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While I've been using computers pretty much my whole life, I've never actually managed to draw anything great on a computer. Sure, I'm pretty good at editing photos in Adobe Photoshop, but creating art from a scratch using my own (virtual) paintbrush has always been a challenge.

Several months ago, when I first watched Microsoft demo the new features in Windows 10 Creators Update, I got excited because it looked relatively easy to produce high-quality imagery using the Paint 3D application. But a demo and actually getting your hands on new tech are two entirely different things, so I set out to get my hands on Windows Paint 3D to see just how easy it is to make art worth sharing. When a Windows 10 Insider Preview build with the new drawing program became available, I decided to give it a whirl.



My first order of business was to try freehand drawing SpiceRex, the beloved Spiceworks Community mascot, using the "3D doodle" feature in Paint 3D. The result was a rather blobby shape that I then painted orange, applied an eyeball sticker to, and added 3D cones to for teeth.

As expected, my first 3D model looked pretty terrible. This poor attempt at a SpiceRex had a face that only a mother could love. Woefully aware of my own limitations as an artist, I decided to opt for plan B—enlist the help of professionals.



Other 3D artists are great, so you don't have to be

Thankfully, Microsoft hosts the Remix3D website, where people with much more talent than I do share their creations. You can then take them and, as the site name suggests, remix to your heart's content. After searching through the site for a few minutes,I found this beautiful, but super pale, model of a T-Rex to use as a starting point for my SpiceRex masterpiece. From there, importing the model into Paint 3D was as easy as clicking a single button.

With the pigment-challenged dinosaur in the app, I gave his body the orange spray tan treatment, and used the paintbrush to whiten his teeth. Then, I put a cartoony sticker on his eyes to make him a bit more friendly looking. And because my SpiceRex model wouldn't be complete without his signature catchphrase, I added 3D lettering above his head, then resized and rotated the "RAWR!!!" for emphasis.

I probably could have stopped there, but I wanted to take my drawing to the next level and do my boy proud. To find SpiceRex a suitable pedestal to stand on, I browsed for other cool-looking objects on the Remix3D site.

After combing through several options, I landed on this cool, prehistoric-looking rock with green vegetation growing on it. I imported this platform and after moving it around a bit, I removed the blue canvas from the background.



I was almost done, but I felt I could still turn it up a notch. For the final, finishing touch I took advantage of one of the coolest things in Paint 3D, the ability to change the lighting effects with the click of a button. I settled on the very Instagram-like "Honey" filter, which gave SpiceRex a majestic glow befitting the king of dinosaurs and the Spiceworks Community mascot. After messing with the perspective a little, I found a photogenic angle and grabbed the screen capture below.

It took about an hour to figure everything out, and I'm happy with my initial results from Paint 3D. I think the app does make it easy to create some impressive looking stuff once you get the hang of it and you can find some good models on the Remix3D site.

However, drawing your own stuff freehand is a bit more challenging. For 3D art noob like me, piggybacking on the talents of the professionals is probably the best way to get good initial results from Paint 3D. Overall, the app is pretty easy to use, and allows anyone to create cool stuff in three dimensions.

Are you a fan of Paint 3D?

Have you tried out Microsoft Paint 3D in the Windows 10 Creators Update? What do you think? Share your opinions and creations in the comments, then vote in our poll!

Edited Apr 12, 2017 at 16:06 UTC

What are your initial impressions of Microsoft Paint 3D? Anonymous Closed | 448 votes Paint 3D looks good 38% 168 Votes I don't know yet 35% 159 Votes Paint 3D just looks OK 21% 96 Votes Paint 3D doesn't look good 6% 25 Votes

Edit Poll (Select target option) Paint 3D looks good Paint 3D just looks OK Paint 3D doesn't look good I don't know yet Add Option Advanced Randomize order Allow multiple votes Maximum number of votes per user (Leave blank if no limit) Allow users to add options Allow revote Hide poll results