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Create a procedural brush

Build a reusable pattern on a separate paint layer. Procedural brushes live in the saved Forge document, so you can return to the same slot and adjust it later.

Start with the cube from Paint a prop in layers, or another UV-ready object. Add an unlocked layer for experiments and leave any finished layers below it.

The Procedural sidebar in Forge v1.6.39 with Add Tile, a brush preview, and saved-slot positions.

The screenshot shows an empty slot before adding its tiles.

1. Choose a slot and build a mask​

  1. Open Procedural in the Paint sidebar.
  2. Select an empty brush slot. A default circle can represent an empty slot; select the slot before editing.
  3. Open Add Tile and add a shape, such as a circle or rounded rectangle.
  4. Click the tile to open its settings and adjust Size.
  5. Add a Repeat tile for a repeated pattern. Start with a low Number and a Size that leaves gaps.
  6. Inspect Brush Preview. Filled shapes indicate coverage; transparent gaps leave the lower layer visible.

Tiles evaluate in order. Distress/noise and combine operations can change the preceding shape; start with one shape and one repeat so you can see each change clearly. Valid settings save immediately; there is no additional Apply step for the graph.

2. Choose what the graph controls​

Tile outputs can feed Brush, Color, Roughness, Metallic, Height, or Source channels as available. Begin with the Brush output to understand the footprint before combining surface channels. A change to the brush mask and a change to material roughness have different effects even if they use the same graph.

Select the saved slot to bind its brush to the active unlocked layer. Choose a contrasting material, switch to Pencil, and test a short stroke on the model or in Atlas. Undo that stroke if the coverage is wrong, revise the tile, and try again.

3. Keep the experiment reversible​

  • Change the layer's opacity or eye to compare with the base.
  • Lock completed layers before selecting another slot or painting a new pass.
  • Duplicate a saved slot before making a variant if you want to keep its earlier recipe.
  • Deleting a slot removes its bindings; Undo can restore them.
  • Save the Forge project to retain slots and layers. Texture/model exports contain the supported resolved appearance, not an editable procedural authoring graph for another app.

For image-backed materials, Poly Haven is a separate source of PBR textures; a procedural brush controls how you place or modify paint.