Substance 3D Designer: Purpose and Features of the Program

Contents:

• Definition and purpose of Substance 3D Designer
• Main characteristics of Substance 3D Designer
• Comparison of the features of Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter: what distinguishes these two tools?
• Overview of the functionality of the Substance 3D Designer interface
• Creating a material in Substance 3D Designer: a step-by-step guide
• Advantages of using Substance 3D Designer
• Disadvantages of using Substance 3D Designer
• Total

3D graphics projects often require the creation of original, high-quality textures. Many organizations effectively cope with this task using the Substance 3D suite of applications from Adobe. In this article, we will take a detailed look at the key features of Substance 3D Designer and the basic approaches to working in this program.

Contents

• Substance 3D Designer is a powerful tool designed for creating textures and materials in 3D graphics. This software allows artists and designers to develop complex textures using a procedural approach, providing a high degree of control over every aspect of visual assets.

  The primary goal of Substance 3D Designer is to simplify the process of creating 3D materials by allowing users to combine various elements and customize their parameters. This tool can be used to create everything from simple to highly detailed textures, ideal for use in video games, animation, and other digital projects.

  Furthermore, the program supports exporting materials to various formats, making it a versatile solution for visual effects and computer graphics professionals. Thus, Substance 3D Designer is an essential tool for anyone who strives to create high-quality content in the world of 3D visualization.

• Key Features of Substance 3D Designer
• Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter are two powerful tools designed for creating textures and materials, but they serve different purposes and differ in functionality.

  Substance 3D Designer is designed for creating procedural textures and materials. Users can visually design textures using patterns and nodes, combining various elements to achieve the desired result. This tool is ideal for those who want to create complex materials with the ability to further edit and customize them.

  On the other hand, Substance 3D Painter focuses on painting textures directly on 3D models. It allows the user to apply textures using brushes and see the changes in real time. This tool is especially useful for artists who prefer detailed, hand-painted surface finishing.

  Thus, while Substance 3D Designer is better suited for creating and customizing textures at a basic level, Substance 3D Painter is an excellent choice for applying and refining textures to existing models.

• The Substance 3D Designer interface is a powerful tool for creating textures and materials. It is organized to provide the user with convenient access to all the necessary functions. In the center of the interface is the workspace, where users can visualize their materials and textures in real time.

  On the left is a panel with nodes that allow you to create and customize complex materials using a visual approach based on a node system. Each node can be assigned various parameters, giving you detailed control over the texture creation process. On the right is the properties panel, which displays the settings of the selected node, making them easier to edit and customize.

  At the top of the interface are the main project management tools. Here you can save your work, open new projects, and adjust export settings. You can also quickly access a library of materials and textures, which significantly speeds up the development process.

  Overall, the Substance 3D Designer interface is intuitive, allowing both beginners and experienced users to work effectively with the program, creating unique textures and materials for various applications.

• Creating a material in Substance 3D Designer involves several key steps. First, you need to open the program and create a new project. After that, you can begin by selecting a base node, which will serve as the basis for your material.

  Then you should connect various nodes that will help you add texture, color, and other properties. For example, you can use nodes to create noise, add color, and adjust reflections and bumps.

  After adjusting the nodes, it is important to test the material to see how it looks in different lighting conditions. You can use the built-in viewing modes for this.

  When you're satisfied with the result, don't forget to save your material and export it in the format you need for use in other applications or projects. Thus, the process of creating a material in Substance 3D Designer involves sequentially connecting nodes, testing, and final refinement.

• The advantages of Substance 3D Designer lie in several key aspects. Firstly, it provides users with powerful tools for creating textures and materials that can be adapted to any needs. Unlike traditional methods, this software allows you to work in node-based mode, which gives you flexible control over the creation process.

  It's also worth noting that Substance 3D Designer supports the creation of procedural textures, which significantly simplifies the work and speeds up the process. Users can easily change parameters and get instant results, which is especially useful when making changes to the project.

  Furthermore, the program provides a high degree of compatibility with other products from the Adobe ecosystem, making it an excellent choice for professionals working in graphics. It allows you to integrate textures and materials into various game and visual engines, such as Unreal Engine and Unity, which significantly expands its functionality.

