Vehicle Paint Tool Reference

Intermediate40-60 minutesWindowsNotepad++Unity Editor

The vehicle paint tool is a specialized item subclass in Unturned™ that allows a player to change the color of a vehicle's paint mask material at runtime. Each paint tool item is a single-use spray canister that applies a predefined color to any vehicle that has a paintable material configured in its prefab. The paint tool system is the modder's mechanism for implementing vehicle customization, faction color schemes, server-branded vehicle liveries, and cosmetic variety in the vehicle pool.

This article is the 57 Studios™ canonical reference for the vehicle paint tool asset type. It covers every .dat field that applies to paint tool assets, the color format and hex representation system, the PaintColor field that defines the applied color, the relationship between the paint tool and the vehicle's paintable material shader, the full catalog of vanilla spraypaint variants with their color values and IDs, and the salvage blueprint configuration. Every field is documented with its type, default value, and behavioral semantics drawn from the shipped game files and the Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation.

Documentation source: This article references the official Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation for the ItemVehiclePaintToolAsset class and the PaintColor field. The shipped vanilla game files for the Vehicle_Spraypaint series (IDs 1860-1899) are the primary evidence for all color values, naming conventions, and blueprint configurations. Cohort-validated notes are marked where the official documentation is silent on a detail.

Who this article is for

This article is written for Unturned™ mod authors who are already familiar with the item asset system, the master bundle pipeline, and .dat authoring workflow. Readers who are unfamiliar with vehicle material setup should review Vehicle Mod Basics for the paintable material configuration before authoring paint tool assets. New Unturned™ modders should start with Project Folder Structure and GUIDs and How to Install Notepad++ before returning here.

What you will learn

• The complete inheritance hierarchy for vehicle paint tool assets
• The PaintColor field and its hex color format (RRGGBB with leading hash)
• How the Useable Vehicle_Paint useable type connects the asset to the runtime paint mechanic
• Every field from the shipped vehicle spraypaint game files and what each field does
• The complete catalog of vanilla Vehicle_Spraypaint color values and their RGB equivalents
• How the paint tool interacts with the vehicle's paintable material shader and paint mask
• How to author a custom paint tool .dat file with a worked example
• How to configure the salvage blueprint for a paint tool
• How to test paint tool configuration in single-player
• The diagnostic table for the most common paint tool authoring mistakes

Background: how the vehicle paint system works

The vehicle paint tool is an instance of the ItemVehiclePaintToolAsset class, which inherits from the ItemToolAsset class, which inherits from the ItemAsset class. The inheritance chain determines which fields are available at each level: ItemAsset provides the identity, inventory, rarity, quality, and audio fields; ItemToolAsset provides the tool-specific structure; and ItemVehiclePaintToolAsset provides the single lockpick-specific field PaintColor.

The inheritance chain shown above is the full hierarchy for any vehicle paint tool. Every field documented in the field reference section of this article belongs to one of the three levels.

When a player equips a vehicle paint tool and uses it on a vehicle, the runtime executes the following sequence. The Useable Vehicle_Paint useable type is the bridge between the asset definition and the paint mechanic code.

As shown in the sequence diagram above, the paint tool is consumed on every use. The paint color is applied to every material on the vehicle that has the paintable shader configured. Materials that do not have the paintable shader (windows, tires, chrome trim) are unaffected by the paint tool.

The color application mechanic

The PaintColor field stores a color value in standard hex RGB format (#RRGGBB). The engine reads this value at the moment the paint tool is used and passes it to the vehicle's paintable shader. The shader multiplies the color over the vehicle's albedo texture using the paint mask as a blending guide. Areas of the paint mask that are white (255) receive the full paint color. Areas that are black (0) retain their original albedo color. Areas that are gray (128) receive a blended mix of the original color and the paint color.

The color that the player sees after painting is the result of multiplying the PaintColor value over the vehicle's base albedo texture. A pure red paint (#FF0000) over a white albedo produces a bright red. The same red paint over a dark gray albedo produces a dark red. The cohort recommendation for vehicle albedo textures intended to be paintable is to use neutral gray values in the paintable areas so that the paint color shows through with the intended saturation.

