How to Get Started with 3D Modeling in Procreate

When Procreate 5.2 introduced 3D model painting in 2021, it flipped the script for digital artists everywhere. For years, 3D texturing and modeling required clunky desktop software, steep learning curves, and expensive subscriptions—but Procreation brought intuitive, pressure-sensitive painting to 3D workflows, all on a portable iPad. Whether you’re a 2D illustrator curious about dipping your toes into three dimensions, a concept artist looking to speed up your ideation process, or a designer creating assets for 3D printing or AR, Procreate 3D offers an accessible entry point that doesn’t sacrifice quality. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to get started, from setting up your first model to refining your textures and exporting your finished work.

Getting Started: What You Need to Work with 3D in Procreate

Before you dive into painting your first 3D model, it’s important to confirm you have the right tools and setup to avoid unnecessary frustration. Unlike 2D painting, 3D work in Procreate has a few minimum requirements that are non-negotiable, even if you’re just experimenting.

First, you’ll need an iPad that supports Procreate 5.2 or newer. That means any iPad released after 2015 will work, but for smooth performance with complex models, Apple’s latest iPad Pro models with M1 or M2 chips are the best choice. Older iPads can handle simple, low-poly models, but you may experience lag when working with high-resolution textures or complex geometry. You’ll also need an Apple Pencil (first or second generation, depending on your iPad) – while Procreate works with third-party styli, pressure sensitivity and tilt work most reliably with Apple Pencil, which makes a huge difference when blending and detailing 3D textures. Finally, you’ll need a paid copy of Procreate from the App Store – there’s no extra subscription for 3D features, which is one of the biggest advantages over desktop 3D tools like Substance Painter or Blender.

Unlike full desktop 3D software, Procreate doesn’t currently support building 3D models from scratch. It’s designed primarily as a 3D texturing tool, which means you’ll need a base model to paint on before you start. The good news is Procreate comes with a handful of starter models built right in, including a human head, a cat, a mug, a cube, and a sphere – perfect for practicing. If you want to work on custom models, you can import your own in .obj or .usdz file formats. For beginners, there are dozens of websites that offer free, royalty-free 3D models for personal and commercial use:

• Sketchfab: One of the largest libraries of free 3D models, with filters for royalty-free usage and downloadable .obj files. Many creators upload low-poly models perfect for Procreate 3D.
• TurboSquid: Offers a mix of free and paid models, with a dedicated section for low-poly assets ideal for texturing practice.
• Poly Haven: All models on Poly Haven are CC0 licensed, meaning you can use them for any purpose, including commercial projects, without attribution.
• Thingiverse: If you’re creating textures for 3D printed models, you can find thousands of free .obj files here ready for texturing in Procreate.

If you already know how to use basic 3D modeling software like Blender, Maya, or ZBrush, you can build your own model from scratch, export it as an .obj, and import it directly into Procreate. This gives you full control over the shape and geometry before you start painting.

Understanding the Procreate 3D Interface and Core Controls

If you’re already familiar with 2D Procreate, the 3D interface will feel mostly familiar, but there are a few key new tools and settings that are specific to working with three-dimensional models. Taking 10 minutes to learn these controls will save you hours of confusion later.

Navigating a 3D model in Procreate is intuitive once you get the hang of it. To rotate your model and view it from any angle, simply drag one finger across the canvas. To pan around the canvas without rotating the model, drag two fingers across the screen. To zoom in or out, pinch two fingers inward or outward, just like you do in 2D Procreate. If you want to get a closer look at a specific area, you can also double-tap the model to zoom directly into that spot. If you lose your view and want to reset the model to its original position, a four-finger tap will center it again.

When you open a 3D model in Procreate, you’ll notice a new 3D icon in the top toolbar. Tapping this opens the 3D settings menu, where you can adjust everything from how your model is displayed to how your paint interacts with the geometry. Here are the most useful settings to know:

• Wireframe View: Toggling this on displays the polygon edges of your model, which makes it easy to see how dense the geometry is and spot any stretching or distortion when you paint. This is especially helpful for beginners who are still learning how UV mapping works.
• Backface Culling: When this is on, Procreate hides the back sides of polygons so you don’t accidentally paint the inside of your model when working on the outside. For most projects, you’ll want to leave this turned on.
• Lighting: You can adjust the position, intensity, and color of the default light source to better see your textures as you work. For example, if you’re painting dark shadows, moving the light to a different angle can help you see your work more clearly.
• UV Cast: This tool lets you preview how your painted texture will map onto the 2D UV unwrap of your model. If you notice that your paint is stretching or warping in certain areas, you can use this view to identify if the issue is with the model’s original UV unwrap.

