Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 18, 2016. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Because in version 2.0, the Substance Painter texturing tool is said to have become a self-contained mini-pipeline: game artists can now paint, render and share their creations without leaving the software’s viewport.
The core of this new workflow is Nvidia’s Iray Renderer; the path tracer can be used to achieve photorealistic results, without limitations in terms of resolution or material complexity.
More Key Features
The library of scanned materials, Smart Masks, Finishing Filters and Tool Brushes has been expanded. Users can add further content to the library via Substance Share. In addition, selected materials, brushes, patches, HDRIs and meshes are now available to buy in the Substance Store. The items can be bought individually or as Mood Packs on specific themes such as “Sci-Fi Alien” or Medieval Knight”.
The new painting tools can be used to create dirt or clone channel areas, making external software unnecessary for this step. The image and viewport display also received an update: a full-screen mode can now be viewed, a 3D mouse is supported and the image quality has been optimised overall. Revised normal mapping also enables improved rendering of material heights.
Users can also now export their work directly to engines or showcase websites. Sketchfab and ArtStation are connected directly to Substance Designer through the viewport, making it easier to create a portfolio.
Price and Availability
Substance Painter 2.0 is available for Mac OSX, Windows and Linux. An Indie licence costs 149 US dollars, while the Pro licence is available for 590 US dollars. Substance Painter 2.0 can be obtained via the Allegorithmic website, Steam or the Unity Asset Store.
In the upcoming DP 03 : 16, we will present the workflow with the Substance Designer material authoring software in the SAE workshop. The issue will be published on April 15.