The single-use constraint

All vehicle paint tools are single-use items. The spray can is consumed from the player's inventory after each use. This is enforced by the Useable Vehicle_Paint useable type at the code level. There is no configurable field that changes the consumption behavior. The cohort recommendation is to treat the single-use constraint as invariant and to balance paint tool availability through craftability, rarity, and spawn table configuration.

The shipped vanilla paint tools: Vehicle_Spraypaint series

The shipped vanilla paint tool files live at Bundles/Items/Tools/Vehicle_Spraypaint_* in the Unturned™ installation. Each paint variant has its own folder containing a Vehicle_Spraypaint_<Variant>.dat file and an English.dat file. The complete content of the Classic Red variant (ID 1861) is reproduced below as the evidence base for this article.

Classic Red Vehicle Spraypaint (ID 1861)

GUID 9cc4056334254feb9f982229ae1cba71
Type Vehicle_Paint_Tool
Rarity Uncommon
Useable Vehicle_Paint
ID 1861

Size_X 1
Size_Y 2

UseAudioClip Sounds/Vehicle_Spraypaint.wav

PaintColor #9a2525

Blueprints
[
	{
		Name Salvage
		CategoryTag "7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9" // Salvage
		InputItems this
		OutputItems "21ede8ebffb14c5580e8c7ad149e335e x 2" // Metal Scrap
		Effect "84347b13028340b8976033c08675d458" // Wrench
	}
]

Military Forest Vehicle Spraypaint (ID 1875)

GUID 95d2e8dfeb444e0cbc09a50d8aeb4113
Type Vehicle_Paint_Tool
Rarity Rare
Useable Vehicle_Paint
ID 1875

Size_X 1
Size_Y 2

UseAudioClip Sounds/Vehicle_Spraypaint.wav

PaintColor #437c44

Blueprints
[
	{
		Name Salvage
		CategoryTag "7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9" // Salvage
		InputItems this
		OutputItems "21ede8ebffb14c5580e8c7ad149e335e x 2" // Metal Scrap
		Effect "84347b13028340b8976033c08675d458" // Wrench
	}
]

Companion English.dat format

All paint tool variants use the same English.dat format, with the variant name inserted into the Name field.

Name Classic Red Vehicle Spraypaint
Description Refreshes most vehicles with a beautiful new coat of paint.

Complete .dat field reference

Identity and shared fields

The following fields are inherited from ItemAsset and are required or recommended on every vehicle paint tool asset.

Field	Type	Example	Required	Purpose
ID	uint16	1861	Yes	Unique item ID. Use IDs in the 50000+ range for custom mods.
GUID	uint128 hex	9cc4056334254feb9f982229ae1cba71	Yes	128-bit globally unique identifier. Generate a new GUID for every new item.
Type	enum	Vehicle_Paint_Tool	Yes	Must be Vehicle_Paint_Tool for paint tool assets.
Name	string	Vehicle_Spraypaint_ClassicRed	Yes	Internal name used for console commands and cross-references.
Rarity	enum	Uncommon	No	Inventory highlight color. Values: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary. Standard paint variants use Uncommon; military variants use Rare.
Useable	enum	Vehicle_Paint	Yes	Must be Vehicle_Paint to activate the vehicle paint mechanic.
Size_X	uint8	1	Yes	Width in inventory grid cells. All vanilla spraypaint tools use 1.
Size_Y	uint8	2	Yes	Height in inventory grid cells. All vanilla spraypaint tools use 2.
UseAudioClip	string	Sounds/Vehicle_Spraypaint.wav	No	Path to the audio clip that plays when the paint tool is used.

Paint-specific fields

The following field is unique to the ItemVehiclePaintToolAsset class. It is documented in the Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation chapter 71.

Field	Type	Required	Example	Purpose
PaintColor	color	Yes	#9a2525	The vehicle's color will be replaced with this when used. The format is #RRGGBB where RR, GG, and BB are two-digit hexadecimal values (00-FF).

Tool fields (inherited from ItemToolAsset)

According to the Smartly Dressed Games documentation chapter 68, tools have no unique asset properties beyond the ItemAsset base class. All tool-specific behavior is driven by the Useable field value. The paint tool uses Useable Vehicle_Paint, which is the useable type that implements the vehicle color change mechanic.

