HDRI LightBrush is a Blender plugin designed to paint environment lighting directly onto a virtual sphere for high-precision control. This technical utility functions as an interactive lighting control system, allowing users to manipulate environment maps within a 3D workspace. By enabling the painting of light intensities and colours onto a spherical projection, it provides a tactile method for adjusting global illumination. The tool interfaces directly with the host software's environment shader nodes, facilitating real-time updates to reflections and ambient light levels. It eliminates the need for complex node-based layering, offering a streamlined approach to customising HDRI inputs for specific scene requirements, whether for product rendering or complex interior architectural visualisations.

The download is a 143 KB file containing .ZIP files.

To implement this tool, load the add-on through the preferences menu and assign it to your environment sphere. Users can then select brush settings to paint light directly onto the map, which automatically updates the world background node. This process allows for iterative lighting adjustments without leaving the viewport, providing a seamless workflow for artists who need to balance ambient light and highlights manually while maintaining full control over the final render's atmospheric quality.

Professional visualisers and architectural renderers use this tool in demanding studio environments and complex interior scenes where standard HDRI maps require bespoke adjustments. It is particularly effective for automotive design, product showrooms, and high-end residential interior projects where specific light placement is critical for material highlights. By integrating this into a rendering pipeline, designers can quickly achieve desired lighting moods and focus attention on key architectural elements, ensuring that the final output aligns with the project's specific aesthetic and technical requirements.