by clo1to5·Modeling
Images © clo1to5. Used for product review; image policy.
Planar Sculpting earns its place in the blender_extensions library by restoring the Scrape/Fill Original Normal planar behavior that Blender 4.5 removed, giving artists who preferred that surface-scraping workflow a direct alternative alongside the newer brushes.
Planar Sculpting is a Blender add-on from clo1to5 that replicates the old Scrape/Fill plus Original Normal planar functionality. After the 'Original Normal' button was removed in Blender 4.5, that behavior became difficult to fully reproduce through the newer brushes' stabilize normal/plane settings, so this add-on brings it back as an alternative for the previous surface-scraping workflow, including rock sculpting. Note that it is not a brush asset in sculpting.
It works with Blender's default brush Size and Strength controls, accessed with F or Shift+F. Holding Alt swaps between View and Normal modes, while holding Ctrl applies a depth offset that lets you slice or shave into the mesh. Press B to switch between Scrape and Fill, and a basic on-screen HUD shows your current modes and offsets. You can open it from the 3D Viewport N-Panel under 'Planar Brush' or through a shortcut assigned in Preferences.
Later versions added Symmetry/Mirror, Sculpt Mask support and Dyntopo compatibility (not simultaneously), plus a Preview feature that displays the target plane, though enabling it can reduce performance. Because it runs as an add-on rather than a built-in brush, it may feel slower or stutter on extremely high-poly meshes, and modifiers—including Multiresolution—are not supported.
Planar Sculpting is best for blender artists doing surface scraping, such as rock sculpting, who preferred the classic Scrape/Fill Original Normal planar workflow.
Planar Sculpting is completely free to download and use.
Planar Sculpting is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, so recent releases in that range are covered. It was built specifically to bring back the classic Scrape/Fill Original Normal planar behavior that was removed in Blender 4.5, replicating the old workflow rather than relying on the newer brushes' stabilize normal and plane settings. If you run a version at or above 4.2 LTS, you can install it and use it for surface scraping.
Planar Sculpting appears in the 3D Viewport N-Panel under 'Planar Brush', or you can run it through a shortcut assigned in the Preferences settings. From there it works with Blender's default brush Size and Strength, which you adjust with F or Shift+F. Holding Alt swaps between View and Normal modes, holding Ctrl adds a depth offset for slicing into the mesh, and pressing B toggles between Scrape and Fill. A basic on-screen HUD displays your current modes and offsets.
Planar Sculpting does not support modifiers, and that includes Multiresolution. Because it operates as an add-on rather than a built-in brush, it can also feel slower or stutter on extremely high-poly meshes compared to the native tools, though it handles general environment work. Later versions did add Symmetry/Mirror, Sculpt Mask support and Dyntopo compatibility, but those do not operate simultaneously. If your setup depends heavily on modifier stacks, keep these limitations in mind before relying on it.
Planar Sculpting is listed as free here and is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. For current licensing terms, and to report issues or check version history, head to the developer's page. The add-on does not require special permissions. It's distributed as a small download you can drag and drop into Blender or install from disk through the extension preferences.
Planar Sculpting added Symmetry/Mirror and Sculpt Mask support in version 1.1.2, along with Dyntopo compatibility, though these features do not operate at the same time. You can set mirror axes using the X, Y and Z controls during a session. A later update introduced a Preview feature that displays the target plane, but enabling it can cause a performance drop. These additions expand the original Scrape/Fill planar workflow that the add-on was built to restore.
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