Introduction

The I-Mixer Triplanar Mapping, Vertex Paint Material Blending Tool is a powerful Blender addon that simplifies the process of blending multiple materials using vertex painting and bypassing UV unwrapping. This guide will walk you through the steps to set up and use the addon to create stunning, blended materials with ease.

Prerequisites

• Blender 4.1.1 or higher
• I-mixer Vertex Paint Material Blending Tool add-on installed

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install the Add-on

1. Download the Add-on: Ensure you have the I-mixer Vertex Paint Material Blending Tool add-on file (.zip format).
2. Install the Add-on:
• Open Blender.
• Go to Edit > Preferences.
• In the Preferences window, navigate to the Add-ons tab.
• Click Install... at the top right.
• Locate the downloaded .zip file and click Install Add-on.
• Enable the add-on by checking the checkbox next to its name.

2. Prepare Your Model

1. Open Your Project: Load the Blender project containing the model you want to apply materials to.
2. Select the Model: Click on the model in the 3D viewport to select it.

3. Load Images for Materials (Feel free to download materials from our Texture resource links to various libraries)

1. Open I-mixer Panel:
• Navigate to the 3D Viewport and open the N panel to reveal the right sidebar.
• Select the I-mixer tab.
2. Load Images for Group A:
• Click the Load Images for Group A button.
• Select up to 6 images for the base materials of Group A.
• Click Load Images.

4. Create Materials for Group A

1. Create Group A Materials:
• Click the Create Materials for Group A button.
• The add-on will generate the material nodes for Group A based on the loaded images and apply it to object.
2. Enable Triplanar Mapping (Optional):
• Check the Enable Triplanar Mapping checkbox if you want to use triplanar mapping.
• Adjust the Blend Value if triplanar mapping is enabled to blend seams.

5. Load and Create Materials for Group B

1. Load Images for Group B:
• Click the Load Images for Group B button.
• Select up to 6 images for the materials of Group B.
• Click Load Images.
2. Create Group B Materials:
• Click the Create Materials for Group B button.
• The add-on will generate the material nodes for Group B based on the loaded images.
• The materials from Group B will be blended with Group A using a vertex color attribute.

6. Load and Create Materials for Group C

1. Load Images for Group C:
• Click the Load Images for Group C button.
• Select up to 6 images for the materials of Group C.
• Click Load Images.
2. Create Group C Materials:
• Click the Create Materials for Group C button.
• The add-on will generate the material nodes for Group C based on the loaded images.
• The materials from Group C will be blended with Group A and Group B using a vertex color attribute.

7. Vertex Painting

1. Switch to Vertex Paint Mode:
• Select the model in the 3D viewport.

• Subdivide and increase desired vertex count for material application & details.
• Click the Switch to Vertex Paint Mode button in the I-mixer panel.
• Blender will switch to Vertex Paint mode.
1. Paint the Model:
• Use the vertex paint tools to paint on the model.
• The colors you paint will control the blending of the materials from Group A, Group B, and Group C.

8. Adjust Material Properties

1. Displacement Settings:
• Adjust the Midlevel and Scale values for displacement in each group section (Group A, Group B, Group C).
2. Metallic Settings:
• Adjust the Metallic Fac values for each group.
3. Height Blend Settings (Group B and C):
• Adjust the Falloff value for the height blend mask in Group B and Group C.

9. Customize Hotkey for Switching Vertex Colors

1. Access Add-on Preferences:
• Go to Edit > Preferences.
• Navigate to the Add-ons tab.
• Find the I-mixer add-on and click the arrow to expand its preferences.
2. Set Custom Hotkey:
• Find the Hotkey for Switching Vertex Colors field.
• Enter your preferred hotkey (default is "S").
• Close the Preferences window.

Conclusion

With the I-mixer Vertex Paint Material Blending Tool, you can easily blend multiple materials using vertex painting without the need to dive into complex node setups. This tool streamlines the material creation process, allowing you to focus on your creative work. Happy blending!

Feel free to customize this guide further to better fit your specific add-on features and user needs.