The UseAudioClip field is inherited from ItemAsset and specifies the audio clip that plays when the paint tool is used on a vehicle. The vanilla file uses Sounds/Vehicle_Spraypaint.wav, which is a short spray-can sound effect. Custom paint tools can use any audio clip packaged in the master bundle.

Blueprint configuration

All vanilla paint tools include a salvage blueprint identical to the lockpick tool's salvage blueprint. The blueprint allows the player to break down the spray can into two Metal Scrap items using the Wrench effect.

Blueprints
[
	{
		Name Salvage
		CategoryTag "7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9" // Salvage
		InputItems this
		OutputItems "21ede8ebffb14c5580e8c7ad149e335e x 2" // Metal Scrap
		Effect "84347b13028340b8976033c08675d458" // Wrench
	}
]

Blueprint field	Value	Purpose
Name	Salvage	The blueprint type. Salvage blueprints disassemble an item into components.
CategoryTag	7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9	GUID for the Salvage category.
InputItems	this	The input is the paint tool itself.
OutputItems	21ede8ebffb14c5580e8c7ad149e335e x 2	Two Metal Scrap items are produced.
Effect	84347b13028340b8976033c08675d458	The Wrench effect plays during salvage.

Complete vanilla Vehicle_Spraypaint color catalog

The following table documents every vanilla vehicle spraypaint variant, its item ID, its GUID, its Rarity, and its PaintColor value. The catalog is the complete reference for modders who want to understand the color range and naming conventions before authoring custom paint tools.

Item name	ID	Rarity	PaintColor	Visual color name
Classic Red	1861	Uncommon	#9a2525	Dark red
Classic Blue	1862	Uncommon	#005c99	Medium blue
Classic Green	1863	Uncommon	#4d8c36	Forest green
Classic Yellow	1864	Uncommon	#cccc33	Bright yellow
Classic Black	1865	Uncommon	#333333	Dark gray-black
Classic White	1866	Uncommon	#cccccc	Light gray-white
Classic Orange	1867	Uncommon	#cc6600	Burnt orange
Classic Purple	1868	Uncommon	#7a3399	Medium purple
Classic White duplicate	1869	Uncommon	#cccccc	Light gray-white
Crimson	1870	Rare	#660000	Deep crimson
Navy	1871	Rare	#1a2a4a	Dark navy blue
Dark Green	1872	Rare	#1a4a1a	Dark forest green
Dark Brown	1873	Rare	#4a3a2a	Medium brown
Dark Gray	1874	Rare	#4a4a4a	Medium gray
Military Forest	1875	Rare	#437c44	Olive green
Military Desert	1876	Rare	#a3865f	Sandy tan
Military Russia	1877	Rare	#555d3d	Olive drab
Military Coalition	1878	Rare	#594e40	Dark khaki
Medium Brown	1879	Uncommon	#7a5a3a	Medium brown
Medium Gray	1880	Uncommon	#7a7a7a	Medium gray
Medium Purple	1881	Uncommon	#664c99	Light purple-violet
Azure	1882	Rare	#4d7acc	Sky blue
Turquoise	1883	Rare	#33998c	Teal
Cyan	1884	Rare	#26a6cc	Bright cyan
Lime	1885	Rare	#66b326	Bright green
Magenta	1886	Rare	#b32666	Bright magenta-pink
Lavender	1887	Rare	#9973b3	Light lavender
Light Gray	1888	Uncommon	#b3b3b3	Light gray
Electric Yellow	1889	Rare	#d9d926	Bright neon yellow
Hotrod Red	1890	Rare	#cc1a1a	Bright red
Pink	1891	Rare	#cc6680	Light pink
Midnight Black	1892	Rare	#1a1a1a	Near-black

The naming conventions show that Uncommon rarity is used for standard colors and Rare rarity is used for specialty and military colors. The PaintColor values are consistent across variants that share the same visual color name (the two Classic White entries both use #cccccc).

