How to start painting in Substance Painter?

Dive into the fascinating world of texture and detail with Substance Painter, an essential tool for 3D artists. We want to share with you the fundamental tools for you to master the art of painting 3D models, as if they were a canvas. Substance Painter offers versatile options for your creations to acquire realism and expressiveness. We will learn how to use layers, a vital resource in this software, and we will explore other useful functionalities in texture creation. Join us and discover how to make the most of your digital art skills!

What types of layers does Substance Painter offer?

In Substance Painter, layers are fundamental to structure and control the different aspects of your texturing. There are two types of layers:

1. Simple layers: these are similar to Photoshop layers. They allow you to paint directly on the selected material using various brushes. You can modify parameters such as color and relief of your material. For example, if you paint with a red dirt brush on a lighthouse, you will see the change only in the color channel, unless you also activate the height channel to add relief.

   // To paint relief and color: material.color = "red"; material.height = true;

2. Fill Layers: these offer the advantage of being able to modify the changes later. They are mainly used with masks. With a black mask, you can generate specific details and use automatic generators to create complex patterns such as textured grids.

   Example of a Tile pattern generator:

   tile_generator.scale = 28.3 tile_generator.projection = "tri-planar".

How to create details with filled layers?

To get the most out of filled layers, it is recommended to work with masks and generators. A black mask will allow you to add specific details to the material, while generators can automate complex patterns. Imagine wanting to add an embossed brick pattern:

1. Pattern Generator: using a "Tile Generator", adjust the scale and projection so that the bricks line up correctly on the 3D object.

   tile_generator.projection = "tri-planar" tile_generator.scale = (1, 1)

2. Detail settings: adjusts the relevance parameters to make the brick relief realistic and detailed.

3. Add color: create a new Fill Layer by disabling all channels except color. Select a base color, e.g. dark red, for the brick layer.

   // Color setting: fillLayer.color = "dark red".

How to handle color and opacity variation?

Once you have your detail and base color, you can vary the appearance by playing with opacity and blending modes to get more natural and varied results:

1. Duplicate and vary: duplicate layers to create variations in color, using close tones to add depth and diversity in your textures.

   // Duplicate layer and adjust blending: duplicateLayer.blendingMode = "overlay";

2. Modifying levels: use level modifiers to change layer contrasts.

   Modifier to invert levels

   levels_modifier.invert()

Using these resources will enrich your creations, giving them realism and unique detail. Now that you understand the transformative ability of Substance Painter, we encourage you to try and experiment with your own designs. Tweak, paint, vary and above all, enjoy the creative process!