Simple Sculpt Layers Plus

Overview: The multilayer system allows you to stack sculpting passes non-destructively. Each layer stores vertex offsets relative to the base mesh.

Set Base Mesh

Stores the current mesh state as the foundation for all sculpt layers. Every mesh is required to have a base mesh before user can start working with the Multi-Layer panel

Auto-Store

Auto stores the selected layer's data - only if changes were detected

Add Sculpt Layer

Creates a new empty layer and enables it

Rename Layer

Click on the pen 🖋️ icon next to each layer, to change its name

Mask Layer

Click on the mask [●] icon next to each layer, to mask only the vertices that are affected by that layer

Toggle Layer

Click on the checkbox ☑ next to each layer to set it as the active (selected) layer

ℹ️ Only one layer can be selected at a time

Toggle Visibility

Click on the eye 👁 icon to show or hide that layer in the viewport

ℹ️ ALT + click on the eye icon to isolate the layer

⠀⠀ ALT + click again to restore visibility status of layer stack

Set Layer Strength

Click on the percentage % figure next to each layer, to control how much that layer will contributes to the overall mesh

ℹ️ 0% to 100% is the soft limit. However, you can type in any value between -1000% to 1000%

Delete Sculpt Layer

Removes the selected layer and its associated vertex offset data (attribute)

Move Sculpt Layer Up/Down

Moves selected layer up/down in the stack. Use when you want to merge down two specific layers

Merge Visible

Merges all the visible layers in the stack with the selected layer

Merge Down

Merges the selected layer with the one below

Duplicate Layer

Duplicates the selected layer

Cut Mask to New Layer

Extracts the selected layer's data - that lies within the masked area - into a new layer

ℹ️ Sensitive to mask strength

Bake from Multires

Bakes the current Multi-res mesh (if exists) into a new layer

ℹ️ The visbility status of the layer stack will affect the baked result. This is done purposefully, so the user can choose which comprising part of the multires he wants to isolate into a new layer (since after converting the multilayer to multires: the multires = the sum of all visible layers). Especially useful if changes were made to the multires mesh, that user wants to capture in layer form, or if user wants to bake the multires mesh to a shapekey mesh

Bake to Shapekey

Bakes the current Multi-Layer mesh into a shapekey within a new mesh (with a "_shapekey" suffix added to its name)

Blur Layer

Blurs the selected layer

Erase Masked Area

Deletes all the data of a selected layer, that is found within the masked area

ℹ️ Sensitive to mask strength

Store Changes

Store any changes made to the selected layer. Use if Auto-Store is disabled

Refresh Layers

Refreshes the layer UI and current mesh

Construct Geonodes Tools

Constructs all geonode tools needed for SSLP to work. If a geonode tool got corrupted for some reason, user can delete it and call this function

Overview: The Quick Poses panel in SSLP takes advantage of the Multires modifier to allow the user to quickly create & manage different poses - without the need to rig the mesh. It provides two complementary methods to do so:

Reshape method:

The 'Reshape' method keeps copies of the multires and recalls them using the 'Reshape' function of the multires modifier. Use when you would like to save different iterations made on your multires mesh, whenever the multires level is > 0

Add Pose

Creates a new empty pose slot

ℹ️ Click on the new pose name to rename it

Delete Pose

Removes the selected pose and its data

Reset to Basemesh

Resets the mesh back to base mesh

Store Pose

Saves the current multi-res mesh as a pose

Apply Pose

Loads back the stored pose

Refresh Pose List

Refreshes the pose list. Use if you made changes to any of the pose meshes inside the corresponding "_Poses" sub-collection

Shape Keys method:

The Shape Keys method uses Blender's native shape key system for pose storage. Use when you would like to save different iterations made on your multires mesh, whenever the multires level is = 0

Add Shape Key

Creates a new shape key & sets the multires level to 0

ℹ️ Click on the new shapekey name to rename it

Delete Shape Key

Removes the selected shape key

Toggle Shape Key Mute

Click on the eye 👁 icon next to each shapekey to mutes or unmute it

Refresh Shape Keys

Refresh the UI list to sync with the mesh's shapekeys

Clear All ShapeKeys

Removes all shape keys from the mesh & UI panel

Solo Active Shape Key

Toggles Solo Shapekey mode (Only show the active shape key at full value)

Delete Lower

Deletes the lowest subdivision level of the multires mesh, while preserving the shape keys. Use when the multires mesh base geometry is not enough to make shapekey poses

⚠️ Note: Depending on the size of the mesh, this process might take a while. Open the console beforehand if you would like to track the progress (Window >> Toggle System Console)

⚠️ Any 'Reshape' method poses will be deleted in the process!

⠀⠀you can preserve the poses beforehand by using the 'Bake from Multires' function

Overview: The Sync Panel is where the user will create/convert his multi-layer/multi-res respectively. It also makes sure to notify the user if there are any issues that prevents both meshes from syncing.

Multi-layer/Multi-res have to sync in order for conversion to work properly!

Sync Panel:

Multi-res/Multi-Layer Info

Click the question mark ❓ icon on the top right corner of the panel, to output sync info to the console for the current mesh.

Multi-Layer Operations:

Create Multi-res

Creates a corresponding multi-res mesh to work with your multi-layer mesh. Only available when no corresponding multi-res mesh is found

ℹ️ Uses 'Unsubdivide' function from Multires modifier to break down your mesh to the lowest possible sub-d level. If the resulting Multi-res mesh has 0 levels --> the 'Unsubdivide' function failed. Most likely because of bad topology. Retopology will be required.

⚠️ Note: Depending on the size of the mesh, this process might take a while. Open the console beforehand if you would like to track the progress (Window >> Toggle System Console)

Convert to Multi-res

Converts your multi-layer mesh to its multi-res counterpart, using the 'Reshape' function of the Multires modifier.

ℹ️ Conversion respects the active mesh placement in the outliner

Switch to Multi-res

Switches to the corresponding multi-res mesh without conversion. Only available when there is a desync

Multi-res Operations:

Available when working on a mesh with "_multires" suffix in its name

Create Multi-Layer

Create a corresponding multi-layer mesh. Only available when no corresponding multi-layer mesh is found

Switch to Multi-Layer

Switches back to Multi-Layer. Responsible for re-syncing Multi-res/layer if there is a level mis-match. Only available when mesh has a multires modifier & a corresponding multi-layer

ℹ️ Operator respects the active mesh placement in the outliner

This function runs under 3 different cases:

Case 1:

Multi-res level = Multi-Layer level - In which case the conversion will be fast and will not take more then a few seconds

Case 2:

Multi-res level < Multi-Layer level - slightly slower then case 1, as the conversion will subdivide the multi-res until it matches the multi-layer level

Case 3:

Multi-res level > Multi-Layer level - the slowest case. Here the Multi-Layer would be reconstructed from the ground up with the appropriate subdivision levels, to properly match the indices order of the multi-res

⚠️ Note: Depending on the size of the mesh, this process might take a while. Open the console beforehand if you would like to track the progress (Window >> Toggle System Console)

⚠️ Any 'Reshape' method poses will be deleted in the process!

⠀⠀you can preserve the poses beforehand by using the 'Bake from Multires' function