Worked example: custom paint tool with a custom color

The worked example below is a custom vehicle paint tool called CustomTealSpray. The tool applies a custom teal color (#008080) that is not available in the vanilla set, uses Rare rarity to indicate its specialty status, and retains the salvage blueprint.

Asset.dat

GUID b3c4d5e6f7084a9b1c2d3e4f5a6b7c8d
Type Vehicle_Paint_Tool
Rarity Rare
Useable Vehicle_Paint
ID 50200
Name CustomTealSpray

Size_X 1
Size_Y 2

UseAudioClip Sounds/Vehicle_Spraypaint.wav

PaintColor #008080

Blueprints
[
	{
		Name Salvage
		CategoryTag "7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9" // Salvage
		InputItems this
		OutputItems "21ede8ebffb14c5580e8c7ad149e335e x 2" // Metal Scrap
		Effect "84347b13028340b8976033c08675d458" // Wrench
	}
]

English.dat

Name Custom Teal Vehicle Spraypaint
Description Custom teal spraypaint. Refreshes most vehicles with a new coat of teal.

Worked example: military-only paint tool

The worked example below is a faction-restricted paint tool called FactionOliveSpray. The tool applies an olive drab color (#4a5a2a) with Rare rarity to signal its restricted availability on military-themed servers.

GUID c4d5e6f7081a4b9c2d3e4f5a6b7c8d9e
Type Vehicle_Paint_Tool
Rarity Rare
Useable Vehicle_Paint
ID 50201
Name FactionOliveSpray

Size_X 1
Size_Y 2

PaintColor #4a5a2a

Blueprints
[
	{
		Name Salvage
		CategoryTag "7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9" // Salvage
		InputItems this
		OutputItems "21ede8ebffb14c5580e8c7ad149e335e x 2" // Metal Scrap
		Effect "84347b13028340b8976033c08675d458" // Wrench
	}
]

Name Faction Olive Vehicle Spraypaint
Description Military-grade olive drab spraypaint. Restricted to authorized personnel only in faction-controlled zones.

Testing a paint tool in single-player

The cohort-validated single-player testing workflow for a vehicle paint tool is documented below.

1. Build the master bundle containing the paint tool prefab. Because paint tools are simple items (a spray can model), the prefab is straightforward and does not require animation states. See Master Bundle Export.
2. Copy the master bundle and the .dat file to the local Unturned™ install's mod folder at Workshop/Content/304930/<modID>/Items/<ToolName>/.
3. Launch Unturned™ in single-player.
4. Open the in-game console with ~ (tilde).
5. Type @give <toolID> to spawn the paint tool into the player's inventory.
6. Find a vehicle that has a paintable material configured. The vanilla vehicles on the Washington map all have paintable materials.
7. Equip the paint tool in the player's hotbar.
8. Approach the vehicle and press the use key (default F) while the paint tool is equipped.
9. Observe the outcome:
   • If the vehicle's color changes to the PaintColor value: the paint tool worked correctly.
   • If the vehicle's color does not change: the vehicle may not have a paintable material, or the material shader is not the paintable shader.
10. Inspect the vehicle from multiple angles to confirm that all paintable areas received the color at the expected intensity.
11. Repeat the test on at least two different vehicle types to confirm cross-vehicle compatibility.

