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Maya Scene > flat_curve.ma.zip

Paint Effects

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This image is rendered entirely with curves generated with Paint Effects.

To create Paint Effects, open Maya's Visor window: Windows > General Editors > Content Browser.  Find the Paint Effects tab, click on a brush type in one of the folders, and then draw in the Maya viewport.

Paint Effects strokes that use a Brush Type "Paint" are rendered directly as curves by RenderMan.  It isn't necessary to translate to a mesh, although in some cases you may wish to do that.  You can find the brush type on the brush node after drawing a stroke.

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After creating a Paint Effects stroke a couple extra steps are required to set up a RenderMan material for rendering.  Shading for Paint Effects brushes is not fully translated.  However, a Cs (color) primitive variable is emitted for the curves, so you can make use of that in a material assigned to the stroke. PxrPrimvar > Color Input

In the PxrPrimvar make the type a color and use Cs. This will pass the Paint Effects color to the material. You can then hook this up to a material assigned to the stroke in the RenderMan rollout in the Attribute Editor.