Substance 3D Painter will soon export .sbsar files
Adobe’s September 2022 livestream announcing upcoming features in the Substance 3D tools. The section on the next version of Substance 3D Painter, due out in October, starts at 00:30:45 in the video.
Substance 3D Painter will soon be able to export .sbsar files, not just texture maps, Adobe has announced.
The change was announced in yesterday’s livestream previewing new features in the firm’s Substance 3D product line, including the next version of the 3D texture painting software, which is due out in October.
Other new features in the release – Substance 3D Painter 8.2, if Adobe sticks to its current numbering convention – include the option to apply effects to folders, along with a lot of quality-of-life improvements.
Updated 7 October 2022: Substance 3D Painter 8.2 has now been released. More details in this story.
Export .sbsar materials from Substance 3D Painter as well as Substance 3D Designer
Key changes in the release will include the much-requested option to export materials in .sbsar format from Subtance 3D Painter, or to export both texture maps and a .sbsar file.
The workflow will automatically package the texture maps that Painter generates into a single material, making them quicker to import into DCC applications and game engines that support the .sbsar file format.
Until now, it was only possible to author .sbsar files in Substance 3D Designer, Painter’s sibling app, which is aimed at more technically minded artists.
Quality of life improvements to layers, channels and asset management
The update will also feature a number of workflow improvements, including the option to apply effects to entire folders within the layer stack, as well as to individual layers and filters.
It will also be possible to set blending mode and opacity directly on any filter or colour selection effect, and to copy and paste blending mode and opacity settings to every channel of a material at once.
Users will also be able to tag favourite assets to add them to a new Favorites category in the Asset window, and to delete or reload any asset directly from the Assets window, not just those used in projects.
Other upcoming changes include the option to lock IBL lighting to the view camera, rather than having it fixed in world space, and a keyboard shortcut to quick-reload a mesh.
Release date, pricing and system requirements
Substance 3D Painter 8.2 is due for release in October 2022.
The current stable release, Substance 3D Painter 8.1.3, is available for Windows 10, CentOS 7.0/Ubuntu 18.04+ Linux and macOS 10.14+. Perpetual licences are available via Steam and cost $149.99.
The software is also via Adobe’s Substance 3D subscriptions. Substance 3D Texturing subscriptions cost $19.99/month or $219.88/year; Substance 3D Collection subscriptions cost $49.99/month or $549.88/year.
Subscriptions to the Linux edition require a Creative Cloud Plan for Teams priced at $1,198.88/year.
Read more about Substance 3D Painter on Adobe’s product website
Read a list of new features in Substance 3D Painter in the online release notes