  Finally, thanks to an active user community and a wealth of available tutorials, beginners can quickly master this program and begin creating high-quality textures and materials.

• Weaknesses of Substance 3D Designer.

Definition and purpose of Substance 3D Designer

Substance 3D Designer is a tool for developing materials, including PBR materials, and uses procedural methods. Instead of a traditional texture editor, where maps are created manually, this application builds a network of nodes based on parametric bitmaps. These elements can be adjusted in real time by changing the parameters in the settings.

All nodes that possess the characteristics of the future material, such as deformation, blur, pattern repetition, and others, are arranged in the graph from left to right and integrated into a network that ensures the transfer of data between the various components. Each node included in the connection affects the final appearance of the material.

The result is an original tileable material with a perfectly repeating pattern. Content created in the application can be exported either as texture maps or as a full-fledged Substance Archive asset with the .sbsar extension, which is supported by all programs in the Substance 3D series.

Substance 3D Designer was created by the French company Allegorithmic long before the more well-known tool Substance 3D Painter began to gain popularity on the art scene. Previously, the developers released solutions such as ProFX, designed to optimize texture sizes, and the Imagesynth plugin, which allowed you to create seamless textures by combining and modifying images. These tools, which appeared in the mid-2000s, significantly simplified the texturing process in the video game industry.

Substance 3D Designer was first released in 2010. The program's core concept remained largely unchanged, but despite its versatility in tile-based texturing, it initially failed to attract significant attention in the gaming industry. At the time, the 3D graphics technologies used on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms couldn't boast a high level of photorealistic textures, let alone the use of PBR materials. Most artists still resorted to creating and editing source images in Photoshop, and this approach was quite sufficient for them. Over time, Allegoritmic's software began to attract attention thanks to a partnership with the founders of Unity and the integration of Substance Designer tools into the engine, which allowed for texture optimization. In 2013, the company entered into agreements with several renowned AAA studios, such as Naughty Dog, Treyarch, and Ubisoft. After numerous refinements and consultations with technical artists working on current projects, the fourth version of Substance 3D Designer, featuring PBR support, was released in October of that year. The program's availability on Steam has significantly increased the number of Substance 3D users.

In early 2019, Adobe completed the acquisition of Allegoritmic, bringing all Substance 3D applications into the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem. Today, more than 95% of AAA games on the market are created using Substance 3D Designer. It is also widely used by leading animation and visual effects studios.

Substance 3D Designer is part of the Adobe ecosystem, which results in identical license rates as Substance 3D Painter. Additionally, you can purchase a perpetual license through Steam for approximately $200, although the final price may vary by region. Updates will be available for a year, but access to updates for the following year will require the purchase of a new license. It should be noted that this offer is not available to users from Russia.

Key Features of Substance 3D Designer

Non-linear workflow. The use of a procedural approach makes it possible to rearrange elements, delete them, or add new ones. If during execution it becomes clear that the parameters of the initial nodes in the system are set incorrectly, you can always make changes or delete the element, replacing it with another one, without losing the results achieved.

Developing original textures, including using NVIDIA's Material Definition Language technology, is a fascinating process. Thanks to the program's many built-in settings, artists can create impressive textures—from vintage fabrics with varied patterns to realistic stone landscapes or rusty metal grates. Importantly, the final result is largely determined by the artist's task: they can achieve a photorealistic effect or create a more stylized image.

Easy integration of materials into the local ecosystem. Content can be saved in the Substance Archive (.sbsar) format and then imported into other applications from the Substance 3D family, such as Modeller (for modeling), Sampler (for photogrammetry), Stager (for visualizations), and Assets (an asset library).

Plugins are available that allow you to integrate content into various third-party 3D modeling programs, rendering programs, and game engines.

An extensive collection of nodes, including filters, texture generators, masks and ready-made PBR materials.

Support for Python scripting allows Users can develop custom nodes, which helps optimize their workflow.

At the time of writing, the current version of Substance 3D Designer is 13.1.

