Additional polygonal faces appear on the model. The Heads-up Display momentarily appears in the upper right corner of the 3D View to provide information including the current subdivision level as well as the number of polygons for that subdivision level. The new subdivision level is called Level 1.

   You can also determine how many levels the Sphere currently has, as well as information about those levels by viewing the Object List.

3. To view the Object List, click the tab titled Object List located in the upper-right of the Mudbox user interface.
4. Click the + symbol beside the Sphere name to expand the list.

   The Sphere has two subdivision levels: 0 and 1. The active subdivision level is level: 1. (Adjust the column width of the Name column in the Object List if you cannot see this information clearly).

   NoteBy default, only one subdivision level can be sculpted on at a time. To sculpt on level_0 again you must step down from level_1 to level_0 (the lower resolution version of the mesh).
5. Press the Page Down key to step down to display the original base level of the model. The current subdivision level momentarily appears in the Heads-up display.

The following hotkeys are useful for navigating the subdivision levels.

To: | Keyboard shortcut: (Windows) | Keyboard shortcut: (Mac OS X) | Action/Results
--- | --- | --- | ---
Add a new subdivision level | Shift + D | Shift + D | Subdivides the active mesh and an additional subdivision level is added to mesh. (Ensure that the mesh you want to subdivide is selected or that the cursor is on top of the mesh before you subdivide)
Step up one subdivision level | Page Up | Page Up | Displays the next densest level on the selected model.
Step down one subdivision level | Page Down | Page Down | Displays the next coarsest level on the selected model.

Sculpt a model

In Mudbox you sculpt your model using sculpting tools you select from the tool trays located below the 3D View.

1. Click the tab titled Sculpt Tools then in the Sculpt Tools tray, click the Sculpt tool.

2. In the 3D View, position the cursor over the sphere, then click-drag the cursor across the surface of the sphere for one short stroke.

   Your sculpt stroke moves the affected vertices on the model slightly outwards on the model.

   NoteYou can undo a sculpt stroke by immediately pressing the hotkeys Ctrl + Z.
3. Press the Ctrl key, while performing another sculpt stroke on the sphere.

   This time the affected vertices are moved inwards in relation to the polygonal mesh.

   NoteClicking the Sculpt tool icon in the tray displays its properties in the Properties window on the right side of the user interface. You can change a tool's Size and Strength in the Properties window, or use the hotkeys described in the table below.

Tool Property | Keyboard shortcut: (Windows) | Keyboard shortcut: (Mac OS X) | Action/Results
--- | --- | --- | ---
Size | B + drag | B + drag | The circle surrounding the cursor changes size depending on the direction you drag, indicating the region of influence of the sculpting tool.
Strength | M + drag | M + drag | The vertical line above the cursor changes length depending on the direction you drag, indicating the change in tool strength.

Sculpt using layers

You can store sculpted detail on one or more sculpt layers. Sculpt layers store edits to the mesh and let you create and edit sculpted features, keep the edits separate from one another, and let you blend sculpted detail between layers. You view and manage layers using the Layers window.

1. Click the Layers tab in the upper-right corner of the Mudbox interface to display the Layers window.
2. To create a new sculpt layer, first set the display button at the top of the Layers window to Sculpt, then click the Layers window menu ( ) and select New Layer from the list (or click the New Layer icon).

   A new layer titled Sculpt Layer 1 is created and becomes the active layer. Everything you sculpt from now on will be stored separately on this layer until you select another layer or change subdivision levels.

3. In the 3D View, sculpt on the sphere while Sculpt Layer 1 is selected.
4. To sculpt on the original base layer (Sphere), click the Sphere layer in the Layers window to select it.
5. Turn off the display of Sculpt Layer 1 by clicking the visibility icon (circular dot) beside it.

   The details you sculpted on Sculpt Layer 1 disappear when the layer is invisible.

You can lower the Opacity setting (located to the right of the layer name) so it fades out the sculpting for the entire sculpt layer by setting its value to zero. This is a great non-destructive tool. The Opacity value also works as a multiplier; you can either amplify or invert the sculpted information on the layer by entering values over 100 or by entering negative values. The Opacity setting slider can also be used to adjust the opacity value.

If you want to hold back or mask pre-existing sculpting in localized areas of a sculpt layer you can use the mask feature to paint the sculpted areas you want temporarily removed from that layer. For more information, see Mask sculpting on a layer

Sculpt using stencils

Stencils let you use images to sculpt interesting detail onto a model. In Mudbox, a stencil functions in a similar manner as its real world counterparts. Black values in the stencil image protect the mesh and white areas of the stencil image allow the sculpt tool to pass through and affect the vertices on the model.

1. From the main menu, select File > New Scene, then click Don’t Save in the New Scene window.

   You’ll create a new sphere for your work with stencils in the steps that follow.

2. Select Create > Mesh > Sphere.

   A new polygonal sphere appears in the 3D View.

3. In the 3D View, position the cursor over the sphere, and press Shift + D twice in order to subdivide it a couple more times so you can add the finer detail that this stencil can provide.

   Some stencil effects do not appear correctly unless the model has been subdivided to a high enough subdivision level.

4. In the Stencil tray, click the stencil thumbnail image titled bw_skin08.jpg to select it. (Placing the cursor over a thumbnail image displays its name).

   The stencil image appears in the center of the 3D View.

