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BLBlender

Gradient Tools

by Pixonomic·Workflow

Images © Pixonomic. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Gradient Tools earns its place in the Superhive library by combining palette design, four real-time painting tools, vertex-color baking, and a Shadeless VFX mode inside Blender's viewport.

What is Gradient Tools?

Gradient Tools works inside Blender's viewport and Image Editor, letting you design palettes and gradients on a simple grid and paint them directly onto meshes, curves, and vertex color layers. Every tool generates the UVs it needs on the fly, so a clean UV map isn't required. The workflow is non-destructive: pick a color or gradient, paint, and watch the model update live.

Four real-time painting tools cover different needs. Project offers axis projection from Top, Front, or Side views, Quick Snap centers a strip on selected faces, and Current View projects from the current viewport angle. Paint mode includes Drag for linear gradients, Freehand for hand-drawn strokes smoothed automatically, Radial for circular effects, and Path for multi-point Bézier gradients across a mesh. Each tool shows a live GPU preview redrawn every frame, with instant invert via F.

A Shadeless VFX mode bypasses the shader for pure, lighting-independent color through an Emission path that behaves the same in EEVEE and Cycles. Palettes can be baked to per-face vertex colors for texture-free, game-ready assets, or applied directly along curve objects with no mesh conversion.

Who is Gradient Tools best for?

Gradient Tools is best for blender artists hand-painting stylized characters, color-blocking hard-surface props, prototyping material variations, or preparing vertex-color-only assets for game engines.

How much does Gradient Tools cost?

Gradient Tools is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Four real-time painting tools — Project (axis and current-view), Quick Snap, Freehand, Radial, and Path — each with a live on-screen preview before you commit
  • Live GPU preview redrawn every frame, with instant invert via F mid-drag and an on-screen shortcut HUD
  • Robust, artifact-free projection that handles dense or irregular meshes and geometry behind the camera without stray colors, seams or noise
  • Shadeless / VFX mode renders pure, lighting-independent color through an Emission path that works the same in EEVEE and Cycles
  • One-click View Transform → Standard button and adjustable emission strength for HDR, flat-pass, and AOV needs
  • Bake palettes to per-face vertex colors for texture-free, game-ready assets
  • Apply gradients directly along a curve object's length with no mesh conversion

Tags

#gradient#palette#vertex colors#texturing#blender addon#vfx#curves#painting

Frequently asked questions

Does Gradient Tools require UV unwrapping in Blender?

Gradient Tools does not require an existing UV map. Every tool generates the UVs it needs on the fly, which sets it apart from palette add-ons that assume a clean UV map already exists. You select faces, pick a strip, choose a painting tool, and paint directly onto the mesh in the viewport. This lets you go from palette to finished surface without stepping into a separate unwrapping stage or leaving Blender for external software during the process.

How does the Shadeless VFX mode work in EEVEE and Cycles?

Gradient Tools includes a Shadeless mode that bypasses the shader to render pure, unlit color independent of scene lighting. It uses an Emission path that behaves the same in both EEVEE and Cycles, so client brand palettes or color scripts render exactly as picked. A one-click View Transform → Standard button sets color management so a specified hex color renders as intended, and emission strength is adjustable for HDR, flat-pass, and AOV needs.

Can Gradient Tools paint onto curve objects and vertex colors?

Gradient Tools applies gradients directly along the length of a curve object with no mesh conversion, which suits hair, ropes, cables, and procedural curve setups. It can also bake any palette to per-face vertex colors, producing texture-free assets that are ready for a game engine. Both capabilities work alongside the mesh painting tools, giving you a single visual pipeline from the palette grid to meshes, curves, and vertex color layers.

Is Gradient Tools free to download?

Gradient Tools is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so check the developer's page on Pixonomic for the current details before you download. The add-on runs inside Blender's viewport and Image Editor, giving you the palette grid, four painting tools, vertex color baking, curve application, and the Shadeless VFX mode as part of one interactive package.

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