🔷 Simple Sculpt Layers Add-on for Blender

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

Update: Simple Sculpt Layers Plus is out now!

Hey folks,

Me & ChatGPT were at it again. This time I wanted to see if there was a way to create a sculpt layer system for Blender. Here are my results:

Current Limitations:

The add-on stores the different layers in object-space, therefore if you make any sort of stretching/crazy scaling/rotation to the mesh, the resulting layers may deform improperly.

Workarounds:

Keep any deformation operation to a minimum, or better yet, use modifiers (Lattice/Mesh Deform/Simple Deform etc..) to reach better results.
Either way this add-on was meant to be used after the primary shapes have already been established, and the user wishes to add details in a controlled & non-destructive manner.

Installation:
-Download the file:
(edit: updated 29/12/25 - added ‘Mask Eraser’ (now layer sensitive), Optimization improvements, Cut Mask to a New Layer feature, Undo friendly)
Sculpt_Layer.py (49.4 KB) - for Blender v4.5

or

Sculpt_Layer.py - for Blender v5.1 (thanks to @nikocraft)

-Inside Blender navigate to Edit >> Preferences >> Add-ons >> Install from Disk (Top right corner)
-Open “Sculpt_Layer.py”
-Make sure you tick to box for “Simple Sculpt Layers" in the Add-ons menu.
-A new tab has been added to side panel (hotkey “N” by default) inside Sculpt Mode.

Tested on Blender 4.3.2

Alright, that is all for now.

[swathi]

bro, really nice

[Fatesailor]

Good idea!

[CarlosSilva]

WOW, this is so cool!!!
I think everyone that use sculpt on Blender want a Layer system.
Thanks for share the addon and to put effort and time on that. We really appreciate it.

[nemox]

This is just a great addition. It’s a pity that it doesn’t work well with the Multiresolution modifier.

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

Yep… me & ChatGPT tried, but we can’t access the Multi-res data…

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

New update available.
The video below demonstrates how this new update can help hardsurface modelers, for example:

[AnnaIv (Anna)]

Fantastic job! You are incredible! People have been askind blenderdevs to add layers for decades, and when Pablo left, they pretty much stopped improving sculpt system - so no official sculpt layers support in any foreseeable future! Your addon is a godsend!!!
By the way, non-related quastion, but may I ask how did you apply that little floral pattern on a sculpt?

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

Kind words Anna, ty

You can use the ‘Displace’ modifier to achieve that effect.
First, make sure your mesh is UV unwrapped, and has enough geometry. Then, inside the modifier, select a tileable alpha texture (a texture that is repeatable) and set the coordinates type to UV.

In the UV editor, you can scale up or down the UV’s to control the size of the pattern.

[AnnaIv (Anna)]

Thanks for detailed answer! Can I use this method with sculpt layers as well? I’m eager to try it myself, but I’m gonna be away from my pc for a while.

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

Yes: If you create a new layer, and then apply the ‘Displace’ Modifier → that newly created layer would “catch” the changes made by the ‘Displace’ Modifier.

*Note that if you are using a ‘Multi-Res’ or ‘Sub-D’ modifiers (to increase the geo of the mesh), you would need to apply them too (and click the ‘Set Base Mesh’ button), before you can catch the ‘Displace’ modifier. Otherwise your ‘Base Mesh’ won’t have enough geometry to catch the ‘Displace’ modifier properly.

[ArtPomelo]

There already is a sculpt layer addon where the developer actually can solve bugs in it.

[Akonyl]

Which addon are you referring to? Because if you mean the one by the miratools guy, that’s both a paid addon and also he’s no longer updating it. I haven’t seen many other sculpt layer addons (except a random github project abandoned 5 years ago), and found this thread while looking around for free sculpt layer options.

[ArtPomelo]

I am referring to this: Sculpt Layers Addon

[mifth]

Well, 20$ is not much.
If you are a humble person and have no money you can always download a cracked version))

[nikocraft]

Just installed, Set Base Mesh and pressed to Add New Layer. This error poped up

Blender did not crash, I was able to apply a brush stroke, then as I tried lowering layer strength another error came up. Hope you can fix this and provide updated version

[nikocraft]

Sculpt_Layer.py (49.6 KB)

I fixed it for You, it should work for Blender v5.1 now. here are the changes:

I made the same one-line change in 7 places. In every case, I replaced brush.sculpt_tool with getattr(brush, "sculpt_tool", None)

Before:

brush = context.tool_settings.sculpt.brush
if brush and brush.sculpt_tool == 'LAYER':
    try:
        bpy.ops.sculptlayer.prepare_eraser()

After:

brush = context.tool_settings.sculpt.brush
if brush and getattr(brush, "sculpt_tool", None) == 'LAYER':
    try:
        bpy.ops.sculptlayer.prepare_eraser()

second error with layer strengh adjustment:

Before:

if layer.strength != 0 and brush and brush.sculpt_tool == 'LAYER' and self.layer_index != obj.sculpt_layers_index:

After:

if layer.strength != 0 and brush and getattr(brush, "sculpt_tool", None) == 'LAYER' and self.layer_index != obj.sculpt_layers_index:

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

Much appreciated niko, ty!
Blender keeps changing it’s API with every update, making it a real headache to keep my addons up-to-date.

Let me know if you’ve found this addon useful or not.

All the best!

[nikocraft]

suggestion, if you like to keep it free and open source, put it up on github so we can track its development there? If you are unfamiliar with github its place were software gets developed, tracked, issues can be submitted, people can submit fixes just like one I provided and there is history so you can see what changes I made and can reject my changes or accept them etc.

[GGeller (Geller_Art)]

Interesting, I might do that in the future. thanks again