Intro
Let’s learn how to harness the power of Control Points in Voxel Max using Centered Mode - Single and randomized colors to create a lava-filled alien planet.
Preparations
In a new scene, tap on the Centered Mode button until it says [Cs]. This will allow us to place a single brush point and control it accurately. Set the color to a light, earthy brown color from the top row of the palette. Then set the Spherical Brush to 32 and make sure that the Create Tool is selected.
Above the brush buttons are the Randomization and Pressure Control buttons. Tap on the C Gear button to enable Color Randomization. You will see the solid circle in the center of the gear change to four dots when randomization is enabled.
If you have 3D Touch enabled on your iPhone, or a pressure-sensitive stylus like the Apple Pencil, you can use pressure sensitivity to change the number of colors used by the brush. Press and hold on the C Gear button to see the Sensitivity Menu and set it to “High”. If you aren’t able to use pressure sensitivity, you’ll still be able to complete this tutorial, you’ll just have less color variety.
Forming a Planet
Now press and hold on the center of the floor grid. The random colors are scrambling around the top of a large sphere. If you press harder you can see more dark colors are added to the mix. When you’re happy with the blend of colors, release your hold.
We need to move the planet off of the ground plane. Tap the Control Point button above the Create Tool button until the Move Active Control Point tool is selected. Then press and hold on the side of the planet, drag up and release when the planet has cleared the ground plane. Now we have a full sphere instead of just the top half.
Making Craters
Going back to the Create Tool, let’s change the Spherical Brush to a much smaller radius of 10 voxels, and reduce the Pressure Sensitivity to “Low”. Tap on the planet to make our first crater ridge. Enable the Move Tool again to slide the sphere into the plant a little more so it looks like a hill. Repeat this process all around the planet. Make sure to move each new sphere before creating the next, because you’ll lose the ability to move an existing sphere once you have created a new one.
Now, we’ll turn each of these into craters. Set the brush size to 8, and select the Erase Tool. Tap on each bump to make a hole. Remember, in Cs Mode you can hold and slide the brush to align it perfectly before releasing. If you don’t like the placement of a crater, you can move the erasure with its Control Point, just like when creating voxels.
Filling it with Lava
With our craters in place, let’s add some lava. Set the color to the bottom orange swatch. When we pick a swatch, all the random and pressure-sensitive colors come after the selected swatch, so our lava will use orange for the lightest color, then continue through the red swatches in the next column for variety.
Tap on Material #2 and set the emissive slider to about 30%. Save and exit the palette.
Set the brush size to 31, just a single voxel smaller than the planet. With the Create Tool, press and hold on the side of the planet. Use increased pressure to get some of the darker red colors which will glow orange with the emissive setting, and release when you’re happy with the blend of orange and red.
Use the Move Tool to carefully drag the lava ball into the center of the planet. It might take a few tries to get it perfectly centered, but once it’s in place, you should see the lava only in the craters.
Final Touches
And we’ve made first contact! Try using some different techniques to terraform the planet. You can Cf Mode with the Easer Tool to make cracks or lava oceans, or use pressure sensitivity on the brush to make more variety in crater size and shape.
You can follow this tutorial in video form!