Skip to content
BLBlender

Surface Painter

by polyspaace·Workflow

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

Why we like it

Surface Painter earns its place in the superhive library by keeping material work at the panel level: surfaces come as node groups you can tweak without the shader editor, and its palettes reach beyond painting into any material's color inputs. It carries a 5-star rating from 8 reviews and ships under the GPL license.

What is Surface Painter?

Surface Painter is a Blender addon for adding quick, already colored basic materials to your objects without building each one by hand. You select one of 27 procedural common surfaces, such as car paints, varnishes, wall plasters and metals, choose a color, and paint with CTRL+LMB. You can target a single face, an area limited by sharp edges, or an entire object, and it works in both Object and Edit mode.

Colors come from a 75-shade default palette, or you can pick a custom one. Favorite colors can be saved to your scene or to global favorites and shared between plugin and Blender versions. The palettes aren't limited to painting surfaces either: you can apply them to any color input in the Shader Editor.

Because each surface is built as a node group, you can tweak material settings from the panel without opening the shader editor. You can also create and save your own surfaces. The addon supports Blender's default sRGB color space and works with Blender 3.0 and up. It's distributed under the GPL license, and a demo video is available.

Who is Surface Painter best for?

Surface Painter is best for blender artists, including beginners, who want to apply colored basic materials to objects quickly instead of building each material by hand.

How much does Surface Painter cost?

Surface Painter is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • 27 procedural common surfaces including car paints, varnishes, wall plasters and metals, delivered as node groups
  • Paint modes for a single face, an area limited by sharp edges, or an entire object
  • 75-color default palette plus custom colors, with favorites saved to scene or global lists
  • CTRL+LMB painting that works in both Object and Edit mode
  • Panel-level material tweaking without opening the shader editor
  • Palettes and favorite colors usable for any color input in the Shader Editor
  • Create and save your own surfaces

Tags

#Blender#Materials#Color Palette#Painting#Node Groups#Add-on#ArchViz

Frequently asked questions

Which Blender versions does Surface Painter support?

Surface Painter works with Blender 3.0 and later, and it's listed as Blender Extension compatible. One current limitation is color space: the addon supports only Blender's default sRGB color space for now. If you're on a recent Blender release and working with standard sRGB settings, the surfaces and palette colors will behave as intended. For the exact version range and any color-space updates, check the developer's page before installing.

Can I use Surface Painter's palettes in the Shader Editor?

Surface Painter lets you use all of its palette and favorite colors in the Shader Editor, not only when painting surfaces. In any material, select the node you want to color, open the 'Nodes' panel, and you'll see the available color inputs. From there you can apply any palette color or one of your saved favorites. This means the same colors you use to paint objects are also available for coloring nodes across your materials.

Does Surface Painter work in both Object and Edit mode?

Surface Painter works in both Object and Edit mode. When painting, you can choose the area you want to affect: a single face, an area limited by sharp edges, or an entire object's materials. Painting itself is done with CTRL+LMB on the objects using your current settings. Because each surface comes as a node group, you can also tweak the applied material directly from the panel without entering the shader editor each time.

How do I paint objects with Surface Painter?

Surface Painter paints objects when you hold CTRL and left-click on them, applying the surface and color you've selected. You start by choosing one of the 27 common surfaces, such as car paints, varnishes, wall plasters or metals, then pick a color from the 75-shade palette or a custom one. You can also create and save your own surfaces, and store favorite colors in your scene or global favorites to reuse them in later projects.

Is Surface Painter free, and how is it licensed?

Surface Painter is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. Because pricing and licensing can change over time, check the developer's page for the current terms before you download. The addon comes with documentation, so you can review setup and usage details there. If you'd like to see it before installing, a demo video is available on the developer's page.

Alternatives to Surface Painter

Also in Workflow for Blender.

Similar plugins