Comparison of Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter: What Makes These Two Tools Different?

A user who is unfamiliar with the features of the Substance 3D series may ask a logical question: what is the point of using Substance 3D Designer if similar operations with textures and materials can be performed in Substance 3D Painter? Although both programs have some common features, they are designed to solve different problems.

As stated earlier, Substance 3D Designer is designed to generate universal tileable materials that are independent of a specific UV unfolding. Finished materials can be used on any object, regardless of its polygonal structure.

Substance 3D Painter, unlike other programs, actively works with UV mapping. With its tools, users can apply materials to specific areas of a model, manipulate texture layers that create the textural characteristics of materials, and paint with alpha brushes on the surface of an object in real time.

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Substance 3D Painter is a powerful software designed for texturing and rendering 3D models. Its primary function is to create high-quality textures that can be applied to three-dimensional objects. This application is particularly in demand in the video game, animation, and visual effects industries, where realism and detail are crucial.

With Substance 3D Painter, users can apply textures to models in real time, allowing them to see changes immediately. The program supports a variety of materials, including metals, wood, fabric, and many others, making it a versatile tool for artists and designers.

Furthermore, Substance 3D Painter offers a rich set of tools, such as brushes, masks, and layers, allowing you to create complex and detailed textures. It also integrates with other programs in the Adobe ecosystem, simplifying the workflow and improving compatibility.

Thus, Substance 3D Painter is an integral part of the workflow of many professional 3D artists, allowing them to create impressive visual effects and unique textures for their projects.

Let's summarize. Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter each have their own unique features and cannot completely replace each other, but they complement each other perfectly. For example, you can create a base in Designer and then transfer it to Painter to add individual elements. This way, the final material will become even more original.

Overview of the functionality of the Substance 3D Designer interface

Let's get acquainted with the key principles of operation in Substance 3D Designer. First, let's start by analyzing the application's interface.

To launch your first project in Substance 3D Designer, go to the main menu. Select "File," then "New," and select "Substance graph." At this point, a window will appear with various templates to choose from.

These templates include Specific nodes designed to create surfaces with specified PBR properties. Hovering over the name of any of the presented samples will display a pop-up message with a brief description. The Empty template, highlighted in the screenshot above, is chosen when you need to create a material from scratch, without any preliminary settings.

Like most graph-based programs, Substance 3D Designer's interface can be confusing for a beginner. However, at the initial stage of mastering it is not necessary to thoroughly understand all the functions of the tabs and windows, since many of them will be needed only for performing more complex tasks related to materials.

For a better understanding, the image below demonstrates the Metallic Roughness template, to which the ready-made Metal 002 PBR node from the library is attached.

The Graph view, shown in screenshot #1, is the central workspace in Substance 3D Designer. This interface is where the structure of the future material is formed. The graph is oriented from left to right: components located on the left edge serve as the source (in this case, these are the nodes responsible for the PBR properties of the metal surface), while elements located on the right edge represent the final result (nodes that output maps with various properties). The user can zoom in and out of the graph using the mouse wheel, and holding down the right mouse button allows panning across the entire editor area.

Two preview windows for the future material are available, one in 3D and one in 2D (marked #2 and #3 in the screenshot, respectively). In the 3D viewport, the current material is overlaid by default on a Rounded Cube model. Real-time rendering is also performed here, taking into account all surface characteristics. You can examine an object in the viewport, rotating it and examining it from all sides:

• Clicking and holding the left mouse button causes rotation.
• Holding the middle mouse button implies the process of movement.
• Long-pressing the right mouse button changes the scale.

On the left side of the 3D viewport window is a quick access toolbar that allows you to display various scene elements, such as lighting, background, polygonal mesh, coordinate grid, and other details. At the top of the 3D viewport is a menu with settings for working with the 3D scene. Below is a list of tabs with a brief description of their functions.

