The 3D texture painting application Wafer, previously limited to the iPad ecosystem, is now available for Windows. Developed by Sparseal, the company of Pablo Dobarro and Joan Fons, it focuses on non-photorealistic texturing for stylized styles in games, animation, and illustration. It allows painting directly on 3D models (OBJ, FBX, and GLB) or in a 2D texture view, offering customizable brushes, stencils, decals, layers with masks, blend modes, and PBR support.
Multichannel painting and standout technical tools 🎨
A key feature is multichannel painting, which allows working on several texture channels simultaneously. The stable version for Windows, Wafer 1.2, includes the new Smudge tool and is based on the latest iPad version. There is an experimental version for macOS. The program is free to try, but saving or exporting textures requires a perpetual license: $19.99 USD on iPad, $45 USD for the Indie license on Windows (income under $100,000 USD per year), and $120 USD for the Studio license.
The price of not having an iPad: a $45 rescue fee 💸
The good news is that Windows users can now access Wafer without having to sell a kidney for an Apple tablet. The bad news: if you want to save your work, you'll have to pay up. For $45 (or $120 if you bill like a serious studio) you get a perpetual license. That said, before buying, make sure your laptop doesn't start smoking: painting multichannel textures can be more demanding than your last game of solitaire.