When you paint on a 3D model in Procreate, you’re actually painting on a 2D texture map that is wrapped around the 3D geometry, a process called UV mapping. Procreate handles this automatically when you import a model, so you don’t need to do any manual UV unwrapping unless you want to edit the original model. That means you can just pick up your Apple Pencil and paint directly on the surface of the model, just like you would paint a physical sculpture. Any changes you make are automatically saved to the 2D texture map, which Procreate updates in real time on the 3D model.

Procreate 3D doesn’t try to be a full 3D creation suite. It’s a painter’s tool for 3D, designed to let you use the same brush skills you already have to create beautiful textures without learning a whole new piece of software.

Top Tips for Painting Textures on 3D Models in Procreate

One of the biggest draws of Procreate 3D is that you can use almost all of your favorite 2D Procreate brushes and techniques when painting 3D textures. That said, there are a few workflows and tricks that will help you get better results, avoid common mistakes, and speed up your process.

Just like 2D painting, starting with a solid base color will make your job easier when you add shadows, highlights, and details later. Before you start adding details, create a new layer and fill the entire model with a neutral base color that matches the material you’re creating. For example, if you’re painting a wooden bowl, start with a warm medium brown; if you’re painting a porcelain vase, start with an off-white. Using a separate base layer also means you can adjust the color later without having to repaint all of your details. It’s a good habit to keep different texture elements on separate layers anyway – just like in 2D, layers let you edit one part of your texture without affecting the rest. For example, you can keep your base color, shadows, highlights, and fine details all on separate layers to make adjustments easy.

The great thing about Procreate 3D is that any 2D Procreate brush works on 3D models, so you can use your existing brush library right away. That said, certain brushes are better for different types of textures:

1. Clay and terrain brushes: Perfect for creating rough, organic textures like skin, stone, or sculpted clay. The textured bristles add natural variation that looks great on irregular 3D surfaces.
2. Soft round blender brushes: Ideal for blending shadows and highlights on smooth surfaces like plastic, porcelain, or skin. The pressure sensitivity of Apple Pencil makes blending just as easy as it is in 2D.
3. Stipple and grain brushes: Add natural texture to materials like fabric, wood, or concrete. The subtle grain breaks up flat color and makes your texture feel more realistic.
4. Custom alphas and shape brushes: Great for adding repeating details like scales, stitching, or brick patterns. You can stamp these directly onto the 3D surface, and Procreate will automatically warp them to fit the curve of the model.

If you don’t want to invest in paid custom brushes, Procreate’s default brush set has more than enough options to get great results. The Hard Round and Soft Round brushes are perfect for base work and blending, while the Grainy Texture brush in the Textures set is great for adding natural surface variation.

Even experienced 2D artists run into a few common issues when they start painting 3D models in Procreate. The most common issue is texture stretching, which happens when the original model’s UV map doesn’t lay the 2D texture out evenly across the 3D geometry. If you notice your paint stretching or distorting in certain areas, the first thing to do is check the model’s UV unwrap in the original 3D software before importing it to Procreate. Most free models come with clean UVs, but some don’t, so it’s good to check before you spend hours painting.Another common mistake is forgetting to check your model from all angles as you paint. It’s easy to paint one side, move on, and later realize you missed a spot or your details don’t line up around the curve of the model. Get in the habit of rotating your model frequently to check your work from all perspectives. This is especially important for seamless textures like a character’s head or a full body sculpture.Finally, don’t forget to use layers to your advantage. It’s tempting to paint everything on one layer, but if you make a mistake or want to adjust the brightness of your shadows later, having separate layers will save you from having to start over. Procreate 3D supports up to the same number of layers as 2D Procreate, so you don’t have to worry about running out for most projects.

Layer masks work exactly the same in 3D Procreate as they do in 2D, and they’re incredibly useful for non-destructive editing. For example, if you want to add a shadow under the rim of a mug, you can paint the shadow on a new layer, add a mask, and erase any parts of the shadow that look off without damaging the base texture. You can also use clipping masks to confine your painting to the contents of an existing layer, which is perfect for adding color variation to a base shape without going outside the lines.For complex projects like character heads, you can also organize layers into layer groups, just like in 2D. For example, you can group all layers related to skin, all related to eyes, and all related to hair to keep your canvas organized and easy to navigate.

Advanced Techniques for Polished Procreate 3D Projects

Once you’ve mastered the basics of painting 3D models in Procreate, there are a few advanced techniques you can use to take your work to the next level and get professional-level results.