• A scene is the process of replacing the standard Rounded Cube with another three-dimensional object. There are many replacement options, ranging from the classic cube with sharp corners (Cube) and plane (Plane) to shapes like a piece of cloth (Cloth) or a donut (Torus). This tab also provides functions for loading and saving a scene, as well as displaying the UV map in the 2D window, along with other useful tools.
• The Materials tab is used to adjust settings that go beyond simple texture editing. Here, you can select the desired template and adjust the height map level in the right-hand settings panel, which we will discuss a little later.
• Lighting in a scene is the process of setting it up.
• In this section, you can adjust the virtual camera settings and set the perspective. Additionally, it is possible to take a snapshot of the scene or perform a rendering.
• Environment — background parameters.
• Display — a visualization of the various components of the scene.
• Renderer — is the process of selecting software for rendering images.

The 2D View window is closely related to the graph editor. For example, if you double-click the left mouse button on any node in the graph, the selected map will be shown in 2D. In the image above, you can see that the 2D View contains the Basecolor node, which is responsible for the main texture that defines the surface color.

To the left of the graph editor, shown in image number 4, is a file manager known as Explorer. It displays the project hierarchy and provides shortcuts for basic actions, such as saving and loading SBSAR files. The outliner displays all currently available graphs, along with the content they contain.

A single project can contain multiple graphs. For example, if you create a new graph (by selecting File - New - Substance Graph…), it will appear in the Explorer slightly below the existing one. In addition, a new graph can be easily moved to the previous set by simply dragging it.

Below, in image number 5, is the Node Library. This section contains all the content that is originally included with the Substance 3D Designer package. Here you will find a variety of nodes, including filters, generators, masks, and ready-made materials, which can be easily added to the graph by dragging and dropping. Detailed information on all node categories can be found in the official documentation.

On the right side of the editor interface, as shown in image number 6, is the Properties panel, which allows you to make changes to all elements of the project. The set of attributes displayed in this window depends on the component selected. In the screenshot above, the node with the Basecolor bitmap is selected, which is why the number of available settings is minimal. However, when a node with a PBR material is selected, the structure of the Properties panel undergoes significant changes.

One of the most exciting sections in Properties when first getting to know the program is the Instance Parameters tab. There are many parameters here that allow you to change the characteristics using sliders or entering numerical values, which makes it possible to transform the material beyond recognition.

Finally, the main menu (shown in the screenshot above under number 7) is divided into two main sections. The initial panel includes tabs such as File (for performing standard actions with the project), Edit (for program settings, as well as undo and redo operations), Tools (for rendering configuration and plugin integration), Windows (for managing the display of additional windows), and Help (for obtaining help information). Below is a panel that provides quick access to the functions available in the File and Edit menus.

All available panels can be moved to different parts of the editor or desktop, which is very convenient, especially if you have multiple displays.

Creating a Material in Substance 3D Designer: A Step-by-Step Guide

First of all, it is worth considering that the development of materials is based on a certain theoretical background. Particularly important is knowledge in the following areas:

• PBR material features, including the basic concepts of light reflection and refraction on the surface;
• The influence of technical maps on the final result.

PBR textures, or textures using Physically Based Rendering (PBR), are a special type of texture that provides a more realistic display of materials in 3D graphics. The basic idea of ​​PBR is to imitate the behavior of real materials when interacting with lighting, which allows for high-quality rendering of objects.

PBR textures typically consist of several maps, each of which is responsible for specific characteristics of the material. The key maps are albedo (or diffuse), normal, metallic, and roughness. Albedo determines the base color of the material, the normal map adds detail and volume, the metallic map indicates how metallic the material is, and the roughness map is responsible for the level of surface microtexture, which affects reflections.

Using PBR textures allows artists and developers to create more realistic images that look natural under various lighting conditions, revealing all the nuances of materials. This significantly improves the quality of graphics in video games, animations, and visualizations, turning them into a more immersive experience for viewers.

Texture baking is a process used in computer graphics and 3D modeling that allows you to save surface information about objects in the form of textures. This method involves creating texture images that represent light, shadow, and other details that can be applied to a model. Baking reduces the load on the rendering system, since instead of calculating these effects in real time, all the necessary data is already stored in the texture. This process therefore helps achieve a more realistic appearance of objects and improves performance in games and visualizations.