Diagnostic table

Symptom	Most likely cause	Resolution
Paint tool appears in inventory but has no effect on the vehicle	Useable field is not set to Vehicle_Paint	Set Useable Vehicle_Paint in the .dat file
Paint tool does not appear in inventory after @give	ID conflict or incorrect Type field	Confirm Type Vehicle_Paint_Tool and a unique ID
Vehicle color does not change after using paint tool	The vehicle's material does not use the paintable shader	Configure the vehicle material with a paintable shader and paint mask
Vehicle changes to an unexpected color	PaintColor hex value does not match the intended color	Verify the hex value using a color picker tool before authoring
Vehicle changes to black or near-black	PaintColor is #000000 or a very dark hex value	Use a color with higher RGB values; black paint masks produce black vehicles
Vehicle changes to white or near-white	PaintColor is #FFFFFF or a very light hex value	Use a lower-saturation color for a more natural appearance
Paint tool is consumed but no visual change	The vehicle material does not accept paint but the useable still consumes the tool	Test on a known-paintable vehicle before troubleshooting
Paint applies to windows and tires	The vehicle's paint mask is uniformly white	Author the vehicle's paint mask with black in non-paintable areas
Paint appears desaturated on the vehicle	The vehicle's albedo texture is very dark in the paintable areas	Author the vehicle albedo with neutral gray tones in paintable areas
Paint does not appear on specific body panels	The paint mask for those UV islands is black	Update the paint mask to have white in the desired body panel areas
Salvage blueprint does not appear in crafting menu	CategoryTag GUID is incorrect	Use the vanilla Salvage category GUID 7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9
Use sound does not play on paint application	UseAudioClip path is incorrect or the clip is missing	Verify the audio clip path; confirm the clip is in the master bundle
Paint tool icon is zoomed incorrectly	Size_X or Size_Y is wrong for the item model	Set Size_X 1 and Size_Y 2 to match the vanilla spraypaint dimensions
Paint color appears differently on different vehicles	Each vehicle's albedo texture has different base colors	The paint color is multiplied over the albedo; the same paint produces different results on different base textures
Paint tool is invisible when dropped	Prefab not found in the master bundle	Confirm the prefab name in the bundle matches the Name field

Frequently asked questions

Can a paint tool apply multiple colors to different parts of a vehicle?

No. A paint tool applies a single PaintColor value to all paintable surfaces on the vehicle simultaneously. The paint mask in the vehicle's material controls which areas receive the color and which areas retain the original albedo. If the mod design requires multi-color vehicles, the solution is to author multiple paint mask variants as separate vehicle prefabs, not to use multiple paint tools on the same vehicle.

Is the paint tool consumed if the vehicle has no paintable surfaces?

Yes. The Useable Vehicle_Paint useable type consumes the tool on every use regardless of whether the vehicle actually has paintable materials configured. The tool is consumed, the use sound plays, but no color change occurs. This is the same single-use invariant that applies to all vehicle tool types.

Can I make a paint tool with a random color?

No. The PaintColor field accepts a single static hex color value. There is no random color mode in the vanilla paint tool asset class. If the mod design requires a random or player-selected color, that functionality must be implemented through a plugin that intercepts the paint tool use event and applies a server-side color selection, or through a custom user interface that the plugin provides.

What is the maximum number of paint tool variants a mod can have?

There is no limit. Each paint tool variant is a separate item with its own ID, GUID, Name, and PaintColor. A mod can ship ten, fifty, or several hundred paint variants limited only by the item ID range and the practical considerations of spawn table management. The vanilla game ships approximately thirty paint variants.

Do paint tools work on player-owned vehicles in multiplayer?

Yes. The paint tool applies the color to the vehicle regardless of ownership. The tool does not check ownership before applying the color. This means a player can paint another player's vehicle on a PvP server, which is occasionally used for griefing. Server administrators who want to restrict painting to vehicle owners should implement that restriction through a plugin.

Can I create a paint tool that removes paint (restores the vehicle to its original color)?

Yes. Create a paint tool with PaintColor #FFFFFF (pure white). Because the paint shader multiplies the color over the albedo, a pure white paint produces the closest approximation to the original albedo color. The result is not perfectly identical to the unpainted state because the multiplication still modifies the color, but it is the closest the paint tool system can achieve.

Does the paint tool work on all vehicle types?

Yes, subject to the vehicle having a paintable material configured. Ground vehicles (cars, trucks, APCs), aerial vehicles (helicopters, planes), and water vehicles (boats) can all have paintable materials. The paint tool works on any vehicle that has at least one material assigned to the cohort-recommended paintable shader. The vehicle authoring workflow documented in Vehicle Mod Basics describes how to configure the paintable shader and paint mask.

What happens if I use a paint tool on a vehicle that is already painted with a different color?

The vehicle's color is replaced with the new paint tool's PaintColor value. The previous paint is overwritten; there is no cumulative or blending effect. A vehicle that was painted red and then painted blue will appear blue after the second paint application. The original albedo texture is unaffected; the paint shader simply applies the new color multiplication.

Can I use the same salvage blueprint GUID across all my paint tools?

