Adobe releases Substance 3D Modeler 1.3
Adobe has released Substance 3D Modeler 1.3, the latest version of the VR sculpting software.
New features include the start of support for viewport ray tracing, a new live Boolean preview, and new Cut, Copy and Paste commands for duplicating objects.
Sculpt organic and hard-surface models in VR using a virtual clay workflow
Released last year, Substance 3D Modeler lets users sculpt both organic and hard-surface models in virtual reality, or in desktop mode using a mouse and keyboard.
Like its precursor, Medium, which Adobe acquired in 2019, it uses Signed Distance Fields to represent 3D space, rather than treating 3D geometry as a polygonal mesh.
As a result, workflow combines elements of digital sculpting and Boolean modelling, with users able to build up forms with virtual clay, then join them or cut into them with Boolean operations.
You can find more details about its key toolsets in this story on Substance 3D Modeler 1.0.
New in version 1.3: initial support for viewport ray tracing
Key changes in Substance 3D Modeler 1.3 include viewport ray tracing, intended to make it easier to visualise how shadows will fall in a scene, and how it will look in other DCC applications.
It’s currently only supported on desktop, not in virtual reality; and only in Capture mode, so it isn’t possible to work interactively in a ray traced view.
However, the release notes describe the initial implementation as “just the beginning” for ray tracing in Modeler: you can get an idea of what is coming from the sneak peek Adobe showed earlier this year.
Other new features: live Boolean preview and Cut, Copy and Paste commands
Other changes include the option to preview the result of Boolean operations before committing to them, as shown in the video at the top of the story.
There are also new Cut, Copy and Paste commands for duplicating objects or moving them between groups.
Workflow improvements include the option to change the viewport background colour.
The software also now officially supports HTC’s Vive XR Elite headset.
Price and system requirements
Substance 3D Modeler 1.3 is available for Windows 10+. See a list of supported VR headsets here.
The software is available through Adobe’s Substance 3D Collection subscriptions, which cost $49.99/month or $549.88/year. Perpetual licences are available via Steam, and cost $149.99.
Read a full list of new features in Substance 3D Modeler 1.3 in the online documentation