A normal map is a type of texture that adds fine surface detail and depth to your 3D model without adding extra geometry. For example, you can add wrinkles to skin, cracks to stone, or pores to a character’s head using a normal map, and it will create the illusion of depth when the light hits the model. Procreate 5.2 and newer supports painting normal maps directly on your 3D model, which is a game-changer for adding realistic detail.To paint a normal map in Procreate, open the Actions menu, tap Canvas, then toggle on “Draw Normal Map”. Once this is turned on, any brush strokes you paint will add depth to your model. Dark strokes will push the surface in, and light strokes will pull it out, just like if you were sculpting fine detail. You can adjust the intensity of the normal map in the 3D settings menu, so you can dial in just the right amount of depth. This technique is perfect for adding subtle surface texture that makes your model feel much more realistic.

If you’re creating a realistic texture, you don’t have to paint every detail from scratch. Just like in 2D Procreate, you can import reference photos as image layers and place them directly on your canvas. You can even trace or sample color from reference photos to speed up your process. For example, if you’re painting a wooden table, you can import a photo of real wood grain, sample colors from it, and use that as a guide to paint your own texture. Just make sure you have the right to use any reference photos you import for commercial projects.

Another trick is to use the Perspective Guide to match the angle of your reference photo to the current angle of your 3D model, which makes it easier to match light and shadow correctly. Procreate’s Color Pickers also works perfectly in 3D, so you can sample any color from your reference and apply it directly to the model with one tap.

One of the most exciting features of Procreate 3D is that you can export your finished model as a .usdz file, which is the file format Apple uses for augmented reality (AR) content. That means you can export your painted 3D model and view it in AR on your iPhone or iPad, or even share it with others to view in AR. To create an AR-ready model, just make sure your original model has clean geometry and a texture size that’s not too large (1024x1024 or 2048x2048 pixels works best for most mobile AR projects). Once you’re done painting, tap Share, then Export as .usdz, and Procreate will package your model and texture into a single AR-ready file.

Exporting Your Finished Procreate 3D Work

When you’re done painting your model, Procreate gives you multiple export options depending on what you plan to use your work for. Understanding the different export options will help you get the right file type for your project.

If you just want to share a static image of your finished 3D model, you can export it as a .PNG, .JPEG, or .TIFF file just like a 2D Procreate canvas. To get a high-quality image, export as a 300 DPI TIFF or PNG to preserve transparency and detail. If you want to show off your model from multiple angles, you can use Procreate’s Time-lapse recording feature to record your process or a rotation of the model, then export the video as an MP4 to share on social media. A popular trick for Instagram or TikTok is to slowly rotate your model with one finger while recording the screen, then export the video to show off your 3D paint job from every angle.

If you want to use your painted texture in another 3D program, you can export just the texture map as a 2D image file. To do this, open the 3D settings menu, tap “Export Texture”, and choose your desired file format. You can export the base color texture, normal map, and any other texture maps you created separately. This is perfect if you created a texture in Procreate and want to bring it into Blender, Maya, or Substance Painter for further editing.If you want to export the full 3D model with your painted texture applied, you can export it as an .obj or .usdz file. .obj is the most universal 3D file format, and it will work with almost every 3D program on desktop. .usdz is best for AR use and sharing with other Apple users. When you export as a .obj, Procreate will automatically package the model and your texture map into a single file that you can open in any other 3D software.

If you’re texturing a model that you plan to 3D print, you have a couple of options. If you have a full-color 3D printer, you can export your texture as a high-resolution PNG, then pair it with your original model file in your 3D printing software to print the full-color texture directly onto the model. If you have a standard FDM 3D printer, you can export a high-resolution image of your texture from multiple angles and use it as a reference to paint your 3D print after it’s finished, or use the texture to create a color map for post-processing.

Conclusion

Procreate 3D has opened up 3D texturing to a whole new generation of artists, and it’s an incredibly powerful tool for anyone who already loves painting in Procreate. You don’t need a fancy desktop computer or years of 3D experience to start creating beautiful, textured 3D models – all you need is an iPad, an Apple Pencil, and a base model to get started. By starting with simple practice models, mastering the core controls, and using layers and non-destructive editing to keep your work flexible, you can go from a complete beginner to creating polished 3D textures in just a few practice sessions. Whether you want to create concept art, AR content, 3D print your work, or just experiment with a new creative medium, Procreate 3D offers an accessible, affordable way to explore three-dimensional art without the steep learning curve of traditional 3D software.