5. Ensure the sphere is positioned directly behind the stencil image in the 3D View.

   If you need to reposition the stencil in the 3D View, use the following hotkeys.

   To: | Keyboard shortcut: (Windows and Linux) | Keyboard shortcut: (Mac OS X) | Results
   --- | --- | --- | ---
   Rotate a stencil | S + drag | S + drag | Rotates the stencil about its center pivot point.
   Move a stencil | S + Middle-drag | S + Middle-drag | Moves the stencil.
   Scale a stencil | S + Right-drag | S + Right-drag | Scales the stencil larger or smaller.

6. With the Sculpt tool still selected, stroke across the stencil image and onto the sphere.

   The stencil disappears when you stroke to let you see the region you're affecting on the model.

7. Click the Off icon in the Stencil tray to turn off the stencil before proceeding to the next section.

   TipSelecting either the stencil's icon in the Stencil tray or the stencil object in the Object List displays its properties in the Properties window.

Paint a model

The 3D Paint feature lets you apply digital paint to your models in Mudbox.

Two paint modes are available:

- 3D Paint: Paint is applied directly to the 3D model.
- Stencil Projection: Paint is projected onto the model through a 2D stencil image you specify and the color properties of the stencil image are applied to the model as you stroke over it in the 3D View.

Using these two paint modes in combination with the tool properties and other bitmap images provides the possibility for an unlimited variety of brush tips.

In this lesson, you’ll learn the basics of both techniques to apply paint to the sphere.

1. From the main menu, select File > New Scene, then click Don’t Save in the New Scene window.

   You’ll create a new sphere for painting in the steps that follow.

2. Select Create > Mesh > Sphere.

   A new polygonal sphere appears in the 3D View.

3. Select the Paint Tools tray, then select the Paint Brush.

4. Stroke across the model to begin painting.

   The Create New Paint Layer window appears before any paint is applied.

   NoteThe first time you paint on a model, the Create New Paint Layer window appears. It is necessary to have at least one paint layer to paint on a model. The paint layer stores your paint as a bitmap image. The default layer settings are sufficient for this lesson.
   Click OK to create the new layer.

   A paint layer titled Paint Layer 1 is created and you can now paint on the model. Note that the Layers window has updated to display Paint layers. For more information on paint layer options see Create a new paint layer.

   NoteThe paint layer appears in the same Layers window location as the sculpt layer you created in the previous section. The Layers window displays both sculpt and paint layers (but not simultaneously) and is controlled by the layer display button at the top of the Layers window.

5. Stroke on the model in the area you want to apply paint.

   The default paint color is white.

6. To change the paint color, click the Color box in the Paint Brush properties window.

   The Color Chooser window appears.

   TipYou can also sample a color in the 3D View by pressing I and clicking in the 3D View. For more information, see Sample color on a model.
7. In the Color Chooser window, select a preset color from the array of color tiles or create a custom color by clicking in the color wheel on the right, then click Done.
8. Paint on the sphere.

   TipYou change the 3D Paint brush Size and Strength options exactly in the same way you do for the Sculpt tool. For more information see View and edit paint brush properties.
9. To erase paint, select the Paint Erase tool located on the Paint Tools tray then stroke across the model on any areas you’ve previously painted. You can also undo a stroke by pressing Ctrl + Z immediately after your stroke.

Paint using stencils

You can load images or textures into the 3D View and project a portion or all of an image onto a model.

1. In the Paint Tools tray, select the Projection brush.

2. In the Stencils tray, select the grass stencil image title rgb_grass.jpg to load it as a stencil image for paint projection.

   The grass image appears as a stencil at the center of the 3D View. If the grass image fills the entire 3D View, scale it smaller. Press the S key while dragging with the left, middle, or right button to scale the stencil smaller. For more information, see Move, rotate, or scale a stencil.

3. In the 3D View, dolly, track, or tumble the view so the sphere is positioned where you want it to receive paint in relation to the stencil image.

4. Stroke on the stencil to begin painting using the Projection brush.

   The grass stencil disappears as you stroke and paint is projected onto the model based on the stencil image in the locations you stroke. The stencil reappears after each stroke.

   NoteYou can adjust the transparency of the stencil’s display in the 3D View by adjusting its Visibility property in the Advanced section of the Stencil Properties window. Adjusting this property does not affect how paint is applied to the model, it simply makes it easier to see the model behind the stencil in the 3D View.
   NoteThe Create New Paint Layer window doesn’t appear since a paint layer already exists. In this lesson you apply the stencil paint to the existing paint layer. In your own work, you may want to create a new layer to keep the different images you paint separate. For more information on creating a new layer see Create a new paint layer.
   When you’re finished using the Projection brush, click the Off icon in the Stencil tray to quit the stencil before continuing your work. Otherwise, the stencil remains active on the Projection brush.

Save your work

1. Select File > Save Scene to save your first digital sculpture.

   The file is stored as a .mud format file, the native Mudbox file format. Any images you created while painting are stored in a directory with the same name as your .mud file (for example, test.mud and test-files). For more information on how to save and export your work, see Save or export your work.

2. To exit Mudbox, do the following:
   - (Windows) Select File > Exit.
   - (Mac OS X) Select Mudbox > Quit Mudbox.
   - (Linux) Select File > Exit.

NoteEach time you exit Mudbox, any changes you’ve made to the configuration of the Mudbox interface are automatically saved in a UI.sav and Settings.sav file to record your user settings.