Painting Across Seams

There are four common workflows for solving texture seams:

Paint & save in your 2D painting app (Photoshop, GiMP, etc.), reload texture in your 3D app (3ds Max, Maya, etc.), repeat until seams are solved.
Use a 3D paint tool/plugin inside your 3D app to paint directly across the seams:
- 3ds max:
  - Viewport Canvas for Max 2010 and 2011. Layers are only supported in the Max 2011 version.
  - TexTools is a free set of tools. Camera Map allows projection painting in conjunction with your 2D painting app, via the Windows clipboard. Does not isolate the painted details on a transparent layer.
  - PolyBoost was the genesis of Viewport Canvas. It works in older versions of Max, but is not free. Does not isolate the painted details on a transparent layer.
  - TexPaint3D is a free painting plugin, but does not isolate the painted details on a transparent layer.
Maya has various painting methods.
Use a dedicated 3D painting program to paint directly across the seams:
- ZBrush
- Mudbox
- Body Paint 3D
- Photoshop CS4
- etc.
Use your 3D app's texture-baking tool and multiple UV channels:
- Apply a 2nd UV layout that is setup to be seamless where the original seam was.
- Bake it out to a new texture.
- Fix the seam in your 2D painting app.
- Apply the new map in your 3D app, and bake it back into the original UV layout.
- 3ds Max Tutorial for this process - by Peter Kojesta

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PaintingAcrossSeams