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Microsoft Paint is getting a complete overhaul, 3D object support

Microsoft is believed to be close to releasing the new app. Official videos of the reworked Paint were leaked on Twitter by reputable Microsoft tipster WalkingCat. The user has a track record of revealing upcoming Microsoft and Windows products ahead of time.
The app has a radical new interface that follows the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) design language introduced with Windows 10. The small toolbars and limited canvas size of the current app have been replaced with a much more intuitive UI. Microsoft is designing the app to be usable with touch and pen devices, key areas where Paint currently falls dramatically short.
The app features sidebars of content you can quickly drag into a drawing. There’s a selection of shapes to get you started and easy-to-use controls for brush type, colour and stroke. The drawing canvas is placed centrally in the app, below a minimal toolbar that lets you choose between text, brush and selection modes. There’s a hamburger menu at the side to save and open files.
The upcoming version of Paint is more than just a UI overhaul though. It also includes the most significant update to Paint’s functionality since the app’s debut with Windows 3.1. You can create 3D objects within the app, letting you get started with 3D creation using one of the simplest drawing apps ever created.
A selection of object templates are provided, letting you quickly create a 3D cube or sphere. You can then drag the canvas to view the objects in 3D, adding colour with brush strokes or stickers. The feature will make working in 3D accessible to ordinary Windows consumers. Windows 10 already comes with a “3D Builder” app preinstalled but it isn’t as easy to use as the revised version of Paint looks.
The introductory video also reveals the existence of a “Community” panel that will allow you to share your work with other Paint users. In return, you’ll have access to a wealth of material to use in your next artwork, helping you get started with 3D modelling. The new app isn’t so much an update as a complete reimagining of Paint’s capabilities.
Since WalkingCat posted the video, a version of the app has leaked onto the Internet. Many of the features are still unpolished and in need of attention. The Verge reports the app is “surprisingly” fast though, unlike the sometimes sluggish, poorly designed apps built for the Universal Windows Platform. Paint seems to be a showcase of UWP’s capabilities when used to its full potential.
It’s not yet clear when the app will be launched publicly. It is thought Microsoft may officially introduce it at an event on October 26 when it’s also expected to announce new Surface hardware. The deep Surface Pen integration with the new Paint would make this a logical place to unveil the app.
The rewritten Paint is most likely to make its way to consumers in the Redstone 2 Windows 10 update coming early next year. It will probably replace the current version of Paint as Microsoft slowly converts its old Windows apps to new UWP ones. It has already upgraded Calculator and Sticky Notes but Paint will be the first to get a complete overhaul. The app was last updated in 2009 when Windows 7 launched and Microsoft introduced the current Paint interface.

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