Yes. The salvage category GUID (7ed29f9101ae4523a3b2e389414b7bd9) is the same for all salvage blueprints. Using the same GUID across all paint tool variants is correct and expected. Each paint tool's salvage blueprint block can be identical except for the InputItems field (which always uses this).

How do I create a paint tool that uses a different audio clip?

Set the UseAudioClip field to the path of a custom audio clip within the master bundle. The path is relative to the master bundle's root. For example, UseAudioClip Sounds/MyCustomSpray.wav plays MyCustomSpray.wav from the Sounds/ folder inside the master bundle. If the audio clip is not found at the specified path, the engine logs a warning and plays no sound.

Can I create a paint tool that paints only specific parts of a vehicle?

Not through the paint tool asset alone. The paint tool applies its color to every material on the target vehicle that has the paintable shader. Selective painting (painting only the hood, only the doors) requires the vehicle's paint mask to have white pixels only on the desired body panels. The paint tool has no area-of-effect or mask-selector field.

Advanced considerations

Paint tool variants for faction and roleplay servers

On roleplay servers such as Horizon Life RP - a 57 Studios™ development context - paint tools are often restricted to specific factions or professions through the server's plugin system. A police faction might have access only to Navy and Classic Blue paint tools; a military faction might have access only to the Military series; civilian players might have access only to the Classic series. The .dat file does not support faction restrictions natively; these restrictions are enforced through server-side plugins that check the player's faction before allowing the Useable Vehicle_Paint activation.

Creating a complete paint tool line for a mod project

A well-organized paint tool mod project ships a line of color variants. The cohort-recommended structure for a custom paint mod with ten colors:

MyPaintPack/
├── Bundles/
│   └── Items/
│       ├── MyPaint_Red/
│       │   ├── Asset.dat
│       │   ├── English.dat
│       │   └── MyPaint_Red.unity3d
│       ├── MyPaint_Blue/
│       │   ├── Asset.dat
│       │   ├── English.dat
│       │   └── MyPaint_Blue.unity3d
│       ├── MyPaint_Green/
│       │   ├── Asset.dat
│       │   ├── English.dat
│       │   └── MyPaint_Green.unity3d
│       └── ... (remaining colors)

Each variant folder contains its own Asset.dat with a unique ID, GUID, and PaintColor. The prefab is typically shared across all variants by using the same model (spray can) with different English.dat names and descriptions. If the variants use different spray can colors, each variant needs its own prefab.

Paint tool prefab authoring

The paint tool prefab is a simple item model (a spray can or aerosol container). The minimum prefab structure is:

MySpraypaintPrefab (root)
└── Body (MeshRenderer + MeshFilter for the spray can)

No animator is required for paint tools because there is no equip animation beyond the standard item equip. The use animation for paint tools is a simple spray-particle effect defined in the Useable Vehicle_Paint code, not in the item's Animations prefab.

Paint color selection strategy

The cohort recommendation for selecting PaintColor values in a custom paint tool mod is to use a color picker tool to sample colors from real-world vehicle paint catalogs. The hex values in the vanilla catalog range from near-black (#1a1a1a) to near-white (#cccccc). Colors that are extremely saturated (pure #FF0000) or extremely bright (pure #FFFFFF) may appear unnatural when multiplied over the vehicle's albedo texture. The cohort-validated approach is to use mid-saturation, mid-brightness colors in the 20-to-80 percent range for the most visually pleasing results.

Best practices

• Use PaintColor hex values in the mid-saturation and mid-brightness range (20-80 percent) for visually natural results.
• Set Rarity Uncommon for standard colors and Rarity Rare for specialty and military colors, consistent with the vanilla convention.
• Match the salvage blueprint output to the paint tool's crafting cost to maintain a balanced salvage economy.
• Test every paint tool variant on at least two different vehicle types before publishing.
• Author the spray can prefab with a color that matches the PaintColor value so players can identify the color at a glance in the inventory.
• Use the vanilla UseAudioClip Sounds/Vehicle_Spraypaint.wav path for the standard spray sound effect.
• Generate a fresh GUID for every paint tool variant, even if the variant shares the same prefab as another variant.
• Document the available color range in the Workshop description so players know which paint tools are available in the mod.
• Organize paint tool variants by ID range so that related colors are grouped logically in the Workshop item list.

