The tools are easily accessible for users of any experience level (i.e., you don’t need to be an expert in 3D design to know how to use it). Plus, it’s also perfectly functional as a 2D program and works much like the classic Paint program, only with more advanced features and an updated user interface. Paint 3D serves as a replacement for the older Paint program.
How to Download Paint 3D
Paint 3D is available only on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Visit the download page through the link below, and select Get in Store app to launch Microsoft Store. Select Get to download and install it. Choose Open from that same screen, or find it in the Start menu by searching for paint 3d.
Microsoft Paint 3D Features
Paint 3D adopts many features found in the original Paint app, but also incorporates its own spin on the program, most notably the ability to make 3D objects. Here are some of its features:
Lots of art tools: a marker, calligraphy pen, oil brush, watercolor brush, pencil, eraser, crayon, pixel pen, spray can, and fill tool. Any of them can be any color you wish, and each have their own options, like for choosing the line thickness and opacity. Basic models are included which you can import directly onto the canvas, like a man, woman, dog, cat, and fish. Colors can be sampled from the eyedropper tool for easy selection based on existing colors on the canvas, and you can also pick manually by entering the color’s hex value. It includes a crop tool to trim down an image. The software lets you insert stickers, textures, and shapes that can be planted directly onto a 3D model. You can also make your own Paint 3D stickers from image files. 2D objects can be “converted” into 3D objects using only the built-in tools. Both 2D and 3D text can be created. Paint 3D supports quickly flipping an image vertically or horizontally, as well as rotating it in place and moving it through 3D space. The whole canvas size can be resized by percentage for quick changes, or by pixel for specific changes. You can open regular image files like PNGs and JPGs, but also 3MF, STL, PLY, OBJ, and GLB files. An image can be saved to a 2D format or 3D format. You’re able to scroll back and forth through the history of the editing process to make changes, as well as export every recorded change to an MP4 video to show what was involved during the life of the project.
What Happened to Microsoft Paint?
Microsoft Paint is the non-3D graphics editor that has been included in Windows since Windows 1.0, released in 1985. This iconic program, based on ZSoft software called PC Paintbrush, supports basic image editing tools and drawing utensils. It hasn’t yet been removed from Windows 11 or Windows 10, but did receive a “depreciated” status in mid-2017, meaning that it’s no longer actively maintained by Microsoft and might be removed in a future update. You can install the classic Paint program from the Microsoft Store. If you already have it, open it by searching for paint in the Start menu, or by executing mspaint through a command-line interface.
