Vertex Colours

Summary

Vertex colours in GTA V are per-vertex RGB(A) values stored in the model’s geometry (not a texture). They’re commonly used to blend materials, control dirt/wear, tint surfaces, and drive shader effects cheaply especially when you want variation without extra texture memory.

Vertex Colours in GTA V

Vertex colours are baked into the mesh: every vertex can carry Red, Green, Blue (and sometimes Alpha) values. The game’s shaders can read these values to influence how the material renders.

Unlike a mask texture, vertex colours are:

• Resolution-free (no image size)

• Memory-light (stored in the mesh)

• Limited by vertex density (more vertices = smoother blends)

Vertex Uses

Common ways to leverage vertex colours:

• Material blending: Smoothly blend two looks without extra textures.

• Edge wear & grime: Darken creases and corners or add soot/dirt gradients.

• Tint control: Subtle colour variation across large surfaces (cloth, plastics, painted panels).

• Effect masking: Hide/reveal detail effects only where needed (e.g., stains near the bottom of clothing).

If your mesh has low poly areas, vertex blends will look “blocky.” Add geometry where you need smooth transitions.

Vertex Density Rule

Vertex colours are only as detailed as your topology.

Rule of thumb:

• Big, smooth gradients (dust on the lower half of a jacket) low/medium density is fine

• Sharp masks (clean edge wear, precise grime lines) you need more vertices around the transition

Tips

• Subtle wins. Vertex colour effects are easiest to overdo small values often look more “GTA-like.”

• Don’t forget the baseline. If you leave vertex colours uninitialized, some pipelines export random/black data sudden darkening or weird blends.

• Use topology intentionally. Add loops where you want clean transitions (cuffs, hems, panel edges).

• Debug one channel at a time. Temporarily set other channels to white/black so you can see what each channel is really doing.

• Match vanilla style. If vanilla assets use very gentle gradients, your super-contrasty masks will stand out.

Common Issues

• Mesh looks darker/tinted everywhere: Your vertex colours may be too low (not near white) or the shader multiplies albedo by vertex colour.

• Blends look blocky: Not enough vertices in the transition area add geometry or soften the mask.

• Effect appears inverted: Some materials treat black as “full effect” and white as “none” (or vice versa). Flip the channel values and retest.

• Nothing changes: The chosen shader/material may not read vertex colours (or it reads only specific channels).