Appendix A: Vehicle paint tool .dat field quick reference

Field	Type	Required	Default
ID	uint16	Yes	,
GUID	uint128	Yes	,
Type	enum (Vehicle_Paint_Tool)	Yes	,
Name	string	Yes	,
Rarity	enum	No	Common
Useable	enum (Vehicle_Paint)	Yes	,
Slot	enum	No	None
Size_X	uint8	Yes	,
Size_Y	uint8	Yes	,
UseAudioClip	string	No	,
PaintColor	color (#RRGGBB)	Yes	,
Pro	flag	No	not set

Appendix B: Color hex reference for common paint tool colors

Color name	Hex value	RGB	Suggested Rarity
Classic Red	#9a2525	154, 37, 37	Uncommon
Classic Blue	#005c99	0, 92, 153	Uncommon
Classic Green	#4d8c36	77, 140, 54	Uncommon
Classic Yellow	#cccc33	204, 204, 51	Uncommon
Classic Black	#333333	51, 51, 51	Uncommon
Classic White	#cccccc	204, 204, 204	Uncommon
Classic Orange	#cc6600	204, 102, 0	Uncommon
Classic Purple	#7a3399	122, 51, 153	Uncommon
Crimson	#660000	102, 0, 0	Rare
Navy	#1a2a4a	26, 42, 74	Rare
Midnight Black	#1a1a1a	26, 26, 26	Rare
Military Forest	#437c44	67, 124, 68	Rare
Military Desert	#a3865f	163, 134, 95	Rare

Appendix C: External references

• Smartly Dressed Games official modding documentation - Item assets - the authoritative field reference for all item types including vehicle paint tools.
• Unturned on Steam - the Unturned™ store page and community hub.
• Vehicle Mod Basics - the vehicle authoring reference that covers paintable material setup and paint mask authoring.
• Item Asset Anatomy - the shared field reference for all item types.
• Blueprint Asset Reference - the blueprint format used in the salvage recipe.
• Project Folder Structure and GUIDs - GUID generation and folder layout for all item mods.
• Master Bundle Export - the Unity bundling workflow for paint tool prefabs.
• Vehicle Lockpick Tool Reference - the previous article in the items section; shares the same ToolAsset inheritance structure.
• Steam Workshop Submission - the publishing workflow for finished mods.

Document history

Version	Date	Author	Notes
1.0	2025-05-18	57 Studios	Initial publication. Complete vehicle paint tool .dat field reference, PaintColor system, vanilla spraypaint color catalog, worked examples, diagnostic tables, appendices.

Glossary

Term	Definition
PaintColor	A hex color value (#RRGGBB) that defines the color applied to a vehicle's paintable material.
Paint mask	A grayscale texture on the vehicle material that controls which areas receive paint color.
Useable	The runtime behavior class that an item activates when used. Paint tools use Vehicle_Paint.
Single-use	The property that the tool is consumed from the player's inventory after one use.
Albedo	The base color texture of a material; the paint color is multiplied over the albedo.
Spraypaint	The in-game name for vehicle paint tools, reflecting their visual design as aerosol spray cans.

Cross-references

• Vehicle Lockpick Tool Reference - the previous article; shares the same ToolAsset inheritance and salvage blueprint configuration.
• Vehicle Repair Tool Reference - the next article; covers the battery-based vehicle repair system.
• Vehicle Mod Basics - the vehicle authoring reference that covers paintable material setup and the paint mask texture requirements.
• Item Asset Anatomy - the shared field reference for all item types, including the identity block and inventory fields.
• Project Folder Structure and GUIDs - the folder layout and GUID generation workflow.
• Master Bundle Export - the Unity bundling workflow for packaging paint tool prefabs.
• Blueprint Asset Reference - the blueprint format used in the salvage recipe.
• Steam Workshop Submission - the publishing workflow for finished mods.
• Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation - the official field reference for the ItemVehiclePaintToolAsset class.
• Unturned on Steam - the game store page and community hub.