How can you use this knowledge to start creating a graph? The program provides a variety of nodes that allow you to form various surfaces. In general, they can be divided into two main categories.

• Atomic nodes represent the key elements that make up the structure of a material. By default, they are located in the quick access toolbar in the graphics editor.
• Library nodes are used together with basic nodes to form an original texture pattern.

At the initial stage of learning, you should not try to memorize all the characteristics of these elements, as the understanding of the situations in which each component should be used comes with experience. Practical experience with programs that use similar approaches will be a significant advantage. For example, in Blender's shader editor, node names and their functions overlap significantly, especially for components related to gradients, filters, and procedural textures.

Regardless of the specific material you plan to use—be it marble or resurfacing old asphalt—it's important to have a clear idea of ​​the end result. Therefore, before starting work, it's important to carefully select suitable examples and, using training resources, identify elements that will help achieve the desired surface appearance.

Let's try creating an element that will resemble plastic. In this case, we won't strive for maximum realism, but will focus on creating an attractive texture. We will also consider methods for achieving the effect of cracks on the surface.

We begin working on creating a new Substance graph. We choose the standard Metallic Roughness template as a basis.

In As a result, a standard template will be created, including bitmaps and a display of the final result. Let's begin creating our network. Graph elements can be loaded directly from the library using drag-and-drop, but it's more practical to use the graph editor: simply press the Tab key and enter the desired element's name manually.

First, let's determine the shape of the expected cracks. Any of the four cell types (Cells nodes) will work as a base. We've chosen the Cells 4 node to demonstrate an additional operation later. Select the created node and go to the instance parameters. Here, we're interested in the Scale parameter, which allows us to scale the cells. Adjust it until the size of the future cracks is satisfactory. Incidentally, the Disorder slider, located just below Scale, is responsible for the displacement of the pattern elements. If you wish, you can also experiment with this parameter.

The existing pattern has a variety of shades, but we only need the outline. The node has an Output slot. To use it, click on it, hold down the left mouse button, drag a wire, and then release the button. This will prompt the program to create a new node that will be linked to the previous one.

Note

Linking nodes is easy, but unlinking them can be difficult, since this option is not available in the context menu when right-clicking on a slot. To break the connection between nodes in Substance 3D Designer, hold down the Alt key and left-click on the desired slot.

We'll create a new component called Edge Detect. This filter will select only the outlines of the current drawing. Let's go to the parameters of the new bitmap instance and adjust two characteristics - width (Edge Width) and roundness (Edge Roundless) to our liking.

The next step is to integrate the Non Uniform Dir. Warp node. This element is responsible for distorting the contours, which in our case means changing the pattern that will later become cracks. It also includes several additional outputs for working with masks. From the left output of the Intensity Map, we connect the Clouds node. Substance 3D Designer offers three variants of Clouds nodes, and you can choose any of them depending on the desired effect strength. In this example, we will use the Clouds 2 node. In the instance parameters, you can adjust the scale (Scale) and its variability (Disorder). Additionally, we connect the Clouds 2 node to the Warp Angle Map socket in Non Uniform Dir. Warp, which allows you to set the deformation angle. The result will be the following diagram.

Now we connect the Non Uniform Dir node. Warp with the existing Normal node in the current preset and the node responsible for height map output. This will ensure that cracks don't just appear on the surface, but create the effect of deep recesses. Let's check what we've got.

We have created the initial structure. Now it's time to add shading to the cracks, which is provided by the Ambient Occlusion map. However, if we connect it to the Non-Uniform Dir. Warp node, the depressions will appear too dark. To fix this, we need to brighten the dark areas. For this, we'll use the Levels node. After creating it, go to the Specific Parameters section and adjust the channels in the Level Histogram item so that the black areas of the bitmap acquire a gray tint.

Levels can now be associated with Ambient Occlusion.

You can improve the reflection of the material in the Metallic slot or increase the roughness in Roughness slot. In this process, it's helpful to consider the distribution of light and dark tones in these maps. We can use the Levels node to create an Invert Grayscale node, which will invert the colors in the map. By connecting it to the Metallic map, we'll notice that lighter areas of the bitmap provide more pronounced reflections. The result will be a matte surface with cracks that will reflect light more noticeably.

