Cross‑Platform 3D Texture Painting: Wafer Lands on Desktop
Sparseal’s Wafer, a stylized 3D texture painting app previously limited to iPad, is now available on Windows and macOS, marking a notable expansion in digital art software updates. Built for non‑photorealistic work in games, animation and illustration, Wafer lets artists paint directly onto 3D models or 2D texture views, supporting OBJ, FBX and GLB files. It covers core 3D painting tools—customizable brushes with pen pressure and tilt, stencils, decals, stamps, layer masks, blending modes and PBR workflows—while also offering multichannel painting, a feature usually found in higher‑end 3D painting tools. The latest desktop release mirrors the current iPad build, including its new Smudge tool, making Wafer a more complete option for stylized 3D painting tools across devices. The base app is free for testing, with a one‑time in‑app purchase of USD 19.99 (approx. RM92) required on iPad to save or export, and perpetual desktop licenses starting at USD 45 (approx. RM207) for Indie users.
Clip Studio Paint 5 Refines Drawing With New Stabilization and 3D Hand Model
Clip Studio Paint 5 continues to evolve as a go‑to solution for comics, illustration and concept art, adding upgrades that sharpen both line quality and reference workflows. The headline addition is Smart Shape, a new stroke stabilization system that smooths jitters in freehand strokes while preserving a hand‑drawn feel. Unusually, smoothing is applied at the end of the stroke: you hold the stylus or mouse briefly and the software cleans the line automatically. For artists who struggle with anatomy, the expanded 3D toolset introduces a built‑in 3D hand model with seven proportion presets. You can pose it using sliders and standard 3D gizmos or match it automatically to a reference captured via webcam. Further improvements include height‑based fog on 3D layers, the ability to draw directly on more 3D objects, multi‑layer color and tonal corrections, auto‑save recovery, and UI and performance tweaks, rounding out a broader set of Clip Studio Paint features for production work.
Photoshop 27.7 Brings Its Remove Tool AI Model On‑Device
Adobe’s Photoshop 27.7 focuses on deepening its AI integration while giving artists and studios more control over where that AI runs. The update allows the generative AI model powering the Remove tool to run locally instead of exclusively in the cloud. The Remove tool lets users freehand around an unwanted object and automatically generates a plausible replacement background; now, you can choose between cloud and local processing. The first local use takes longer while the model downloads, but subsequent runs should be faster and, crucially, less dependent on connectivity—an important shift in how Photoshop AI tools are deployed. Beyond AI, the release updates integration with Firefly Boards, Adobe’s online moodboarding and reference platform, making export options more accessible when generating variations. A modernized Save for Web dialog and the ability to import JPEGs as regular, unlocked layers help streamline everyday image editing and texture workflows.
What These Updates Signal for Digital Art Workflows
Taken together, Wafer, Clip Studio Paint 5 and Photoshop 27.7 reveal three clear trends in digital art software updates: deeper 3D integration, smarter assistance, and broader platform reach. Wafer’s move from iPad to Windows and macOS turns a focused texture painting app into a viable part of desktop pipelines, especially for stylized game and animation assets. Clip Studio Paint’s 3D hand model and Smart Shape system show how 3D references and intelligent line correction can sit natively inside 2D drawing environments, speeding up comic and concept art production without sacrificing control. Meanwhile, Photoshop’s option to run its Remove tool AI model locally points to a future where powerful Photoshop AI tools are deployed on‑device for better responsiveness and privacy. For artists, the message is clear: expect your core tools to become more cross‑platform, more 3D‑aware and more AI‑assisted—yet increasingly tailored to hands‑on, professional workflows.