Note:

Invert Grayscale is designed exclusively for working with black and white images. If you have color images, we recommend using the Invert Color function.

You can add color to the material by selecting the desired tone in the Uniform Color node settings, which is built in by default. As a result of all these operations with nodes, it was possible to create a material with a craquelure effect.

If you want, you can preview how the current texture will look on different models. To do this, go to the Scene section of the viewport menu and select any mesh that interests you.

Note

To render the contents of the 3D viewport, go to the Renderer tab and select the Iray engine. Then go to the Camera section and click the Save Render button. If you just need to take a screenshot, you can do this without switching to Iray: select Camera and then Save Screenshot. However, please note that in this case the quality of the displayed surface will be lower.

Important!

The program saves the render or screenshot in the resolution that was initially set for the viewport window. Therefore, before starting shooting, you should maximize the window to full screen.

Of course, this is only a small part of the manipulations that can be performed with this material. You can experiment with the reflective properties of the surface, improve the height map, make the overall pattern more detailed, or include additional elements… Simply put, the possibilities for procedural editing are virtually limitless.

By default, projects are saved in the SBS format, which is designed exclusively for use in Substance 3D Designer. This format includes data about graphs, nodes, and their properties. To integrate a project with other applications in the Substance 3D family, such as Substance 3D Painter, click the vertical arrow icon next to the floppy disk icon and select Publish .sbsar file. If you want to save only the final bitmaps for subsequent import into another program or engine, simply right-click the graph, select Export Outputs…, and select the maps you want to save in the dialog box that appears.

In conclusion, Substance 3D Designer is a feature-rich application in which the material development process relies solely on the user's creativity. As with any other software, it has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of using Substance 3D Designer

Comfortable work process. You don't have to worry about having to start all over again if the material displays incorrectly due to an incorrectly configured element.

Due to its ability to generate unique materials of excellent quality, this program, especially in combination with Substance 3D Painter, is widely used among artists at large studios.

Efficient optimization. Even the most complex textures take up significantly less hard drive space compared to similar content created in other applications. This is one of the reasons Substance 3D Designer is so popular among game developers.

Plugin support. In addition to providing add-ons for convenient interaction with various programs and platforms, users have the opportunity to develop their own plugins and share them with others. Such content can often be seen on the ArtStation platform.

The Adobe website offers a variety of help resources created by both developers and experts in the relevant field. In addition to the official documentation, users can consult an extensive library of video courses and articles dedicated to learning the various features of the program. The training material is conveniently categorized by difficulty level and viewing time. Particular attention should be paid to the "recipe" videos, which offer step-by-step instructions and the ability to download attached SBS and SBSAR files, allowing for a detailed study of the program's node structure. Additionally, the official Adobe Substance 3D YouTube channel has a playlist aimed at beginners, where they can find helpful video tutorials.

Cons of Using Substance 3D Designer

It's important to understand the principles of the procedural approach. Even in the training materials, you can encounter rather complex graphs consisting of numerous nodes, which can be intimidating for a beginner at the very beginning of their acquaintance with the software. In addition, Substance 3D Designer offers a wide range of different components, and it will take some time to master their functions and applications.

Significant cost. Regular subscription payments or annual Steam updates mean the program must be worth the investment. This is why experienced 3D artists and studios find it more cost-effective than beginners.

Bottom Line

Substance 3D Designer is a powerful and feature-rich tool designed for creating original tileable textures and materials of the highest quality. While working with this program requires some theoretical knowledge and a thoughtful approach, it currently offers unrivaled customization and control over the creation process.

If you prefer to avoid ready-made solutions like purchasing content from marketplaces, or create complex materials from scratch using photogrammetry, hand-drawn elements, and other methods, then Substance 3D Designer may be a worthwhile investment. Unique visual content is sure to attract attention and be appreciated by both players and viewers, because, as is commonly believed, true beauty lies in the details.